Task #14: A cozy mystery

[Book Riot]

Use this space to discuss books you're reading or that might fit the 14th Read Harder task.

[Kaye]

For cozy mystery titles in general, I recommend browsing here: https://www.cozy-mystery.com/blog/

I am a cozy mystery fan and was particularly looking for romantic cozy mysteries a few months ago, and I found it a good reference!

Also, in general, you can't go wrong with Agatha Christie.

[Brandon]

Indeed. Christie is my first choice for this one with Appointment with Death.
Aunty Lee's Delights is another that I would consider.

[Rachel]

I'll probably use one of Ausma Zehanat Khan books - I loved it so far and Toronto may not be "cozy" by everyone's standards but I've just got nothing but happy memories and positive associations with that city (hockey aside).

[Mercedes]

https://www.cozy-mystery.com/agatha-a...

Here's a link to award winners and finalists, in case you're looking for recognized novels.

[Mercedes]

Rachel wrote: "I'll probably use one of Ausma Zehanat Khan books - I loved it so far and Toronto may not be "cozy" by everyone's standards but I've just got nothing but happy memories and positiv..."

Rachel, you're hilarious!

[Allison ༻hikes the bookwoods༺]

I'm a big fan of Alan Bradley's Flavia de Luce series and I highly recommend the audiobooks. I plan to listen to the latest instalment, The Golden Tresses of the Dead, when it comes out in January.

[Kate]

Kaye wrote: "For cozy mystery titles in general, I recommend browsing here: https://www.cozy-mystery.com/blog/

I am a cozy mystery fan and was particularly looking for romantic cozy mysteries a few months ago..."

Thank you for this blog! I also love cozy mysteries and found a great new series to try that is set in my state of origin: A Gilded Grave. I'll probably have to get it through Interlibrary Loan, but I'm excited about it!

[Tracy]

This is going to be a sort of new genre for me, I think Ive read one Lilian Jackson Braun and one Diane Mott Davidson in my life and a long time ago. The term Cozy mystery just makes me think food and cats lol.

I picked Catering to Nobody ( I don't think this is the one I read). It should be a quick read anyways .

I noticed on the lists that Janet Evanovich is listed with the cozy mysteries, thoughts on that anyone?? I didn't think she counted. Maybe Im not understanding the definition of the genre. I should probably look it up.

[Satrina]

Mercedes wrote: "https://www.cozy-mystery.com/agatha-a...

Here's a link to award winners and finalists, in case you're looking for recognized novels."

Thanks for the link Mercedes!

[Jennifer]

I highly recommend any of the Agatha Raison mysteries. She is hilarious and the books are always entertaining.

[Bobby]

Would a children's mystery story be considered a "cozy mystery"? I'm considering something from the Hank the Cowdog series by John R. Erickson or one of the Hardy Boys mysteries.

[Emma]

Would Death by Dumpling work for this category?

[Tabitha]

Ohhh I can read Cocaine Blues for this task. I love the tv series(what I've seen of it so far) and looks like the first book is available real cheap on Kindle. =D

[Christina]

Based on the description here, some of Dorothy L. Sayers's Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries would qualify:


And I have to recommend the Peter Wimsey/Harriet Vane mysteries in particular, though Strong Poison takes place in London, not in a small town.

[Virginia]

Seluxes wrote: "Of all the mystery sub-genres, of course, cozy would be the choice. Kellye Garrett came onto my radar when looking for #ownvoices novels; she has two mysteries out that look adorable and fun, but s..."

I read Hollywood Homicide for last year's challenge and really enjoyed it. I remember it being funny, too!

[Mandi]

My mom and I are both reading Joanne Fluke's series about Minnesota baker, Hannah Swensen, so I'll just read another one of those.

The first book in the series is Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder.

[Karen]

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie is the first of the Flavia de Luce mysteries set in the quaint English village of Bishops's Lacey. I'll be reading the latest (10?) when it arrives in 2019 - The Golden Tresses of the Dead.

[Stephanie]

Would anything by Agatha Christie count in this category? I want to read And Then There Were None.

[Brandon]

Not 100% of Agatha Christie's work counts for this category, but the majority of it does. And Then There Were None definitely fits the cozy definition.

[Megan]

Would Murder at the Vicarage count?

[Brandon]

Megan wrote: "Would Murder at the Vicarage count?"

Absolutely!

