Crime Novels & Mystery Fiction

The Carolyn Wheat essay, 'Sixteen Differences between Mystery and Suspense' might be of interest to some readers.

Mysteries featuring Amateur Detectives

See also Cozies.

Mostly Fiction: Detectives and Amateur Sleuths: Excellent resource for the authors listed. Not comprehensive, but provides depth of information on sleuths, bibliography, biography, web links, and reviews for 200+ authors. Note that detectives and amateur sleuths are all lumped together on this list.

If You Like Amateur Sleuths - Female (Hennepin County Library, MN): Author, title, publication year, summary, webcat link for about 15 books featuring female amateur sleuths.

If You Like Amateur Sleuths - Male (Hennepin County Library, MN): Author, title, publication year, summary, webcat link for about 15 books featuring male amateur sleuths.

Amateur Sleuths (Overbooked): Author, title, publication info, and summary for 7 titles, all with starred reviews from reviewing journals.

Amateur Sleuths (Reader's Advice): 'Mysteries featuring detectives who are not professionals.' Author, title, and Amazon link for about 275 titles, from Donna Andrews' You've Got Murder to Eric Wright's Lucy Trimble Brenner series. Compiled Dec. 2000, updated regularly. See also the separate lists of Amateur Sleuths: Couples; Amateur Sleuths: Housewives; and Amateur Sleuths: Seniors and Sweet Old Ladies.

Amateur Detectives (Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA): Author, title, webcat link, and summary for 10 books, by Sara Rosett, Sarah Strohmeyer, Carola Dunn, GK Chesterton, et al.

Mysteries Featuring Bumbling Detectives (Karen Kleckner and Frances Miller, Fiction-L): (Not necessarily amateur detectives, just detectives acting amateurishly.) Author and titles or series name for about 20 titles/series featuring bumbling detectives, from M.C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin series to Ayelet Waldman's Juliet Applebaum series. Compiled April 2002.

Mysteries Featuring Animals

Mystery Readers International: Not much online here, but if you have a strong interest in the topic, you might want to backorder a copy of the Mystery Readers International journal on Animal Mysteries (Volume 14, No. 4), from Winter 1998-99 or the issue called Beastly Murders (Vol. 6, Number 4, Winter 1990). Lots of articles, essays, and lists featuring crime novels with animals.

Cats and Dogs (Des Plaines Public Library, IL): Lists almost 20 cat mysteries, with author and summary of each. From Lydia Adamson's A Cat With No Regrets to Willard Scott's Murder Under Blue Skies; and almost 25 cat and dog mysteries, from Stable Cat by Garrison Allen to Howling Bloody Murder to Sue Owens Wright.

Wildlife Crime Booklist (Overbooked): 'Crime Fiction featuring the great outdoors and wild life.' Author, title, publication info, and summary for 16 titles by 8 authors, all with starred reviews from reviewing journals.

Animal Mysteries (Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA): Author, title, webcat link, and summary for 10 books about rats, cats, dogs, a gorilla, a horse, and animal rights activists.

Animal Mysteries (non-cat) (Reader's Advice): 'Mysteries dealing with animals other than cats.' Author, title, and Amazon link for about 70 dog titles, 70 horse titles, and about 30 titles featuring other animals. Compiled Aug. 1999, updated regularly.

Human and Animal Teams (Supper Sleuths, Lucius Beebe Memorial Library, MA): Author, title, publication year, and webcat link for about 20 series, by authors from Lydia Adamson to Davis Norbert.

Mysteries with Pets (Forks Branch Library, Wash.): Features several mystery authors with pets as characters in their books.

Mysterious Pets (Omaha Public Library, NE): Lists author and name of pet (and breed, for dogs) involved in series; 9 cat series, 14 dogs series, and 3 horse series.

DOGS

Dog Lover Mysteries (Terry Frey Weingart, Suite 101.Com): Excellent narrative list and description of mysteries featuring dogs, with detailed info on three series, a reading list with more authors and titles, a couple of collections, and some website suggestions. (Skip past ads!). 2001.

Taking a Bite Out of Crime: Barking Good Mysteries (Lynne M. Kennedy, Sachem Public Library, Holbrook, NY): Author, titles, publication info, and summary for each of 7 series and one lone mystery featuring dogs. Also list of short stories. Updated Dec. 2006.

