April 15, 2020 | daviscrl
An amateur sleuth, an unsuspecting victim, a quirky supporting cast, and a trail of clues and red herrings are the main ingredients of a cozy mystery. If you like your murder and mayhem served up with a dash of humor and a minimum of gore, these e-books, e-audiobooks and TV shows are for you.
hoopla E-books and E-audiobooks
- Murder in an Irish Village by Carlene O'Connor (e-book) One morning, as Siobhán O'Sullivan and her five siblings open their bistro, they find a man seated at a table with a pair of scissors protruding from his chest. It's up to feisty Siobhán to solve the crime.
- Nice Class of Corpse by Simon Brett (e-book) On the morning after Mrs. Pargeter's arrival at the Hotel Devereux, a corpse is found at the foot of the main staircase. When, shortly after that, another death shakes the gentility of the hotel Mrs. Pargeter decides to investigate.
- The Inspector and Mrs. Jeffries by Emily Brightwell (e-audiobook) Everyone's awed by Inspector Jeffries’ Scotland Yard successes, but they don't know about his secret weapon—his housekeeper. No matter how messy the murder or how dirty the deed, Mrs. Jeffries's polished detection skills are up to the task.
- The Ghost and Mrs. McClure by Cleo Coyle (e-audiobook) Young widow Penelope Thornton-McClure and her Aunt Sadie manage a quaint Rhode Island bookstore. After the thriller writer Timothy Brennan reveals a secret about the store's link to a 1940s murder, he keels over dead at a book signing. Who gives Mrs. McClure the first clue that it was murder?
hoopla TV Shows
- Death in Paradise DI Richard Poole is sent to the paradise island of Saint-Marie in the Caribbean to solve an impossible murder. He hates sun, sea and sand, but no matter - once he's solved the murder he'll be heading back to wonderful, cold, drizzly London. He does so, only to discover his boss back home has conspired to keep him trapped on an island he hates-- and people just keep getting murdered.
- Father Brown Based on the stories of G. K. Chesterton, Father Brown follows the crime-solving priest of St. Mary's Catholic Church in the fictional village of Kembleford in the early 1950s. The mild-mannered priest's gentle nature and slightly crumpled look belie a razor-sharp wit and intellect.
- Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries Based on the novels by Kerry Greenwood. In 1920s Melbourne, the Phryne Fisher is a thoroughly modern woman operating in a mostly male world. The glamorous "lady detective" goes to work with a pistol close at hand-and, more often than not, a male admirer even closer. Also try Ms. Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries, the spin-off starring Phryne's niece Peregrine
- The Quiche of Death High-powered PR executive Agatha Raisin fulfills a lifelong dream of retiring to a small village in the Cotswolds. In an attempt to ingratiate herself with her new community, Agatha enters the local quiche-baking competition, but her efforts prove fatal. Based on M. C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin series, hoopla also has Season 1 and Season 2.
- Queens of Mystery This wickedly offbeat, contemporary murder-mystery series follows the adventures of a perennially single detective and her three crime-writing aunts as they solve murders in the picturesque English region of Wildemarsh.
OverDrive E-books
When a tornado devastates Skye Dennison’s small hometown, Scumble River, she can't see how the community will ever recover—especially since town councilman Zeke Lyons appears to have perished in the twister. But things get worse when Skye’s police chief husband, Wally, disappears while investigating Zeke's death, and evidence arises pointing to foul play.
Summer 1942. The world has been at war for three long and desperate years. In the remote English village of Little Buffenden, Poppy Redfern spends her nights patrolling the village as Air Raid Warden. When two young, popular women who were dating American servicemen are found strangled, Poppy quickly realizes that her little town has been divided by murder.
Strangers flock to Miracle Springs hoping the renowned spa can cure their ills. They often find their way to Miracle Books, where, over a fresh-baked "comfort" scone, they exchange their stories with owner Nora Pennington in return for a carefully chosen book. That's Nora's special talent--prescribing the perfect novel to ease a person's deepest pain. So when a visiting businessman reaches out for guidance, Nora knows exactly how to help. But before he can keep their appointment, he's found dead on the train tracks .
Returning to the small town of Lachlan, Florida, Kate Medlar asks to stay at her Aunt Sara's home, but finds she's not the only houseguest. Jackson Wyatt already has his own room, and though it's impossible to deny his good looks and charm, she's never met anyone who irritates her quite like Jack does. When two skeletons are accidentally uncovered in the quiet town, this unlikely trio joins up to solve a mystery everyone else seems eager to keep under wraps.