[Stina]

I have such a backlog of mysteries, cozy and not, to read that I will probably be very strict with myself for this prompt. No Poirot, as he's a professional detective. No bounty hunters. No hints of noir. I will likely limit myself to niche domestic mysteries for this selection.

[Denise]

Would any of the Maisie Dobbs books work for this category?

[Sherri]

I love Maisie Dobbs. Not sure if they are considered too serious for a cozy Mystery.

[Brandyn]

Brandon wrote: "Not 100% of Agatha Christie's work counts for this category, but the majority of it does. And Then There Were None definitely fits the cozy definition."

Then this is definitely my pick. I already have it on audio and I'm not generally a cozy mystery fan.

[Bonnie G.]

Yes. Maisy Dobbs books are cozies.

[Sherri]

There is a series called Being a Jane Austen Mystery Book by Stephanie Barron. This looks like a cozy mystery series.

[Kendra]

I'm currently reading the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series by Louise Penny-- I just finished The Cruelest Month. I'd been thinking of those as cozy mysteries, but now I'm not sure...?

[Sherri]

I love the Inspector Gamache series too. I was also wondering if these counted as cozy mysteries. Would the Sherry Thomas The Lady Sherlock series count as cozy mysteries?

[Britany]

I would count them, I'm thinking of picking up the next book in the series myself. Could use a visit back to Three Pines.

[Bonnie G.]

The Penny books are cozies. When the storu focuses on the quirky characters rather than the murder its commonly considered cozy.

[Sherri]

Thank you for that insight

[Kendra]

Awesome, thank you. That makes sense. Love the quirky residents of Three Pines!

[Jessica]

Would Christie's The Murder of Roger Ackroyd or Sayer's Murder Must Advertise count?

[Teresa]

Bonnie wrote: "The Penny books are cozies. When the storu focuses on the quirky characters rather than the murder its commonly considered cozy."

Also, cozies don't have graphic murder or sex scenes.

[Mandy]

Karen wrote: "The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie is the first of the Flavia de Luce mysteries set in the quaint English village of Bishops's Lacey. I'll be reading the latest (10?) when it ar..."

Love this series! They're smart and fun and adorable and Flavia is everything you'd want in a girl sleuth.

[Laura]

Amanda Flower’s Magical Bookshop series was great! Highly recommended.

[Bobby]

I would like to read Unpunished: A Mystery, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, but I don’t know enough about the book or the category to know whether it meets the criteria for this challenge.

If it doesn’t, I am also considering Murder in G Major, by Alexia Gordon; Murder at the Vicarage, by Agatha Christie; and The Annotated Innocence of Father Brown, by G.K. Chesterton.

[Jessica]

I've been wanting to try Hope Never Dies so that'll probably be my pick.

[Carolina]

I'm reading the next book in the Oxford Tea Shop series, I read A Scone to Die For by H.Y. Hanna this year for one of the prompts and really enjoyed it.

[Shay]

As a librarian, I immediately gravitated to the library-themed ones. The Haunted Library series sounds the most interesting to me, since I also love stories with ghosts in them (especially if it's not scary ghosts, but friendly ones). I'm going to read the first in the series:

Death Overdue

[Deb]

I want Hugh Laurie's The GunSeller to fit this category, I guess it depends on how you define cozy.

[Jenn]

I've never read a cozy mystery before, but there seem to be a lot of cats, so I'm intrigued. lol Curiosity Thrilled the Cat has caught my eye, so far.

[Lucia]

I might revisit Emily Rodda's Raven Hill Mysteries series. I'm not an expert on the cozy mystery genre, but as a series about a bunch of kids who get roped into various mysteries in a small town surely it counts?

The first one is The Ghost of Raven Hill

[Lucia]

Hi there! I'm compiling lists of everyone's suggestions for the challenges in case that's easier for people (I know it is for me!) c:

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

[Ann]

I just finished my first book for 2019 - Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile. Very quick read; I started it yesterday.

[layla]

The first book in the Daisy Dalrymple series Death at Wentwater Court by Carola Dunn counts for this.

It’s about a journalist in the 1920s who always winds up in the midst of a murder and the first book is less than 300 pages if you’re wanting something shorter. There’s also a romance between the main character and a police officer if you want a bit of romance with your mystery.

[Kristina]

i was thinking the aurora teagarden books would work for this.

[Karin]

I finally read The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. It's a fast read, Flavia is a trip! It did lag at times, and there are some missteps, but Flavia is so well done that she redeemed the book for me. I do think I'll eventually check out more from this series.