Mysteries Featuring Dogs (Arlington PL, TX): Author, (first) title, webcat link, summary of series for 7 series featuring dogs.

A Nose for Crime (Manchester Public Library, Manchester, CT): Lists 9 authors and their dog mystery titles, with short summary of dog and/or sleuth.

CATS

Cat Fancy (Mesa Library, AZ): Author, title/series name, and summary for about 20 titles or mystery series about cats. Updated Aug. 2005.

Simply Pu-u-u-u-rfect Mysteries (Lynne M. Kennedy, Sachem Public Library, Holbrook, NY): Author, titles, publication info, and summary for each of 12 series featuring cats. Also list of short stories. Updated Dec. 2006

Purrfect Crimestoppers (Manchester Public Library, Manchester, CT): Lists 9 authors and their cat mystery titles, with short summary of cat and/or sleuth.

Mysteries Featuring Cats (Arlington PL, TX): Author, (first) title, webcat link, summary of series for 8 series featuring cats.

Mystery Book Cats (Mystery Book Cats.com): Lists 23 series, with author's name, titles and publication years, and links to Powells for each. Description of each cat also linked.

Meow Mysteries (Reader's Advice): 'Mysteries dealing with cats, or in which cats are companions of the detective.' Author, title, and Amazon link for about 145 titles, from Lydia Adamson's Alice Nesleton series to Clea Simon's Theda Krakow series. Compiled Aug. 1999, updated regularly.

Cat Mysteries (Plymouth District Libraries, MI): Author, title, webcat link for almost 30 mysteries featuring cats, from A Cat Called Amnesia by E.W. Hildick to Seeing a Large Cat by Elizabeth Peters. Updated June 2002.

Fiction About Cats (Novi Public Library, MI): Author, title, and genre (if applicable) for about 25 series, many in series, most of them mysteries (two are sci-fi). Updated Jan. 2007.

The Arts and Entertainment in Mystery

Mystery Readers International: Art Mysteries: Not much online here, but if you have a strong interest in the topic, you might want to backorder a copy of the Mystery Readers International journal on Art Mysteries I (Volume 21, No. 1), from Spring 2005 or Art Mysteries II (Volume 21, No. 2, Summer 2005). Lots of articles, essays, and lists featuring crime novels and visual art and architecture.

Art, Artists and the Art World (Madison Public Library, WI): Author, title, publication year, and summary of 15 mystery titles featuring art.

Nazi Art Thefts: Crime Novels (M. Williams): Author, title, publication year and summary for about 60 crime novels. Also a short list of non-fiction on the same topic.

Museums and Mysteries (Springfield Greene County Library, MO): Author, title, webcat link, and summary for about 10 novels, by PD James, Tony Hillerman, Aaron Elkins, Elizabeth Peters, Agatha Christie, et al.

Art Mysteries (Supper Sleuths, Lucius Beebe Memorial Library, MA): Author, title, publication year, and webcat link for about 100 books, from Margery Allingham's Death of a Ghost to Collin Wilcox's Full Circle. Updated 2006.

Art Mysteries (Winter Park PL, FL): Lists author, title, webcat link for about 85 single titles and about a dozen art mystery series. Updated June 2006.

Mystery Is An Art (St. Charles Public Library, IL): Author and title only for 23 mysteries featuring art. Compiled July 1999.

Old and Valuable: Mysteries Featuring Art and Antiques Dealers (Wilmette Public Library, IL): Author, title, pub. year, and webcat link for about a dozen novels, from Aaron Elkins' Loot to Margaret Truman's Murder at the National Gallery. Compiled 2000.

Antiques Crime Fiction Booklist (Overbooked): Author, title, publication info, and summary for 40 titles by 15 authors, some with starred reviews from reviewing journals.

Murder Among the Artifacts (AART, Rolling Meadows Library, IL): Author, title, publication year, and page count, for 12 mysteries featuring archaeology, from Agatha Christie's Murder In Mesopotamia to M. K. Shuman's The Maya Stone Murders.

Antiques Mysteries (Reader's Advice): 'Mystery stories set in and around the world of antiques appraisers, collectors, and traders.' Author, title, and Amazon link for about 7 series and a few single titles. Compiled Aug. 2005, regularly updated.

