I tell you it was very hard to pick out my top 5 most Giggle-filled cozy mysteries but here they are, if you love to laugh out loud, tears streaming down your face and fall out of your chair laughing antics you will love these books. They are all part of awesome series and I highly recommend you read every book in the series for a lot more laughs.
A.W Hartoin brings us Mercy Watts a nurse by trade who looks very much like Marilyn Munroe. Mercy's dad Tommy Watts and an ex cop turned PI who wants Mercy working for him as an investigator and no one ever says no to Tommy Watts and even when Mercy manages to say no to her dad he still never listens, so Mercy is generally left juggling cases for her dad along with her nursing job and the rest of her crazy family, who always want more from Mercy and she can never say no and that always gets her into trouble a lot of trouble sometimes fun trouble and sometimes deadly trouble.
In this series there are 5 full length novels with number 6 out soon and then there are 5 short stories, I am reviewing the first full length novel A Good Man Gone.
Mercy's parents are on a cruise so of course Mercy thinks she can finally have a break from being pushed into investigating for her pushy but lovable father Tommy Watts, but then Tommy's best friend Gavin dies of a heart attack?? Tommy has one of his famous gut feelings that there is a lot more to Gavin's death but he is stuck on a cruise and can't investigate himself so now it's up to Mercy to unravel the mystery surrounding Gavin's death was it a heart attack or was it murder and if Mercy starts poking around will this make her a target?
Mercy is not a fan of nursing which is why she chooses to work through an agency instead of taking a permanent job, but she is good at what she does and she prefers nursing to helping her dad, even though most would say she is good at investigating to, a chip off Tommy's block is how a lot of people would describe Mercy but with her mother’s looks.
Mercy's mum is just as much fun as her dad Caroline is always sticking her nose into Mercy's life but in a loving way...lol and her 2 Siamese cats are just awesome I can't help but laugh at their antics. Mercy's mum is also her dads assistant and just as nosy as Tommy if not more so Caroline loves to be the centre of attention by knowing everything that’s going on.
Even amidst death Mercy had me laughing from the beginning from growing up thinking her mother’s wardrobe was the one out of the lion the witch and the wardrobe to dodging her mother 2 Siamese to keep from getting her ankles shredded I really did laugh a lot through this book.
In between all of the laughter and family antics that go on Mercy does solve the mystery and generally gets herself into trouble doing it, you know little concussion here, a few bruises there, all in a day’s work for Mercy even if it's work she really doesn't want.
Even when Mercy is exasperated at one or both of her parents I love the feeling of family togetherness and the family stories are all really funny they add a great background touch to the book, as you read you feel like your becoming one of the family.
Buy A Good Man Gone at Amazon
Gina Lamanna, is one of my all-time favourite authors I have loved everything she has written, but especially her Lacey Luzzi series and really what's not to love about a woman who finds out she is related to the mob, Lacey then goes to work for her family and every problem she is assigned to fix becomes one Hilarious disaster after another.
There are 8 books in this series so far and each new story is funnier than the previous, I really love this series.
Book 1 is Sprinkled and yes I do recommend you start with book 1, the series as a whole makes more sense if you start at the beginning. There is also a prequel 'Scooped' so if you want the scoop from the very start then go with the prequel first.
Lacey has always felt like she didn't belong, her mum did an amazing job raising her and Lacey appreciated everything her mum had done for her but now her mum is dead and Lacey is on her own, well not really she does have her best friend Meg her new cousin Clay and her Mobbed up grandparents, but Lacey still feels like she doesn't truly belong.
Lacey is full of sarcasm, whit and sparkle, even on the worst of the worst days Lacey still finds a way to sparkle or maybe that’s just all the sugar running through her blood stream.
Lacey's grandfather finally gives her an assignment within the 'family' to find fifteen million dollars of 'the good stuff' hmmm so what exactly is 'the good stuff'? Lacey will soon find out in a roundabout adventure that just had me cracking up with every page. Lacey gets help from her best friend Meg who is always good for a laugh and just a tad on the crazy side, Lacey's cousin Clay is the super tech genius he helps keep Lacey out of trouble kind of, then there is Anthony Lace's grandfathers right hand man and head of security, plus he is also tall, dark, handsome and dangerous, well dangerous to Lacey's heart anyway.
Once Lacey has her 'back-up' it's time to go after 'the good stuff' for Carlos this involves the Russian mafia and they maybe a little more dangerous than Lacey was expecting.
Sprinkled is a laugh out loud hilarious mystery, it's a must read for anyone who loves, funny, crazy families, best friends who get you into more trouble than they get you out of and sexy, hot dangerous men who make you weak at the knees.
I highly recommend drinking sugary coffee drinks and eating lots of chocolate while reading these books :-)
Check out other books in this series Sparkled, Salted, Sauced, S'mored, Spooked, Seasoned and Spiced.
Buy Sprinkled at Amazon
Amanda M Lee writes the most wonderfully, funny books, but for me her most hilarious series is the Avery Shaw series, talk about roll on the floor laughing they really do crack me up. Avery is giggle snort hilarious, I love her fashion sense and her 'go get them' attitude, which is an awesome attitude for an investigative reporter to have, her tough exterior and her wonderfully sarcastic whit also help make these books more enjoyable as does Avery's temper which happens to get the best of her constantly. It's a good thing her cousin is a police officer and her best friend Jake is the country sheriff otherwise I think Avery would be locked up permanently with all of the trouble she gets herself in.
