Large Print Cozy Mysteries to Beat the Heat

The tenth entry in Susan Wittig Albert's Darling Dahlias series is called The Darling Dahlias and the Red Hot Poker. "It’s Labor Day weekend, 1935, and members of the Darling Dahlias—the garden club in little Darling, Alabama—are trying to keep their cool at the end of a sizzling summer. This isn’t easy, though, since there’s a firebug on the loose in Darling. He—or she!—strikes without apparent rhyme or reason, and things have gotten to the point where nobody feels safe. What’s more, a dangerous hurricane is poised to hurl itself in Darling’s direction, while a hurricane of a different sort is making a whirlwind campaign stop: the much-loved-much-hated senator from Louisiana, Huey P. Long, whom President Roosevelt calls the “most dangerous man in America.” Add Ophelia Snow’s secret heartthrob, Liz Lacy’s Yankee lover, and the Magnolia Ladies’ garden of red hot pokers, fire-red salvia, and hot pink cosmos, and you have a volatile mix that might just burst into flames at any moment." (from Amazon.com)

Mrs. Jeffries and the Midwinter Murders is Emily Brightwell's 40th entry in the series. "Mrs. Jeffries and Inspector Witherspoon should be checking off their Christmas present lists but instead they’re listing murder suspects in this latest entry of the beloved Victorian Mystery series. Harriet Andover was a smart businesswoman who did not suffer fools gladly, yet somehow her house was full of them. With a husband who has no head for money and two grown stepchildren who would rather do anything than an honest day’s work, Harriet had every intention of righting the ship and putting her family back on the path to respectability. But she soon discovers that the best intentions can lead to murder when she is strangled inside her mansion with a house full of holiday guests. It would seem that everyone present had a motive to kill the rich woman, and no one is being quite honest regarding their whereabouts at the time of the murder. And to put the icing on the Christmas cookies, the room where Harriet’s body was found was locked from the inside and she had the key in her pocket. But Mrs. Jeffries and the household have no intention of letting Inspector Witherspoon down and soon mine valuable evidence from the depths of Harriet’s past. As the clues mount, this dedicated band of merry sleuths will not rest until they’ve delivered a stocking full of coal to a crafty killer." (from Amazon.com)

"In Nicholas Meyer's The Return of the Pharaoh, Sherlock Holmes returns in an adventure that takes him to Egypt in search of a missing nobleman, a previously undiscovered pharaoh's tomb, and a conspiracy that threatens his very life. With his international bestseller, The Seven Per Cent Solution, Nicholas Meyer brought to light a previously unpublished case of Sherlock Holmes that reinvigorated the world's interest in the first consulting detective. Now, many years later, Meyer is given exclusive access to Dr. Watson's unpublished journal, wherein he details a previously unknown case. In 1910, Dr. John Watson travels to Egypt with his wife Juliet. Her tuberculosis has returned and her doctor recommends a stay at a sanitarium in a dry climate. But while his wife undergoes treatment, Dr. Watson bumps into an old friend--Sherlock Holmes, in disguise and on a case. An English Duke with a penchant for Egyptology has disappeared, leading to enquiries from his wife and the Home Office. Holmes has discovered that the missing duke has indeed vanished from his lavish rooms in Cairo and that he was on the trail of a previous undiscovered and unopened tomb. And that he's only the latest Egyptologist to die or disappear under odd circumstances. With the help of Howard Carter, Holmes and Watson are on the trail of something much bigger, more important, and more sinister than an errant lord." (from Amazon.com)

The fourth entry in Andrea Penrose's Wrexford & Sloane series is called Murder at Queen's Landing. "The many strands of a dark mystery entangle Lady Charlotte Sloane and the Earl of Wrexford in a dangerous web of secrets and lies that will call into question how much they really know about the people they hold dear—and about each other . . .When Lady Cordelia, a brilliant mathematician, and her brother, Lord Woodbridge, disappear from London, rumors swirl concerning fraudulent bank loans and a secret consortium engaged in an illicit—and highly profitable—trading scheme that threatens the entire British economy. The incriminating evidence mounts, but for Charlotte and Wrexford, it’s a question of loyalty and friendship. And so they begin a new investigation to clear the siblings’ names, uncover their whereabouts, and unravel the truth behind the whispers. Charlotte and Wrexford also struggle to navigate their increasingly complex feelings for each other. But the clock is ticking—a cunning mastermind has emerged . . . along with some unexpected allies—and Charlotte and Wrexford must race to prevent myriad disasters as they are forced into a dangerous game of wits in an attempt to beat the enemy at his own game." (from Amazon.com)

The twelfth Library Lover's Mystery by Jenn McKinlay is called Killer Research. "Spring is livening up Briar Creek after a long, cold winter, and newlyweds Lindsey and Sully could not be happier. Even though the upcoming mayoral election is getting heated, everything else in town is coming up daffodils...until a body is found. Ms. Cole, a librarian and current candidate for town mayor, is shocked when she opens her trunk to discover a murder victim who just so happens to be a guy she dated forty years ago and the founder of the baking empire Nana's Cookies. As the town gossip mill turns, a batch of rumors begins to circulate about Ms. Cole's rebellious youth, which--along with being a murder suspect--threatens to ruin her life and her budding political career. But Ms. Cole is one tough cookie who will not go down without a fight. Has the campaign for mayor turned deadly? It is up to Lindsey, Sully, and the rest of the Crafter-noon pals to see how the cookie crumbles and figure out who is trying to frame Ms. Cole for murder and why." (from Amazon.com)

New Cozy Mysteries to Enjoy!

