Help me find *my* type of cozy

[Sharon]

I read a great deal of the more hard-edged detective and murder mystery novels but every so often do a switch-up to a cozy mystery for just sheer entertainment and relaxation.

However, I seem to be overly selective in the *wrong* direction in my cozy reading and have trouble finding something I can read and enjoy.

My favorites in this sub-genre are cozy but the characters are always well defined. Little or no serial killer/ splashy crime scenes but mature, sensible characters.

The cozy series that have held up well for me and I own to re-read are the Miss Seeton series by Heron Carvic, the Hunt Club/ Sister Jane series by Rita Mae Brown, the Judge Knott series by Margaret Maron and both series and standalones by Dorothy Gilman.

The biggest problem I find with most of the cozies I try are with the characters. I can only describe most of the characters as "fluffy", they just don't seem to have a lot of depth and substance. Light and not much blood/ serial killer is good but so many of the cozies seem to have such a wide strain of "fluff" to them that I tend to gag, somewhat like an overdose of marshmallow creme, if that makes sense!

I'm not very 'domestic' myself ... my outside interests are pretty much books, animals, artwork, geology, archaeology, paleontology ... not cooking, knitting, sewing, etc. ... so many of the cozies don't interest me much on that level as well.

Any suggestions for other series/authors similar to the ones I've mentioned? Something that might be a bit borderline between cozy and more traditional maybe?

[Lynn]

Amelia Peabody Emerson sounds like your cup of tea. She and her husband are Egyptologists at the turn of the century (Emerson gets scooped on the King Tut find). Peabody (as hubby calls her) has sword tip in her umbrella and is not afraid to use it.

[Lorna]

You might want to try our two mysteries, Murder... They Wrote and Murder in Paradise. Our protagonist is based on a real person. The first one is set at a writers' conference, and in the second he's assigned as a special investigator. Both are set in Hawaii, so you also get a virtual trip to paradise!

[Nancy]

Sorry to suggest one I've written, but when I saw archeology as something you like, I couldn't resist: Backyard Bones. The protagonist is a Realtor,(but there's not much real estate in this one unlike the first in the series) characters are well defined and varied and there's not much fluff, and there are many twists and red herrings which you should enjoy. You should also figure out who the murderer is just one step ahead of Regan, which makes the ending fun.

[Beth]

Sharon,
Maybe you should be looking for soft-boiled mysteries versus cozies--not all the "icky stuff" of noir/hard-boiled mysteries, but edgier than cozies. Some western/outdoor-oriented mystery authors with well-developed characters that I would recommend in this subgenre include: William Kent Krueger, Margaret Coel, Craig Johnson, Dana Stabenow. And, I would like to include my own two series in the list, with my RM Outdoor Adventures series being a little edgier than my gift basket designer series.

[Sharon]

Beth wrote: "Sharon,
Maybe you should be looking for soft-boiled mysteries versus cozies--not all the "icky stuff" of noir/hard-boiled mysteries, but edgier than cozies. Some western/outdoor-oriented mystery au..."

That does sound like a fairly good description of what I'm looking for but didn't realize there was actually a defined "sub-genre" there.

Craig Johnson is right at the top of my 'favorites' list, probably because he writes about the people, country and culture I spent the majority of my 70 years living with and definitely gets everything right. I've read several books by the others you've mentioned as well and sounds like your RM Outdoor Adventure series might work well for me.

[Denise]

I also thought of the Amelia Peabody mysteries when I saw you were interested in archeology. This is one of my very favorite series, and they are hilarious! Amelia is a Victorian feminist who thinks she is always right, and her relationship with Emerson is delightful.

[Sharon]

Denise wrote: "I also thought of the Amelia Peabody mysteries when I saw you were interested in archeology. "

I think I've read most of this series. Enjoyed them but they didn't end up in my top 'five' to keep to re-read. That is more or less the type of thing I'm looking for though.

Some of the Barbara Michaels and Victoria Holt books were a bit on the 'cozy mystery' side as well as being 'gothic' romance. I found some of those a bit reminiscent of the Amelia Peabody books in a way. They had elements of both mystery and 'gothic' I thought. I still have several of the Barbara Michaels books in my personal library that I re-read.

Keep the suggestions coming ... my 'to read' list is getting much more interesting.

[Denise]

Another series that I like is the Richard Jury series by Martha Grimes. The writing is very good, and not fluff. I think it's a good balance, as Richard Jury is a Scotland Yard inspector and lives in London, while his friend Melrose Plant is an aristocrat who has renounced his titles and lives in a village that has a host of quirky characters. Most of the books are named for a pub. Some of the crimes can get a bit gritty, though. I see you like animals - there are always animals and children somewhere in the story.

[Karen M]

Sharon wrote: "Denise wrote: "I also thought of the Amelia Peabody mysteries when I saw you were interested in archeology. "

I think I've read most of this series. Enjoyed them but they didn't end up in my top ..."

