What's the Attraction to Mysteries?

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I read lots of different genres, but I always seem to focus on mysteries and thrillers. I am a product of 70s cartoons, and I fell in love with Scooby-Doo, Josie and the Pussycats, The Funky Phantom, and so many other shows where the characters solved some kind of crime or puzzle. I wanted to be like the sleuths (and Bat Girl), so when I found the mystery section in the library, I was instantly sold on Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, Alfred Hitchcock’s the Three Investigator, and the Two-minute Mysteries. These became gateways to Agatha Christie, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, P. D. James, and so many fabulous reads.

Here’s why I’m attracted to mysteries:

  • There is a puzzle or a crime, and the reader can parse through the clues and work out his/her solution as the story progresses.

  • It’s a fun escape from whatever is going on in the real world, and it’s a great way to relax or wind down at the end of the day.

  • Mysteries are entertaining. I love visiting new places and experiencing new things through books.

  • I enjoy reading series because the characters become old friends.

  • And I know by the end, the crime will be solved and justice served.

Why do you read mysteries?

Heather's Favorite Books of 2025

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Here are my favorite reads this year in no particular order…

Favorite Cozies:

  • Vice and Virtue by Libby Klein

  • Chocolate Can Be Deadly by Kim Davis

  • Welcome Home to Murder by Rosalie Spielman

  • Basket Case by Nancy Haddock

  • A Plus One for Murder by Laura Bradford

  • A Fatal Feast at Bramsford Manor by Darci Hannah

  • Mousse and Murder by Elizabth Logan

  • Axe Me No Questions by Paula Charles

  • Whiskey Business by Adrian Andover

  • The Jig is up by Lisa Q. Mathews

  • A Zappy Little Christmas by Paula Charles

  • Paint the Town Dead by Nancy Haddock

Favorite Suspense and Thrillers:

  • The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown

  • King of Ashes by S. A. Cosby

  • The Pharaoh’s Tomb by LynDee Walker and Bruce Coffin

  • The Proving Ground by Michael Connelly

Favorite Historical Mysteries:

  • Harry Houdini Mysteries: The Dime Museum Murders

  • Disco Dead by Marcia Talley

Favorite Police Procedural:

  • Hidden in Smoke by Lee Goldberg

Favorite Nonfiction:

  • Heaven Help Us: How Faith Communities Inspire Hope, Strengthen Neighborhoods, and Build the Future by John Kasich

What were your favorites this year?

Reading - Why It's Important for Writers

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I was always that kid who got excited when the teacher gave us free reading time. Reading has always been a way for me to relax and to escape into other worlds and a chance to solve a mystery.

Reading, especially your genre, is also important to writers. And here’s why:

  • If you want to go the traditional publishing route, you need to know what is out there. It’s always good to have an idea where your book fits.

  • If you are querying publishers, look at the publishers/imprints and see what genres and subgenres they are publishing.

  • If you are querying agents, check out the author’s notes or the acknowledgments to see who represents them. If it matches your genre, add them to your list to research.

  • Reading builds vocabulary and exposes you to literary techniques and styles.

  • When I decided to write a cozy mystery, I spent almost a year reading every cozy I could get my hands on. I took note of themes, types of sleuths, locations, the voice (first or third person), the tense the story is written in, and the major/minor characters.

  • Follow authors and publishers that catch your eye. Sign up for newsletters to see what’s new and releasing next.

  • Follow book bloggers, podcasters, and book reviewers on social media and see what they are reviewing.

  • Reading is research.

What would you add to my list?

What Are You Reading This Summer?

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What have you added to your summer reading list? I’m always looking for recommendations, especially new to me mystery series. Here’s what I’ve been reading lately.

I recently discovered Laura Bradford’s series. She has sleuths with unusual jobs and lives. These are fun reads to add to your beach bag. Also check out Lisa Q. Matthews and Darci Hannah. They have a bunch of quirky characters who get themselves into all kinds of tricky situations.