The Time for Murder is Meow is by T. C. Lotempio. "To save their pet shop, Shell and her two furry sidekicks must catch a killer. Crishell "Shell" McMillan sees the cancellation of her TV series as a blessing in disguise. The former actress can now take over her late aunt's pet shop, the Purr N' Bark, and do something she loves. While getting the shop ready for re-opening, Shell is asked to loan her aunt's Cary Grant posters to the local museum for an exhibit. She finds the prospect exciting―until a museum board member, who had a long-standing feud with Shell's aunt, votes against it. When she discovers the board member dead in the museum, Shell becomes suspect number one. Can she, her Siamese cat Kahlua, and her new sidekick―her aunt's Persian Purrday―find the real culprit, or will her latest career go up in kitty litter?" (from Amazon.com)

Amanda Flowers pens Verse and Vengeance: A Magical Bookshop Mystery. "With the help of Walt Whitman's works, magical bookshop owner Violet Waverly puts her pedal to the metal to sleuth a bicycle-race murder that tests her mettle. A bicycle race is not Charming Books proprietor Violet Waverly's idea of a pleasant pastime. But police chief David Rainwater wheelie wants them to enter the Tour de Cascade as a couple, so she reluctantly consents. The Tour de Cascade is the brainchild of Violet's Grandma Daisy. The race is a fundraiser to build the Cascade Springs Underground Railroad Museum. But not everyone in this Niagara Region village supports the race. As if the bike race weren't tiring enough, pesky private investigator Joel Redding is snooping around Charming Books. It takes all of Violet's and Grandma Daisy's ingenuity to keep Redding from discovering the shop's magical essence--which communicates with Violet through books. When Redding perishes in an accident during the race, David discovers that the brake line of the private eye's bike was cut. Worse, Violet tops his list of suspects. As Emerson the tuxedo cat and resident crow Faulkner look on, Charming Books steers Violet to the works of Walt Whitman to solve the crime. But no other names ring a bell as culprits, and as David's investigation picks up speed, Violet will have to get in gear to clear her name." (from Amazon.com)

Laura Levine gives us another Jaine Austen Mystery with Death of a Gigolo. "After a dry spell, freelance writer Jaine Austen’s life is suddenly full of romance. For one thing, she’s reconnected with her ex—though her cat, Prozac, isn’t happy about it. And Jaine’s also got a new ghostwriting gig, working on a steamy novel called Fifty Shades of Turquoise. Daisy Kincaid is in her sixties and heiress to a fortune. Now she wants to make a name for herself as a romance author . . . with a little help from Jaine, that is. As Jaine labors away on love scenes, she gets to know the wealthy woman’s gentleman friend, her household staff, and her social circle—every one of whom is horrified when Daisy falls under the spell of a much younger stud named Tommy, a rude, crude lothario who’s made himself a fixture in Daisy’s Bel Air mansion. After Tommy and Daisy shock everyone by announcing their engagement, it doesn’t take long for someone to stab him in the neck—with the solid gold Swiss Army knife that Daisy gave him as a gift. The challenging part is trying to narrow down the list of suspects. Jaine’s going to have to put a bookmark in that love story and focus all her creative talent into untangling a tale of money and murder." (from Amazon.com)

Bella Ellis imagines a world where the Bronte sisters are detectors in The Vanished Bride. "Yorkshire, 1845. A young wife and mother has gone missing from her home, leaving behind two small children and a large pool of blood. Just a few miles away, a humble parson’s daughters—the Brontë sisters—learn of the crime. Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Brontë are horrified and intrigued by the mysterious disappearance. These three creative, energetic, and resourceful women quickly realize that they have all the skills required to make for excellent “lady detectors.” Not yet published novelists, they have well-honed imaginations and are expert readers. And, as Charlotte remarks, “detecting is reading between the lines—it’s seeing what is not there.” As they investigate, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne are confronted with a society that believes a woman’s place is in the home, not scouring the countryside looking for clues. But nothing will stop the sisters from discovering what happened to the vanished bride, even as they find their own lives are in great peril." (from Amazon.com)

Have a Go At One of These Cozies!

"Terns of Endearment is the twenty-fifth book in New York Times bestselling author Donna Andrews's hilarious Mag Langslow mystery series. Meg Langslow's grandfather has been booked by a cruise line to give lectures on birds and other environmental topics as part of their ship’s education/entertainment itinerary, and Grandfather has arranged for a passel of family members to join him.The passengers vacation quickly becomes a nightmare when they wake up to find themselves broken down and in need of repairs in the Bermuda Triangle. To keep the stranded passengers calm, Meg’s family and friends band together to keep things organized and provide entertainment. Some even take up the cause of nursing an injured tern back to health.But things get even worse when a crew member announces to all that a woman has jumped overboard, leaving behind her shoes, shawl, and a note. The note reveals she's the mortal enemy of group of writers who came on board for a retreat, and the group is split on whether suicide is in-character for her. Meanwhile, grandfather’s assistant Trevor seems to have gone missing too!
The captain decides not to investigate, saying he'll notify American authorities when they reach their destination. But Meg's father thinks they should find out whether there was foul play while the prime suspects are all stuck on board. Who wanted the writer dead? Why doesn’t the captain seem concerned? What happened to Trevor? It'll be a race against the clock to solve these mysteries before they make the necessary repairs and return to shore." (from Amazon.com)

