Mysteries for Christmas Part 1

Some folks like their mysteries all year round. Here are some suggestions for some newer Christmas titles.

Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen by Vicki Delany

When her holiday float is sabotaged, Merry Wilkinson, the owner of Mrs. Claus's Treasures, must discover who the Scrooge is in Christmas Town after the dead body of a reporter is found and the evidence points to her best friend, Vicky.

Death by Eggnog by Alex Erickson

When a murder halts the production of the local holiday musical extravaganza, bookstore-café owner Krissy Hancock, deciding to investigate, is faced with a pageant of suspects and must find the its curtains for someone else.

The Twelve Clues of Christmas by Rhys Bowen

While serving as an assistant to the hostess of a large Christmas house party in Tiddleton-under-Lovey, Georgie gets the attention of her retired detective grandfather after dead bodies begin showing up. 

Get Cozy with Hoopla!

Is the gloomy winter weather getting you down? If you don't feel like braving the elements to come sit by our cozy fireplace with a great book, why not curl up at home with a movie on your computer, iOS, or Android device, accessible through one of our downloadable services - Hoopla!

Here are just a few of the titles available on hoopla (and on DVD at the Library):



Holiday Inn: This 1941 holiday classic features Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, and plenty of musical numbers!
On DVD










Django Unchained In this violent 2013 Academy Award Winner, a slave turned bounty hunter seeks to free his wife. Starring Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Samuel L. Jackson. On DVD

Kindergarten Cop Arnold Schwarzenegger goes undercover as a kindergarten teacher to catch a dangerous criminal in this 1990 comedy.

On DVD










Double Indemnity: This 1944 film stars Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray, and is one of the all time film noir greats!
On DVD

Blackfish: This critically acclaimed 2013 documentary explores the dangers of keeping orca whales in captivity.

On DVD

The Tale of Despereaux : Based on the children's novel of the same name by Kate DiCamillo, this animated fantasy adventure for children features a cast full of recognizable voices.

On DVD

There's something for everyone!

Need help with Hoopla? Make sure to check out our PDF instructions here. 

To Have and To Hold: Weddings Can Be Murder

Weddings. A celebration. Families gathering together. Lots of tension. And in mysteries there can be lots of murders. Is it the bride or groom who is lost? A guest at the wedding? Or is it shady Uncle Lou who always had some dicey business connections? As I gathered together titles for the To Have and To Hold: Weddings Can Be Murder book discussion for our book group Much Ado About Mysteries, I did not realize how many wedding mysteries there were. Almost every author seems to have written one.

Some books feature the sleuths themselves getting married. Other sleuths are merely attendees at the event, or are working the event. And in other stories, the murder seems as if it is just a random but tragic accident.

Weddings are a major life event for most people, and I think that is why there are so many stories about the occasion. If you want to join the discussion - come join our book group Much Ado About Mysteries on Thursday June 18th at 7:00 pm. We will be discussing our wedding mysteries and sharing tales of nuptial disasters. Come to the Reader Services desk to grab a bibliography for a list of titles to read or try out the ones below.

Murder With Peacocks  by Donna Andrews - Meg Lanslow, maid of honor for three impending weddings, returns to her Virginia small-town home for the summer in order to arrange the details. Amidst the near disasters, truculent brides-to-be, screwball relatives, and minutiae-filled days, someone kills the rudely annoying sister of her mother's fiance. Meg's divorced but amicable father, an insatiable busybody and doctor, begins investigating--with assistance from Meg.

The Wedding Shawl by Sally Goldenbaum - When Izzy Chambers' wedding plans begin to unravel after her wedding party's stylist is found dead, the Seaside Knitters must not only find some answers, but complete the wedding shawl they made for the bride.

A Curious Indian Cadaver by Shamini Flint - Inspector Singh is sick of sick leave, so when Mrs Singh suggests they attend a family wedding in Mumbai, he grudgingly agrees - hoping that the spicy Indian curries will make up for extended exposure to his wife's relatives. Unfortunately, the beautiful bride-to-be disappears on the eve of her wedding - did she run away to avoid an arranged marriage, or is there something more sinister afoot? When a corpse is found, the fat inspector is soon dragged into a curious murder investigation with very firm instructions from Mrs Singh to exonerate her family. But as he uncovers layer upon layer of deceit, he knows it isn't going to be that easy.

Antiquing Cozies

Cozy mysteries are all the rage-or should I say lack of rage, since they are considered the "gentle reads" of the mystery genre with a bloodless crime. Antiquing and collecting are popular hobbies for many people, so what better occupation for some of our favorite cozy mystery authors to use in their story lines. If you're interested in antiques, collecting, or maybe you enjoy watching the popular PBS television show Antiques Roadshow you're sure to enjoy reading one of these great series.

Savannah series by Mary Kay Andrews
This series is set in Savannah, Georgia. Eloise "Weezie" Foley is an antique dealer who gets sucked into solving mysteries with her best friend, restaurant owner and habitual divorcee BeBe Loudermilk. Andrews creates amusing characters against the backdrop of this charming city which is famous for eccentric characters and murder. Start with Savannah Blues.

Den of Antiquity mysteries by Tamar Myers
The Den of Antiquity mysteries feature antique store owner Abigail Timberlake. All Abigail wants is to run her antiques store, The Den of Antiquity in peace. In amiable Charlotte, North Carolina, this shouldn't be a problem, but at The Den of Antiquity murder is always on sale, Start with Larceny and Old Lace.

Josie Prescott mysteries by Jane K. Cleland
Since Josie Prescott left a high-paying job in New York City to set up shop as an antiques appraiser on the coast of New Hampshire, her life has not gone exactly as planned. In some ways, it's gone better. She has a growing business, good friends and neighbors, and even a budding romance, but dead bodies seem to be crossing her path. A nice blend of coziness, crime and collecting. Start with Consigned to Death.

Jane Wheel mysteries by Sharon Sloan Fiffer
Charming and resourceful Jane Wheel has been recently laid off from her job, separated from her husband Charley and is headed straight into a midlife crisis. Jane finds solace as an antique "picker" searching Chicago estate sales, garage sales and flea markets. Just as she is settling into her new life, Jane finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time, and discovers she has a knack for unearthing clues and solving mysteries. Start with Killer Stuff. 

Cozy Mysteries

Fall is in the air – cool crisp mornings, the scent of wood burning, the leaves turning colors…doesn’t it make you want to sit by the fireplace and knit an afghan? Not so crafty? Then how about just reading a “cozy” mystery from one of the Needlecraft series, Someday Quilts series or the Home Crafting series, to name a few.

Monica Ferris started writing the Needlecraft series in 1999 with Crewel World. She has since written 12 more, the latest of which, Buttons and Bones, will be published later this year.

The Someday Quilts series is written by Clare O’Donohue. At the moment there are only 3 books in the series: The Lover’s Knot published in 2008, A Drunkard’s Path (2009) and The Double Cross (2010).

The first book in the Home Crafting Series, written by Sophie Mae Reynolds, is Lye in Wait, published in 2007. There are 3 subsequent titles, the most recent, Something Borrowed, Something Bleu was published in July.

However, if you do want to knit 1, purl 2 and drop 3…we can also recommend some of those titles.