If You Like Cozy Mystery – updated 3-15-20

• The Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series by Louise Penny – Cozy Mystery, Humor, Canada. First Title in the series: Still Life. A slight suspension of disbelief is required if you want to dig deep into this charming series about a kind, fatherly chief inspector of Quebec’s provincial police force and the quirky characters that inhabit the village of Three Pines, which is not on any map and has no cell service. It’s said in the books that Three Pines can only be found by those who are lost, which leads to the need for suspension of disbelief – how do these people support themselves? Still worth the read though, and I believe still under construction. I’ve experienced both print and audio versions. https://www.goodreads.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=chief+inspector+armand+gamache&search_type=books&search%5Bfield%5D=on
• The Flavia de Luce series by Alan Bradley – Cozy Mystery, Humor, Post WWII Britain. First title in the series: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. Child protegy Flavia de Luce solves mysteries with chemistry, but this a series for adults. I have read a couple in print, but have listened to the majority of them in audio format, narrated by Jayne Entwistle, who has perfected the voice of intelligent and slightly mischevious Flavia. Start here for more info on the series: https://www.goodreads.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=flavia+de+luce+series&search_type=books&search%5Bfield%5D=on
• The Merrily Watkins series by Phil Rickman – Mystery, Gothic, Understated Horror, Modern Day Great Britain. First title in the series: The Wine of Angels. Reverend Merrily Watkins is the Deliverance Consultant (exorcist) for her diocese of the Church of England, stationed in the village of Ledwardine. Cast of characters includes various bishops, erstwhile secretary Sophie, daughter Jane, and friend Lol, plus some shadows in the corner and whispers in the dark. Audio is outstanding and my first choice; I experienced all but one of these in audio format. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/611395.The_Wine_of_Angels?from_search=true&qid=9qeqDtxbmx&rank=1
• The Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters – Smart, funny, clean Victorian era series set in Egypt. First title in the series is The Crocodile on the Sandbank. Elizabeth Peters is the pen name for Barbara Mertz, an Egyptologist and, lucky for us, prolific author. The characters in the book are brilliant, strong-willed, and very very funny. Because of Mertz’s education and profession, there are many actual historical characters peppering her books; those with curious minds can use the series as a springboard to exploring more about British activity and involvement / exploitation of Egyptian antiquities. There are twenty books in the series; that number may or may not include one title that was finished by a colleague and published posthumously. Mertz also published many present day (at the time) gothic mysteries under the name Barbara Michaels. See these links for more information on the Peabody series:
  • https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40881649-crocodile-on-the-sandbank
  • https://www.amazon.com/Crocodile-Sandbank-Amelia-Peabody-Book-ebook/dp/B00351DSA0
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocodile_on_the_Sandbank (this one may have some spoilers)

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