"Reprinted for the first time in over twenty years, The Case of the Careless Kitten is one of the most highly praised cases in the iconic Perry Mason series, which need not be read in any particular order. Perry Mason seeks the link between a poisoned kitten, a murdered man, and a mysterious voice from the past. Helen Kendal's woes begin when she receives a phone call from her vanished uncle Franklin, long presumed dead, who urges her to make contact with criminal defense attorney Perry Mason; soon after, she finds herself the main suspect in the murder of an unfamiliar man. Her kitten has just survived a poisoning attempt, as has her aunt Matilda, the woman who always maintained that Franklin was alive in spite of his disappearance. Lucky that Helen took her uncle's advice and contacted Perry Mason—he immediately takes her as a client. But while it’s clear that all the occurrences are connected, and that their connection will prove her innocence, the links in the case are too obscure to be recognized even by the attorney’s brilliantly deductive mind. Risking disbarment for his unorthodox methods, he endeavors to outwit the police and solve the puzzle himself, enlisting the help of his secretary Della Street, his private eye Paul Drake, and the unlikely but invaluable aid of a careless but very clever kitten in the process." (from Amazon.com)

The latest Trash 'n' Treasures Mystery--Antiques Ravin'--by Barbara Allan is the thirteenth installment in the series. "The votes are in! Eccentric seventy-something Vivian Borne—elected county sheriff, to everyone’s amazement but her own—springs into action. In her new role, the community playhouse diva appoints daughter Brandy reluctant deputy and makes their spunky shih tzu Sushi a K-9 unit of one.  Soon the amateur-sleuths-turned-pro have a challenging case to solve as a series of creepy crimes plague an ill-fated Edgar Allan Poe festival, where a fiend is misguidedly dispensing Poe-etic justice. Small-town Antiqua, known for its quaint main street of antique shops, has set out to celebrate the gothic poet with food, fun, and rare memorabilia, only to have the Master of the Macabre’s twisted tales come to deadly life. A purloined tome, a black cat, a musty mausoleum, and mysterious disappearances—these tell the tale of a heartless murderer. But Vivian and Brandy Borne are determined to decipher the cryptic clues to make sure a ravin’-mad killer strikes “nevermore”!" (from Amazon.com)

In the latest Royal Spyness Mystery, Love and Death Among the Cheetahs, author Rhys Bowen has finally sent Georgie and Darcy on there honeymoon. "I was so excited when Darcy announced out of the blue that we were flying to Kenya for our extended honeymoon. Now that we are here, I suspect he has actually been sent to fulfill another secret mission. I am trying very hard not to pick a fight about it, because after all, we are in paradise! Darcy finally confides that there have been robberies in London and Paris. It seems the thief was a member of the aristocracy and may have fled to Kenya. Since we are staying in the Happy Valley—the center of upper-class English life—we are well positioned to hunt for clues and ferret out possible suspects.  Now that I am a sophisticated married woman, I am doing my best to sound like one. But crikey! These aristocrats are a thoroughly loathsome sort enjoying a completely decadent lifestyle filled with wild parties and rampant infidelity. And one of the leading lights in the community, Lord Cheriton, has the nerve to make a play for me. While I am on my honeymoon! Of course, I put an end to that right off.  When he is found bloodied and lifeless along a lonely stretch of road, it appears he fell victim to a lion. But it seems that the Happy Valley community wants to close the case a bit too quickly. Darcy and I soon discover that there is much more than a simple robbery and an animal attack to contend with here in Kenya. Nearly everyone has a motive to want Lord Cheriton dead and some will go to great lengths to silence anyone who asks too many questions. The hunt is on! I just hope I can survive my honeymoon long enough to catch a killer. . . ." (from Amazon.com)

Cozy Christmas Mysteries

In A Christmas Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke, Hannah Swenson recalls a Christmas many years ago. "With her dream of opening The Cookie Jar taking shape, Hannah’s life matches the hectic December hustle and bustle in Lake Eden—especially when she agrees to help recreate a spectacular Christmas Ball from the past in honor of Essie Granger, an elderly local in hospice care. But instead of poring over decadent dessert recipes for the merry festivities, she instantly becomes enthralled by Essie’s old notebooks and the tale of a woman escaping danger on the streets of New York. Hannah’s surprised by Essie’s secret talent for penning crime fiction. She’s even more surprised when the story turns real. As Hannah prepares to run a bakery and move out of her mother’s house, it’ll be a true miracle if she can prevent another Yuletide disaster by solving a mystery as dense as a Christmas fruitcake." (from Amazon.com)

As the Christmas Cookie Crumbles is a cozy mystery by Leslie Budewitz. "Erin is one smart cookie, but can she keep the holiday spirit―and herself―alive till Christmas? In Jewel Bay, all is merry and bright. At Murphy's Mercantile, AKA the Merc, manager Erin Murphy is ringing in the holiday season with food, drink, and a new friend: Merrily Thornton. A local girl gone wrong, Merrily has turned her life around. But her parents have publicly shunned her, and they nurse a bitterness that chills Erin. When Merrily goes missing and her boss discovers he's been robbed, fingers point to Merrily―until she's found dead, a string of lights around her neck. The clues and danger snowball from there. Can Erin nab the killer―and keep herself in one piece―in time for a special Christmas Eve? Includes delicious recipes!" (from Amazon.com)

Christmas comes to Zinnia, Mississippi―Sarah Booth Delaney must solve a case as the holiday approaches, in A Gift of Bones from Carolyn Haines. "Christmas is just around the corner and Sarah Booth and Tinkie are preparing for a festive holiday season. After a turbulent season of solving cases, they’re ready for some holiday cheer. Sarah Booth and Sheriff Coleman Peters have finally gotten together, and this is the first holiday they’re celebrating as a couple. Sarah Booth busies herself with decking the halls and daydreaming about romantic Christmas nights with Coleman. Then her friend Cece Dee Falcon shows up needing Sarah Booth’s help―right now. She shows Sarah Booth a box that was delivered by courier and left at Cece’s front porch. It contains a lock of hair, a photograph of a pretty young woman, very pregnant, and a note demanding ransom for the return of the teen. Cece reveals that this is her cousin’s daughter, Eve Falcon, and that she’d lost touch with this part of her family years ago. Eve and Cece had been close, until the family had a terrible falling out, and banished Cece from their lives. The countdown begins as the kidnapper pushes for payment―or else, he threatens, Eve will meet her maker. It’s up to Sarah Booth and her friends to find the girl before something terrible happens on what should be the merriest day of the year." (from Amazon.com)