Hi Sharon. Don't know if you're aware or not but Barbara Mertz writes under the names of Barbara Michaels and Elizabeth Peters. I've only read the Elizabeth Peters books, shame on me!

[Sharon]

Karen M wrote: "Don't know if you're aware or not but Barbara Mertz writes under the names of Barbara Michaels and Elizabeth Peters. I've only read the Elizabeth Peters books, shame on me! "

Actually, no, I didn't realize that. I actually think of some of the Barbara Michaels books as kind of a combined gothic romance/paranormal mystery. If you've never read any of the Michaels books, I'd suggest starting with Ammie, Come Home Some of her books are classic gothics, set in the 1800s but most are contemporary with when they were written, from the late 1950s on through the early 90s. There are three in her "Georgetown" series which start with Ammie, Come Home ... not about the same person/people but the same family. My personal favorites include those three, plus Witch, Prince of Darkness and The Dark on the Other Side.

[Karen M]

Thanks Sharon, I'll add Ammie, Come Home to my library wish list!

[Sandra J]

If you don't mind an older detective series (out of print now, I guess, but maybe available as ebooks or on Amazon), a particular favorite of mine are the Arthur Upfield books set in Australia (usually in the Outback) and featuring a half Aboriginal detective-Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte. Bony is often working undercover to solve a mystery that a "regular policeman" can't solve. I enjoy rereading them, too. They've held up well.

[Sharon]

Sandra J wrote: "If you don't mind an older detective series (out of print now, I guess, but maybe available as ebooks or on Amazon), a particular favorite of mine are the Arthur Upfield books set in Australia (usu..."

I do remember those (from the library) years ago. Will have to see if the local library has them. I imagine they may be available through one of the used book services as well, probably pretty reasonably. I do remember I liked them at the time I read them and it would be interesting to re-read.

[Melodie]

Have you ever tried Mary Anna Evans? Her Faye Longchamps books are very good, and Faye is an archaeologist. The first 2 books in the series are and .

[❂ Murder by Death]

I'd also recommend investigating (if you haven't already) Carolyn Hart's Death on Demand series. A few of the secondary characters can be flighty but they don't always play a part in the books. I've noticed that the later books in the series have a bit more emotional depth than the earlier ones.

Also, I'd recommend the Bennie Harper series by Earlene Fowler. These books have much more depth to them than the standard cozy fare as well.

[Heidi]

You must read Still Life - it is a wonderful cozy series IMO with no domestic activities whatsoever!

[Heather L , Cozy Mysteries Moderator]

I'm not very 'domestic' myself ... my outside interests are pretty much books, animals, artwork, geology, archaeology, paleontology ...

Have you tried Aaron Elkin? You might like his Gideon Oliver series.

[Susan]

How about Laurie King's series with Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes?

[Melodie]

Jennifer wrote: "I'd also recommend investigating (if you haven't already) Carolyn Hart's Death on Demand series. A few of the secondary characters can be flighty but they don't always play a part in the books. I..."

I definitely second the Benni Harper books! Probably my favorite of all the cozy series I read. I was happy to see some others here, Jennifer being one, get into this series after Earlene was an AOM last year.

[Beth]

My reading tastes are similar to Sharon's, so I'm finding the suggestions here to be VERY interesting. Thanks, folks, for helping my TBR grow even larger! ;-)

[Erin L]

Heidi wrote: "You must read Still Life - it is a wonderful cozy series IMO with no domestic activities whatsoever!"

One of my favorite series!

[Ellen]

I've been having trouble settling into a new series myself so I've been following this thread with great interest. Thanks to everyone participating!

[Sharon]

Susan wrote: "How about Laurie King's series with Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes?"

That is actually one of my favorites too. The first in the series is one I own and re-read often and pick up the others from the library to re-read occasionally as well.

Great suggestions, thanks so much to everyone. Some I've read before and the author has kind of slipped off my radar somehow (probably my library stopped getting the new ones) and quite a few that are new to me. I now have substantial library list for my next trip to the library and have several on my library eBook reserve list as well.

[Nell]

There are some good suggestions in this thread. I'd like to add Julia Spencer Fleming to the list. The first in her excellent series is In the Bleak Midwinter

[Melodie]

Nell wrote: "There are some good suggestions in this thread. I'd like to add Julia Spencer Fleming to the list. The first in her excellent series is In the Bleak Midwinter"

I agree, the Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne books are excellent reads. I wouldn't classify them as cozies though. Maybe "soft boiled".

[Barb]

I really like Elly Griffiths series featuring Ruth Galloway, a forensic archeologist in England. It's not a cozy series, but not all blood & gore either, so it would probably qualify as soft boiled.

[Betsy]

I'll second Beth on Margaret Coel. Similiar I think would be Tony Hillerman.One I just love is James' Doss' which concerns a Ute cop and his ancient Aunt Daisy. There's a lot of Ute culture and myth added in, and the humor is terrific.