Diane Kelly’s series are always a must read, and her latest, Dead Post Society, will not disappoint.

And you need to check out Michael Rigg’s debut mystery, Voices of the Elysian Fields. It’s a medical thriller set in New Orleans.

Who are your favorite new reads?

What Are You Reading This Summer?

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What are you reading this summer? Here are some of the books I’ve read recently.

You can’t go wrong with anything by Diane Kelly, Maria DiRico (Ellen Byron), and Tara Lush. Read all their series. They are fabulous, and I always read their latest.

Korina Moss and Linda Reilly are my favorite cheese-themed cozy writers. What is not to love? You can never have enough cheese, and when it’s mixed with a mystery, it’s perfect. You need to check out all the books in both of their series.

Daphne Silver, Annie McEwen, T.C. Herren, and Jennie Marts were all new-to-me cozy authors. Their books are terrific, and you need to check them out.

Paula Charles’s Hammers and Homicide is a fun cozy and a great start to a new series. I also had the pleasure of reading an early version of her second in her goat yoga series as Janna Rollins. It’s a hoot.

I had the pleasure of reading an ARC for Janna Rollins for the second in her Zen Goat Mysteries. It’s a hoot. This is a must-read series.

Annie McEwen’s Resort to Murder is another great start to a new series. What a sweet, fun mystery. She has a new one out in this series, too.

I read the first two of The Turner and Mosely Files by LynDee Walker and Bruce Robert Coffin. What a fun series of mysteries full of adventure, missing treasures, and all kinds of cool technology. Escape on a book vacation with this series!

What books or authors should I add to my summer reading list?

Happy National Smile Day (And Ways to Make an Author Grin)

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Happy National Smile Day. Here are some quick, free things you can do to help authors and make them smile.

  • If you like a book, leave a review on one of the many sites (e.g. Amazon, Barnes and Noble, BookBub, Goodreads, Audible…). It doesn’t have to be a book report. A couple of sentences will do.

  • Tell your book club about the book and add it to the group’s reading list.

  • Request that your library add the book to their collection.

  • Post on social media that you like the book and tag the author.

Reviews and reader comments do make a difference.

Happy reading, y’all!

What Have You Been Reading Lately?

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What are you reading and what’s up next for you? I’m reading Tara Lush’s A Bean to Die for, and I’m sad that this is the last in this series. I loved her new mystery, Gator Queen. Who knew alligator wrangling could be so much fun.

I also recently finished Diane Kelly’s Four-Alarm Homicide and Olivia Blacke’s Rhythm and Clues. Both cozy series are well worth the read.

There are so many books and so little time. I just love Ellen Byron/Maria DiRico and all of her series, Linda Reilly, Mindy Quigley, Tara Lush, Olivia Blacke, Diane Kelly, and Kallie E. Benjamin (V. M. Burns). You cannot go wrong with any of their books.

I really, really enjoyed Daphne Silver’s debut mystery, Crime and Parchment, and she recently won the Agatha Awar for Best First Novel at Malice Domestic. Congratulations! What a fun start to a new series set on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. Lots of quirky characters and a twisty plot.

Lee Goldberg’s traditional mysteries are always a hit. If you like police procedurals and twisty mysteries, you need to read Goldberg's Eve Ronin series. Hollywood, heists, reality TV, murder, and mayhem...

T. G. Herren/Greg Herren and Jennie Marts are new-to-me authors. I enjoyed both of these cozies, and I look forward to reading more of their books.

What have you been reading lately?

Happy Mermaid Day!

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Happy Mermaid Day! I’ve added this to the list of my holidays since I write the Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries.

Here’s a list of Mermaid Advice that I received from mystery author Jayne Ormerod. Enjoy your celebration!

  • “Sea” life’s beauty.

  • Avoid “pier” pressure.

  • Take time to coast.

  • Make waves.

  • Be sure of yourself.

  • Don’t be “shellfish.”

  • Seize the day.