Anne Perry delights with her Victorian Christmas mystery, A Christmas Revelation. "Formerly a river urchin living on the banks of the Thames, nine-year-old Worm has never experienced a family Christmas. But thanks to a job at Hester Monk’s clinic in Portpool Lane, he’s found a makeshift family in kindly volunteer Miss Claudine Burroughs and curmudgeonly old bookkeeper Squeaky Robinson. When Worm witnesses the abduction of a beautiful woman by a pair of ruffians just days before Christmas, he frantically turns to Squeaky for help. A one-time brothel owner, Squeaky knows the perils of interfering in nasty business, but he can’t bear to disappoint Worm—or leave the boy to attempt a rescue on his own. What neither of the would-be saviors expects, however, is that the damsel in distress already has her dilemma well in hand . . . and is taking steps to bring her captors to justice for crimes far worse than kidnapping. But the rogues, as cunning as they are deadly, are not to be underestimated. The aid of cynical old Squeaky and hopeful young Worm just might make the difference between a merry triumph over evil and a terrible yuletide tragedy." (from Amazon.com)

Finally, one of my favorite cozy series has a new title--Six Cats a Slayin' (A Cat in the Stacks Mystery) by Miranda James. "December twenty-fifth is right around the corner, and Charlie is making his list and checking it twice. He is doing his best to show some peace and goodwill toward his nosy neighbor Gerry Arbitron, a real estate agent who seems to have designs on his house (and maybe on him, as well), while preparing for a very important role, indeed--his first Christmas as a grandfather.
The last thing Charlie expects is to gain several new additions to his family. Charlie finds a box on his doorstep with five kittens inside and a note begging him to keep them safe. With Diesel's help, Charlie welcomes the tiny felines into the Harris household just as Gerry decides it is time to throw a lavish holiday party. Determined to make her mark on Athena, Gerry instead winds up dead at her very own party. Though attempts to dig into her past come up empty, Charlie and his girlfriend, Helen Louise, witness two heated exchanges involving Gerry before her death: one with a leading citizen and another with the wife of a good friend. Will one of these ladies wind up on the sheriff's naughty list? Charlie and Diesel have to wrap up the case before the special season is ruined by a sinister scrooge." (from Amazon.com)

A Compilation of Cozies

In The Cost of Living by Rachel Ward, supermarket checkout girl Bea teams up with the clumsy new trainee, Ant; but can she trust him? When a young woman is brutally attacked on her way home from the supermarket, Bea thinks it's her responsibility to figure out who did it. After all, the police don't seem to be doing anything about it really. As customers and coworkers alike become suspects, dirty secrets surface and fear grips the town. Will Bea risk losing the people she loves most to solve this mystery?

Murder of a Good Man is a Piney Woods Mystery by Teresa Trent. Nora Alexander has come to Piney Woods, Texas to fulfill her mother's dying wish, but things get a bit dangerous. First, she is run off the road, then the sealed letter she is to deliver to Piney Woods' most prominent citizen--Adam Brockwell--turns out to be a scathing rebuke. Before you know it, the beloved Mr. Brockwell is found stabbed to death and suspicion immediately falls on Nora--because she's an outsider and one of the last people to see him alive. Ordered by the flirty sheriff, Tuck, not to leave town, Nora finds herself working with Tuck's Aunt Marty trying to revive business at the rundown Tunie Hotel. Will the secrets the old hotel harbors help clear Nora's name?

Scot Free by Catriona McPherson features Scottish-born marriage counselor Lexy Campbell moving to California to chase the American Dream. When she fell in love and married her hunky husband, Lexy moved to California and began building her marriage counseling practice. Life was indeed bright. Six months later, however, she's divorced, broke, and on her way back to Scotland. When her only client--sweet Mrs. Bombarro--is arrested for killing her husband with a fireworks rocket, Lexy knows the cops have it all wrong. In order to help out her client, she has to find a cheap place to sleep. When she checks into the Last Ditch Motel, Lexy finds an unexpected slice of life and a whole new world of trouble.

Deja Moo is a Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum Mystery by Kirsten Weiss. Maddie Kosloski, owner of San Benedetto, California's Paranormal Museum is no fan of the Christmas Cow--a thirty-foot straw bovine that graces the town square each December. For one thing, it replaces her museum as the top attraction every Christmas. Not to mention, every year, despite round-the-clock guards, the darn thing goes up in flames. This year, however, the cow is not the only thing to bite it. One of the night guards is found with an arrow sticking out of his chest. On top of all this, it seems that her new haunted cowbell exhibit is causing a panic. Can she quell the hysteria and find a killer without getting distracted by the hunky Detective Slate?

Survival of the Fritters by Ginger Bolton is the first of her Deputy Donut Mystery. Emily Westhill--along with her retired police chief father-in-law and her tabby, Deputy Donut--runs the best donut shop in Fallingbrook, Wisconsin. When one of her regulars doesn't show up for her knitting group, Emily and some of the woman's friends go searching at Georgia Teeter's home only to find her murdered among a pile of stale donuts. Georgia's murder coincides with her son's murder five years earlier. It was a case Emily's late husband never solved and she will have to revisit some painful memories to help free an innocent man and trace a killer.