There are 8 books in this series so far and I have really enjoyed reading them all. I'm reviewing book 1 today Who, What, Where, When, Die.
Avery is smart, sometimes too smart for her own good according to her mother. Avery is also really good at her job, when she gets a hold of a story there is no stopping her no matter how dangerous, this frustrates her family and friends to no end, but Avery always gets the job done even if her methods are unconventional.
Avery is also the most immature, snarky character and I just love her geeky side especially when it comes out in her fashion sense, it’s just too funny to read everyone’s reactions to whatever t-shirt she is wearing that day, her Mothers reactions are just priceless.
I really love the antagonistic relationship Avery has with Jake her high school boyfriend and now the county sheriff, they both know which buttons to press with each other, it's funny but then Avery seems to know which buttons to press with everyone and that’s what makes her an awesome investigative reporter, there really is nothing she won't do for a good story, Avery is dedicated to seeking the truth even if it leads her into trouble more often than not.
Avery is having the worst week, first she covers a story on a gunman who barricaded himself in and then danced naked in front of the window, and people think Avery is crazy!!, then she starts getting death threats which she should probably take a bit more serious than she does but Avery feels it's all part of her job, so when she starts to follow a new lead which has her tangling with not only Jake but Elliot a local pawn shop owner and private investigator, maybe she has taken on more than she can handle, let's hope Avery survives the week because if the killer doesn't get to her first Jake and Elliot might end up killing her....lol
These books are fully loaded with sarcasm and snarkyness so if that’s not for you then skip Avery for sure but if you love a dose of funny sarcastic humour then grab a copy because you will die laughing.
Buy Who, What, Where, When, Die at Amazon
Morgana Best writes wonderfully funny cozy mysteries and I have enjoyed reading all of her books, but my favourite series would be her 'Middle aged Ghost Whisperer' series. There are 2 books in this series so far but they both really grabbed me I laughed a lot, there are some really hilarious moments in these stories, there were some sad moments as well and a great mystery to solve.
I loved the main character Prudence, she is a clairvoyant medium of a more mature age, Prudence is divorced and trying to make life work for her in her own way. Prudence has a gaggle of funny friends and family who add to the entertainment value in the stories and also Prudence has a penchant for stumbling onto mysteries, which she solves with the help of her new ghost friend a former detective. Even though Prudence’s friends are hard to take at times they all seem to mean well they just need to know when to step back and let Prudence live her own life, her own way.
What I loved most about book 1 Christmas Spirit was the way the humour melded within the book but didn't take over the mystery and also I didn't pick the murderer that always makes for a good mystery and the ending was so good I couldn't wait for book 2.
Buy Christmas Spirit at Amazon
Bubblegum Blonde is the first full length cozy mystery so far in this series for Anna Snow. I really enjoyed it so much I cannot wait for more in this series. There is a Christmas short as well called 'The Blonde Before Christmas' which was a great short story and there is also another short in the 'Killer Beach Reads' collection called 'Blonde's Night Out'
Barb Jackson is a Private Investigator her motto is 'Expect the Unexpected' lol that really is the perfect motto for Barb as she always has a way of finding the unexpected in a totally funny but sometimes dangerous way.
In Bubblegum Blonde, Barb is thrown unexpectedly when her cheating ex turns up begging for her help, seriously that in itself is just hilarious reluctantly Barb takes the case because even though her ex is a lying cheating scumbag he is not a murderer, well Barb hopes not anyway.
This story has a great murder mystery element that kept me guessing, great characters that made me laugh, laugh and swoon plus some good girl power which I always love.
Barb has the 3 B's Boobs, Brains and she's a Blonde to boot so yes most people underestimate her constantly which makes this story even funnier when Barb solves the mystery and avoids getting killed in the process, with a little help from a hunky detective named Tyler Black.
I am really looking forward to more adventures with Barb Jackson, I can't wait to read how the series develops.
Buy Bubblegum Blonde at Amazon
G could also mean - Go, Grab these now! Do you have any cozy mysteries I should add to my reading list?
Elisa Hordon, reviewer. Elisa lives on the Southern Highlands of NSW, Australia were she spends her days reading, journaling, painting, cooking and home schooling her daughter. She has always been an avid reader, Elisa loves reading many genres of books except horror; her favourite genres would be mystery, romance and paranormal. Elisa also loves pursuing many creative outlets if she is not relaxing with a book she can be found writing, sketching, painting or cooking. Elisa loves to share her obsession with books especially with her family and friends. Reading and reviewing books is a favourite pastime of Elisa’s.
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I have been thinking about reading some cozy mysteries but didn't know where to start. Thanks for the great recommendations!
ReplyDeleteGlad I could help you find some new books Susan 😀
DeleteI LOVE this theme!
ReplyDeleteWhen last have I read a cozy mystery...
So many books, so little time.
Writer In Transit
Michelle I'm so glad you loved the theme, I've been brainstorming more ideas today 😀
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