by Mary Jo
I'm not a major mystery reader. I'm not especially interested in puzzle solving, I want interesting, likable characters, and wit is always good. I absolutely do NOT want gory stories and high body counts. In short, I tend to like cozy mysteries if they're well written and have good characters.
So every now and then I go on a cozy mystery binge with some of my favorite authors, so I thought I'd chat a bit about what I've been reading.
Mrs. Pollifax
The oldest series is Dorothy Gilman's Mrs. Pollifax books, which started in the '70s and went up to 2000, I think. (Mrs. Pollifax Unveiled) Emily Pollifax is a sweet white-haired widow who raises prize geraniums and was really bored with her life. So naturally she went to the CIA and volunteered to work for them. <G>
Carstairs at the CIA was startled at first, but realized how good Mrs. Pollifax would be as a courier or doing undercover work as a tourist because who would suspect a sweet little white-haired widow? So she was off and running. <g>
Her missions took her all over the world: Africa, the Middle East, Europe, China, Latin America. (As a writer myself, I'm convinced that Dorothy Gilman chose her settings so she could write off her travels. <G>)
Mrs. Pollifax's supposedly easy missions invariably turn dangerous and she proves to be clever and resilient. She emerges triumphant at the end and makes friends along the way--including a charming and age appropriate love interest.
Daisy Dalrymple
The long running Daisy Dalymple series is by Carola Dunn, who has been a guest of the Word Wenches. Set shortly after the First World War, the series is generally light-hearted but there are darker undercurrents reflecting the way the England was changed by the war. The Honourable Daisy was the daughter of a viscount, but her brother, the heir, and her fiancé were both killed in the war. The title goes to a cousin and Daisy is no longer a wealthy young aristocrat
Instead of living with her widowed mother and bemoaning her fate, Daisy rather shockingly goes to work as a freelance writer specializing in articles about British society and heritage that she writes for an American magazine. Her aristocratic connections give her entrée to all sorts of interesting place--where she discovers an unnerving tendency to find dead bodies. <G>
She also discovers a handsome widowed Scotland Yard chief inspector, and their romance and evolving life are a strong element of the series. I just reread one of the earlier books, Dead in the Water, which is set at the famous Henley on Thames Regatta, where rowing teams from Oxford and Cambridge and other places race, and yes, a body turns up. Instead of a romantic weekend, Daisy and her DCI are drawn into investigating murder. I learned a lot about Henley and rowing and had a fine time. <G>
Superfluous Women is based on the fact that with so many young men killed in the war, there are numerous "superfluous women." And some are Daisy's friends. Things Happen. <G>
The Southern Sisters
This series by Anne George is indeed about Southern Sisters and is set in Birmingham, Alabama. Narrator Patricia Anne is petite and quiet, a retired English teacher who has been happily married to the same man for forty years.
Her big sister Mary Alice, often called just Sister, is five years older, a foot taller, has married and buried three rich older husbands, has a brassy appetite for life, and she's always dragging her little sister into places where dead bodies may turn up. <G>
The first in the series, Murder on a Girls' Night Out,is kicked off when Mary Alice buys the Boot'n Skoot bar because she loves line dancing. Things Happen. <G>
There are lots of friends and relatives--daughters, nieces. In the last book, Murder Boogies with Elvis, a man with good genes shows up on Patricia Anne's doorstep and announces, "I'm here to impregnate your niece! Happily, willingly, ecstatically!" or words to that effect. <G>
But the heart of the series is the teasing bond between the sisters. Patricia Anne can be quietly subversive and Mary Alice is frequently bossy, but they are best friends and there is no question of how much they love each other. (Why, yes, I have a sister who is older, taller, and possibly a bit bossy. Why do you ask??? <g>)
One of the fun elements is that Patricia Anne and her husband live in a neighborhood where they can see the bare backside of the giant iron statue of Vulcan which is on the top of Red Mountain. As a city with a history of iron and steel working, Vulcan, god of the forge, was chosen a suitable emblem of the city. From the front, he's working on his forge and wearing an apron for protection. His other side moons a good bit of Birmingham. <g>
You may already be familiar with these writers and their series, but if not and you're looking for clever, light-hearted cozy mysteries, given them a try!
If you read cozies, who are your favorite authors? I'd love to find new favorites!
Mary Jo