Cozy Christmas Mysteries

Wagging Through the Snow is a Melanie Travis Canine Mystery by Laurien Berenson. Melanie Travis is juggling her demanding teaching job at Connecticut's prestigious Howard Academy, her five poodles scampering around the house, and the demands of the Christmas holidays. When her brother and her ex-husband announce their plans to expand their successful country cafe by buying a dilapidated pine tree farm, she has even more on her plate. The ten-acre plot had, at one time, been a popular seasonal destination, but when the previous owner died, it fell into disrepair and will require more than a little tidying up. When a squatter is found dead on the land, it is assumed that he met his end when a fir limb fell on his head. Melanie and Aunt Peg aren't convinced that is what happened, however, and they go digging into Pete the squatter's history. What they find is a terrible habit that cost him everything and probably got him killed.

A Cajun Christmas Killing is a Cajun Country Mystery by Ellen Byron. Maggie Crozat is back home in Pelican, Louisiana and looking forward to the Christmastime traditions of bonfires on the levee, zydeco carols and pots of gumbo, but a dark cloud descends over the Crozat Plantation B & B. Travel websites are being flooded with vicious reviews of the B&B and Maggie thinks she has identified the culprit as rival businessman Donald Baxter. Well, that is, until he is found stabbed to death at Maggie's workplace and she and her loved ones become prime suspects. Maggie and the rest of the Crozat clan are able to establish alibis, but her boyfriend, Detective Bo Durand, remains a person of interest. With Bo sidelined in the investigation, Maggie finds herself making an unlikely alliance with family rival Rufus Durand. Maggie and Rufus are hot on the trail of the killer, but their meddling hasn't gone unnoticed. Will it be "Joyeux Noel" or "Bon Nuit" for Maggie?

Murder on the Toy Town Express is a Vintage Toyshop Mystery by Barbara Early. Liz McCall has come to love running her father's vintage toyshop in East Aurora, NY, so she is excited when the train and toy show comes to town. Craig McFadden has set up his booth right next to Liz's. The only problem is that Craig was Liz's childhood bully and he's now her business rival. When Craig falls from the ceiling in a publicity stunt gone wrong, everyone believes it's a horrible accident. The evidence, however, points to something much more sinister and the brother of Liz's high school sweetheart, Jack, becomes a prime suspect. Pulled into the case by her feelings for both Jack and the police chief, Ken, Liz dives in headfirst only to find that the actual target may have been her father.

How the Finch Stole Christmas is a Meg Langslow Christmas Mystery by Donna Andrews. At home in Caerphilly, Meg's husband has decided to expand his one-man show of Dickens's A Christmas Carol into a full scale production with a larger cast, Meg as stage manager, and their sons Jamie and Josh playing Tiny Tim and young Scrooge. When the famous--and obviously over-the-hill--actor hired to headline the play comes to town, he brings with him a sleigh full of baggage and more enemies than you can shake your jingle bells at. On top of all this, Caerphilly seems to be overrun with more than its share of beautiful caged finches. What is up with that? Meg and company are in for one interesting holiday.

New Cozy from Miranda James

Twelve Angry Librarians by Miranda James is the newest Cat in the Stacks Mystery featuring Charlie Harris and his Maine coon, Diesel. Charlie finds himself as the acting director of the Athena College Library and he's under the added pressure of hosting an academic library convention. Charlie's worries aren't limited to the convention, however. His son-in-law has received a job offer in Virginia and is poised to take Charlie's daughter and their unborn child. Poor Diesel is feeling all the stress surrounding Charlie and is trying his best to help.
Charlie learns that the keynote speaker at the conference is Gavin Fong--Charlie's library school rival--he's less than thrilled at having to socialize with the man even though it's been thirty years. It becomes quite clear that Gavin hasn't changed after all these years, so when he turns up dead, there is no shortage of suspects. When a heated argument with Gavin moves Charlie to the top of the list, he and Diesel must work extra hard to solve the case or he may have to move his office to the county jail.

Spotlight: Large Print Cozies

     This week, I decided to shed a spotlight on one of my favorite genres: Cozy mysteries, or "cozies". According to Wikipedia:* "Cozy mysteries, also referred to as "cozies", are a sub-genre of crime fiction in which sex and violence are downplayed or treated humorously, and the crime and detection take place in a small, socially intimate community." We have a huge selection in fiction, audio, mp3, and large print. Today, the focus will be on some of our newer large print cozies.
     (*I know, I know; I am loathe to use this as a reference, but it's an easy and simple definition.)

   The Diva Serves High Tea: a Domestic Diva Mystery is written by Krista Davis. The Parlour opens up in town and domestic diva Sophie Winston is ecstatic that she now has somewhere to satisfy her cravings for all things tea and crumpet. This quaint little shop also serves as a place for the women of town to gather, gossip, and check out the affable and dapper Robert Johnson who runs the new antique store across the street. All the gossip about Robert seems innocent enough until he is found dead--an apparent poisoning--after attending a fundraiser at The Parlour the previous evening. Will Sophie be able to put the clues together to save her new favorite watering hole?

     Egg Drop Dead is a Cackleberry Club Mystery by Laura Childs. The big secret to the Cackleberry Club cafe's success is maintaining a good personal relationship with each of their suppliers. Naturally, when Suzanne has to go to Mike Mullen's dairy to pick up some wheels of cheese, she is more than happy to do so. When she arrives, however, Mike is nowhere to be seen, so she decides to check the barn where she finds the poor man's body. Suzanne, Petra, and Toni are outraged that one of their favorite suppliers has been disposed of like the muck in the stalls and they vow to find out who has committed this horrible crime. But as they get closer to the truth, the killer becomes desperate and decides that the ladies of the Cackleberry Club must be put out to pasture, permanently!

     Cat With A Clue is a Bookmobile Cat Mystery by Laurie Cass. Minnie is shelving books in the library early one morning when she stumbles upon something unusual and very disturbing--a dead body. The authorities identify the woman as a visitor who came to Chilson, Michigan to attend her great-aunt's funeral. What no one can figure out, however, is why the woman was in the library after hours. The police also seem to be preoccupied with a string of strange break-ins as well. As wild rumors about the woman begin to circulate, Minnie and her black-and-white tabby, Eddie, have decided they are going to preserve the library's reputation by finding the killer. They track down clues as they drive the bookmobile around the county and Minnie will leave no page unturned in their quest!

New Cozy Mysteries You May Enjoy...

     I've read two new cozy mysteries in the past couple of weeks. Each one is part of an on-going series, but I think that both can be read out-of-order and the reader will be able to follow along with what is going on in the story.

 

   First, we have Books of a Feather: a Bibliophile Mystery by Kate Carlisle. This is the first book I've read from this series, but I did enjoy it and I've thought about going back and reading some of the other titles. Our protagonist, Brooklyn is a bookbinder by trade. She and her hunky and all-too-perfect security specialist fiance have just returned to their recently renovated San Francisco loft. When Brooklyn's friend and director of the Covington Library, Ian, invites her to a gala celebrating an exhibit of a copy of Birds of North America by John James Audubon, she has no idea the world of problems that are about to fall in her lap. The president of the local chapter of the National Birdwatcher's Society, Jared Mulrooney, approaches Brooklyn with a problem. It seems that Jared has spilled wine on a beautiful book of bird illustrations thought to also be an Audubon title. He wants her to clean it up and restore it the best she can before anyone at the birdwatcher's society can find out. Unfortunately, Jared turns up dead in a back room of the Covington shortly after handing Brooklyn the book. It's Brooklyn who finds the body. There is also the matter of the thief who keeps steeling rare and expensive books from her best friend's bookshop and the divorce proceedings in which Brooklyn must give expert testimony on an old book owned by a feuding couple. To top it all off, a homeless man thought to be her parents' friend gets murdered in Brooklyn's loft while the couple is out getting breakfast. What is a bibliophile to do? How about try to stay alive!

     The second book I've read lately is Survivors Will Be Shot Again: a Sheriff Dan Rhodes mystery by Bill Crider. I've read several books in this series and I've enjoyed each one. Crider populates this small Texas town with a number of characters that could be your own friends and neighbors. The book begins with Sheriff Rhodes contemplating whether or not to buy a Dr. Pepper on his afternoon off. He has boycotted the company ever since they decided to discontinue his beloved Dublin Dr. Pepper made with "real sugar." Just as he has decided not to break his boycott, a masked gunman enters the convenience store and demands money from the clerk. Rhodes has his Kal-Tec in his ankle holster, but opts to toss a loaf of bread at the would-be robber; distracting the man long enough to get him to the ground. So much for a break from police work! He then gets a call from the ornery dispatcher telling him that a local man has found a body in his barn. Rhodes goes out to investigate and thinks the man's death may be linked to a series of thefts in that part of Blacklin County. During the course of his investigations, Rhodes also finds several patches of marijuana, an alligator,another body, an alligator snapping turtle, and the usual line-up of suspicious characters. If her can just keep local professor Seepy Benton and Jennifer Loam, journalist and founder of the local news blog, out of the way long enough for him to do some proper investigation. I did happen to figure out who done it a little faster than usual, but, if you enjoy cozies, this is a definite must read series.

New Cozy Mysteries from M.C. Beaton and Miranda James

     We love cozy mysteries here at the library (and I love them in particular). They usually don't have a lot of violence and they tend to be quick, easy reads. Two of our newest are: Death of a Nurse: a Hamish MacBeth mystery by M. C. Beaton and No Cats Allowed: a Cat in the Stacks mystery by Miranda James.

     In Death of a Nurse, tall, lanky, ginger-haired police sergeant Hamish MacBeth is in a bit of a funk. His constable, Dick Fraser, has left him to open a bakery with his girlfriend. This has left Hamish all alone to patrol his highland district. Hamish goes to Sutherland to welcome the owner of a recently restored hunting lodge, James Harrison. The old man, however, treats the policeman quite rudely and Hamish has a mind to tell him off. Harrison's beautiful private nurse, Gloria Dainty, steps in before Hamish can open his mouth and apologizes for her employer's behavior. Hamish decides to ask her out on a whim and she says agrees to have dinner with him. On the evening they are supposed to meet, Hamish waits at the restaurant...and waits. Gloria never shows up and Hamish is left sullen and wondering why. He gets his answer four days later when Gloria's body washes ashore on a beach near Braikie. It is going to take all of his charm, wit, and wisdom to find out who killed the pretty nurse, but Hamish will have to move fast or the killer may decide to strike again.

     It is springtime in Athena, Mississippi, but the employees of the university's library can't seem to enjoy the beauty that is in bloom. Their new interim director, Oscar Reilly, has decided that they need to cut some fat; so he sets his sights on cutting the archive and rare book collection. Reilly's unfriendly and caustic behavior has raised the hackles of Charlie Harris' friend and co-worker, Melba--whom Reilly wants to replace with someone younger. Not even Diesel--Charlie's lovable feline companion--is immune from the new director's ire. Reilly claims he is allergic to cats and is determined that Diesel not come with Charlie to the archives anymore. This is the last straw for Charlie, who decides to look into taking a leave of absence. Before he can get the paperwork together, Oscar Reilly's body is discovered in the library and a threatening e-mail settles suspicion squarely on Melba. Charlie knows for certain that Melba is no murderer, so he and Diesel set about trying to solve the case. They begin with the shady stranger that has been lurking around the library ever since Reilly took over. Will they catch the killer before poor Melba is found guilty of something she didn't do?

Can Ghosts Commit Murder?

     Sheriff Dan Rhodes has learned to put up with a lot from the folks of Blacklin County, Texas; not to mention the barrage of teasing and gossip he gets from his dispatcher, Hack, and his jailer, Lawton. Rhodes handles everything with a cool head and a good bit of compassion. Although, Rhodes is not what you would imagine when you think of a Texas sheriff. He doesn't wear a cowboy hat or boots; there isn't a six shooter strapped to his hip. In fact, he prefers the Kel-Tec he keeps in his ankle holster.
   Rhodes is a very logical and methodical investigator, so when Hack calls him in the middle of the night to back up Deputy Ruth Grady who is on a "shots fired" call at the local haunted house, Rhodes doesn't give it a second thought. After sloshing through the rain to the back of the house, he and Ruth find Neil Foshee, local meth dealer, face-down in one of the rooms. A cursory search doesn't turn up much else. The suspect list includes Neil's former girlfriend, Vicki, who happens to be friends with Rhodes's wife. There is also the nephew of Clearview's mayor, as well as Neil's partners in crime, his cousins Earl and Louie.
     Complicating his investigation is the fact that the house is said to be haunted. The former owner--a  man named Moore who also taught at the local high school--died in the house of a heart attack nearly forty years ago. (The house has remained empty since the owner's death; with only local drug dealers and vandals daring to venture inside.) By all accounts Moore was a bully of a teacher and he would use a BB gun to kill any animals that came onto his property.  Rhodes doesn't believe in ghosts, but his "friend" Seepy Benton, the community college math professor who fancies himself an unofficial investigator for the sheriff's department, does. Though Rhodes himself has had some creepy feelings of being watched while visiting the house, Rhodes is still a skeptic.
    Many folks--Hack and Lawton included--believe that the ghost has something to do with Neil's death. After the scene of Neil's death has been cleared, Benton wants Sheriff Rhodes to let them investigate the house. Knowing he won't have any peace until he lets the professor look around, Rhodes takes Benton and his partner through the house and they find a skeleton in a closet in the attic--a room Rhodes neglected to clear the night of the murder. Whoever the woman was--Benton can tell from the shape of the pelvic bones--Rhodes can see from the skull fracture that she must have been murdered or at least fallen and hit her head on something hard. But then, how did she get into the closet in the attic where she was found?
     On top of these two bodies, Rhodes has to deal with copper thieves, a runaway bull, a county commissioner who wants to arm the sheriff's department for WWIII, and the rest of the characters that occupy Blacklin County. What is a small town sheriff to do?

The Two Newest by Miranda James

     Cozy mysteries are my favorite. I enjoy a hard-boiled detective story every once-in-awhile, but cozies are my favorite because the protagonist is usually your average Joe or Jane and the blood and guts and gore is usually kept to a minimum. One of my more recent discoveries has been author Miranda James. This author writes a series of books called the Cat in the Stacks Mysteries and a new series, begun this year, called the Southern Ladies Mysteries.

     Bless Her Dead Little Heart  is the title of the Southern Ladies Mysteries. This series takes two minor characters from the Cat in the Stacks series and gives them the spotlight. Miss An'gel and Miss Dickse Ducote are two elderly sisters who live a life of philanthropy in Athena, Mississippi. They are from a very old, wealthy Athena family. Most of their time is spent sitting on boards and committees that benefit the arts and scholastic community in their small college town. They happen to be friends with semi-retired librarian, Charlie Harris and his very large, very vocal Maine coon cat, Diesel. While Charlie is away in France with his family, the Ducote sisters have agreed to cat sit Diesel; after all, he is the most gentlemanly cat they have ever entertained.
     One afternoon, an old sorority sister surprises the sisters by showing up at their door and begins to spin a tale of how someone in her family is trying to kill her. The Ducote sisters have known Rosabelle Sultan for about fifty years and they know what kind of woman she is--self-centered, overly dramatic, and money hungry. The sisters begin to wonder, however, when Rosabelle's n'er do well family begin turning up on their doorstep as well. The first day, Rosabelle's daughter-in-law is killed when she falls down the marble staircase. Was it a horrible accident, or was it murder? Was the daughter-in-law the intended target or was Rosabelle meant to have suffered that fate? Two more murders and a fire take place before the Ducote sisters can get their house and sanity back from these rich, but classless bunch. All the while, Diesel helps the sisters to suss-out who they can trust and who may be a potential killer. This is a very quick and satisfying read. The author keeps you guessing until the end which makes for my favorite king of mystery.

     The other Miranda James novel I have recently read is Arsenic and Old Books. This is the sixth cozy featuring librarian Charlie Harris and his Maine coon cat, Diesel. Charlie is feeling a little lonely in the old house he inherited from his aunt since his daughter got married and his son is practically living with his girlfriend. He still has his boarder, but he, too, is spending more time with his lover than at home. When Athena's mayor, Lucinda Beckwith Long, brings Charlie some old books and papers for the archives at Athena College's library, he hopes that cataloging these items--including several Civil War-era diaries--will provide a much needed distraction. He doesn't expect, however, for these diaries to cause such an uproar in both the college's faculty and in the political race for a seat in the state Senate. Charlie is even more horrified when the diaries lead to a murder! Do the diaries hold the key to long held rivalries, or will the be responsible for more pain and suffering? As usual, Charlie and Diesel get caught-up in the melee.

     These are great cozies to read. I still haven't read the first few books in the series; and it really isn't necessary to do so because James does a wonderful job of writing in the pertinent information whenever there is a reference to some past event. Diesel's reactions to Charlie and the other characters in these books is priceless. He is a very vocal, chatty cat and very discerning in his choice of humans. Also included in this book is a short story telling how it is that Diesel came to live with Charlie.
     Miranda James is actually the pseudonym of Dean James, a native Mississippian who resides in Texas and is currently a librarian at the Texas Medical Center in Houston. He has written several scholarly articles and has collaborated with other authors. He has had nearly twenty novels published since 2000 using the pseudonyms Jimmie Ruth Evans, Honor Hartman, and Miranda James.

New British (and Irish) Mysteries on DVD

Anyone who knows me can be sure that I am one of the first in line for any new British mystery series that we may get on DVD. Two of our newest are Jack Taylor Set 2 and Rosemary & Thyme: the Complete Collection.

     Jack Taylor is based upon a series of books by Irish author Ken Bruen. The second set includes the episodes: "The Dramatist," "Priest," and "Shot Down." Each one is a feature-length episode. The titular character is a former member of the Irish Guards who left the job before he was kicked out, taking only his Guard coat. The stories take place in Galway, Ireland and the setting offers a sufficiently bleak and gritty backdrop for these dramas. Taylor is a completely fallible ex-cop who, in the second series, is trying to give up on drinking and is taking care of his ailing mother. In "The Dramatist," Taylor is tasked with finding the murderer of a young woman who has fallen to her death from one of the buildings at the university. The Guard believe that she has suffered from a drug overdose, but one of her professors is convinced otherwise and asks Taylor for help. After his mother succumbs to another stroke in the middle of his investigation and dies, Taylor seems to lose his way once more and returns to drinking. Taylor's young assistant goes undercover at the university to find out more information about the girl and finds out that another young woman is missing as well. In "Priest," Taylor is asked to look into the beheading of a priest. He discovers that the victim had abused two boys several years earlier and now, it seems, that the victims have taken revenge on their abuser. Taylor must wade through some pretty dark secrets in the church to find the killer. All the while, Taylor is slipping back into his bad habits and his demons are rearing their familiar heads. In "Shot Down," Jack Taylor leaves his home in Galway for Dublin, hoping to abate his grief. Once there, he gets involved in a traveler's feud and he meets a young girl named Rosie. She witnessed her mother's murder, but has suppressed the memory. Taylor must help her remember what happened before the killer strikes again. All-in-all, I love this series. It is a little darker than most of the series that I watch, but it is worth it to see Iain Glen (Game of Thrones). I also think that it's nice to see stories from Ireland that aren't all leprechauns, shamrocks, and shenanigans.

     Rosemary & Thyme is a British cozy mystery that ran for twenty-two episodes from 2003-2006. It stars Felicity Kendal as Rosemary Boxer and Pam Ferris as Laura Thyme. Laura is a housewife and former policewoman whose husband leaves her for a younger woman after more than twenty years of marriage. Her only regret is having to leave the beautiful garden she tended at their home together. She meets Rosemary, a university lecturer in horticulture, who has just lost her job and has agreed to look into the dying gardens of an acquaintance. The two women team up to find out what is going on with the garden and to find out who has killed Laura's friend. The series takes place in some very beautiful gardens all over England and Europe. There always seems to be a mystery to solve along with the tilling of the soil. These are fun, light-hearted mysteries that will have you cheering for these two strong-willed and hard-working women. Throughout the series, you meet Laura's two children along with a string of characters and villains. These two don't always get it right on the first try, but by the end, they have solved the mystery and helped many a garden to bloom.

Death of a Liar: a Hamish Macbeth Mystery

With all the usual twists, turns, and red herrings, M.C. Beaton has created another completely readable cozy featuring my favorite ginger-haired Highland police sergeant. While this volume does seem to slow down in a few places, series fans will be delighted and newcomers will find it absolutely charming.
Long-suffering police sergeant Hamish Macbeth winds up with multiple murders on his hands in the latest installment of this cozy mystery series. Hamish and his partner Dick Fraser are called to the small village of Cromish in the Scottish Highlands. A middle-aged woman named Liz Bentley has called claiming that she has been raped. When Hamish and Dick arrive, they convince her to have the local doctor to examine her for the sake of evidence. The doctor pulls Hamish aside and tells him that Liz is a virgin and that there is absolutely no sign of her being raped. The doc also informs him that Liz is know to be a compulsive liar. Upset with having his time wasted by the attention-seeker, Hamish gives Liz a stern warning that she not call him again. In the meantime, the unfriendly couple who claim to be from London and have purchased the recently vacated local elementary school, are found murdered. The wife is half buried in the front garden and the husband is found some miles away stuffed in the trunk of his car. Such a high profile crime brings Inspector Blair and Superintendent Daviot up from Strathbane. Hamish is relegated to house-to-house inquiries.
After a long day of knocking on doors, Hamish gets another call from Liz Bentley in Cromish. She claims that someone is in her home and the call is interrupted before she can finish. Thinking that Liz is up to her old lying ways, Hamish ignores the immediacy and turns in for the night. The next day, he and Dick head back to Cromish. The pair find Liz dead in her back garden. A terrible storm the night before seems to have prevented anyone from hearing anything. Blair convinces Daviot to assign Hamish to the murder in Cromish; which is just fine with Hamish.
Both murder scenes are pristine and there is very little forensic evidence found. Hamish becomes convinced that these two murders are connected, but he can't seem to make the connection. Perhaps, if he would stop crushing on the polish baker, he'd actually get some work done. These two cases stall and Hamish becomes worried that they may never get solved, which doesn't sit well with him.
I won't give away the ending, but I will say that this book will keep you guessing and even give you a chuckle when the climax of the story rolls around. Hamish puts up with a lot to keep his little police station, but as he puts it, "who will look after the folks who live in all the little crofts and out-of-the-way places?" Hamish may not be lucky in love, but he knows how to take care of his Highland neighbors.