Mystery, Music, Murder, Mayhem (Lincoln City Libraries, NE): Author, title, and webcat link for about 80 musically themed mystery novels and short story collections, from Ace Atkins' Crossroad Blues: A Nick Travers mystery to Janice Weber's Hot Ticket. Compiled Aug. 2003.

Mystery Readers International: Music and Mysteries: Overture: Not much online here, but if you have a strong interest in the topic, you might want to backorder a copy of the Mystery Readers International journal Music and Mysteries: Overture (Volume 19, No. 2), from Summer 2003 or Music and Mysteries: Finale (Volume 19, No. 3, Fall 2003). Lots of articles, essays, and lists featuring musically inclined crime novels.

Musical Mysteries (Reader's Advice): Mysteries involving music or musicians. Author, title, and Amazon link for about 55 titles, from Paul Adam's The Rainaldi Quartet to Karen Sturges' Phoebe Mullins series. Created 2000, regularly updated.

Music in English Detective Fiction (Phillip Scowcroft, MusicWeb): Narrative discussion of music in English detective novels, from about 1900 to 1985. Fun reading if this is your thing.

Slightly Off-Key: Mysteries in A Musical Mode (St. Charles Public Library, IL): Author and title only for about 25 mysteries, from Steel Guitar by Linda Barnes to Baby, Would I Lie? by Donald Westlake. Compiled July 1999.

Death at the Theater: Mysteries with Drama (M. Williams): Titles, publication years, and summaries for books by about 100 authors of mysteries, suspense novels, thrillers, and crime novels involving plays, playwriting, acting, actors and actresses, opera, theatrical drama, and other elements relating to the theater. Authors from Lydia Adamson to Ursula Zilinsky.

Death Takes A Bow: Theatrical Mysteries (Evanston PL, IL): Author, title, pub. year, summary and webcat link for about 35 mysteries, from Thomas Adcock's Grief Street: A Neil Hockaday Mystery to Chuck Zito's A Habit For Death: A Nicky D'Amico Mystery.

Theatre Mysteries (Reader's Advice): Author, title, and Amazon link for about 15 titles, including Michael Craft's Claire Gray series and Deborah Nicholson's Kate Carpenter series. Compiled Dec. 2000, updated regularly.

Bibliomystery/Academic Mysteries

Bibliomysteries (Evanston PL, IL): 'Mysteries related to the world of books, in which manuscripts, libraries, publishing houses, booksellers, or writers occupy a prominent role.' Author, title, pub. year, webcat link, and summary for about 50 novels, organised by category: Bookstore/Booksellers, Libraries/Librarians, Publishers/Writers, and Manuscript/Book-Related Plots. Plus four short story collections, and author, title, pub. year, and webcat link (no summary) for dozens more books in each category.

Mystery Readers International: Bibliomysteries: Not much online here, but if you have a strong interest in the topic, you might want to backorder a copy of the Mystery Readers International journal titled Bibliomysteries (Volume 21, No. 3), from Fall 2005. Lots of articles, essays, and lists featuring 'mysteries that have settings, plots or substantial characters in them related to the world of books, writers, bookstores, and libraries.'

Bibliomysteries (Supper Sleuths, Lucius Beebe Memorial Library, MA): Mysteries about libraries, booksellers, and authors. Author, title, publication year, protagonist name or occupation, and webcat link for about 60 series or single books, from Jeff Abbott's Do Unto Others to N.L. Zaroulis's Poe Papers: A Tale of Passion. Updated May 2004.

Mystery Readers International: Academic Mysteries 101: Not much online here, but if you have a strong interest in the topic, you might want to backorder a copy of the Mystery Readers International journal titled Academic Mysteries 101 (Volume 22, No. 3), from Fall 2006; Academic Mysteries 202 (Volume 22, No. 4, Winter 2006-07); or the earlier Academic Mysteries (Volume 12, No. 4, Winter 1996-1997). Lots of articles, essays, and lists featuring crime on campus.

Academic Mysteries (Clues Unlimited Mystery Bookstore, Tucson, AZ): Concise but illuminating listing of about 25 authors with titles or series revolving around an academic setting.

A Bit of Whimsey: Mysteries and Academia: A-H (Eden Kuhlenschmidt - Western Kentucky University): Most books set on college or university campuses; academic fields provided if known. Listed in a chart by alphabetical order by author's last name, includes titles, main characters, publication info, location/academic institutions. Continues with Authors I-Z on this page.

Campus Crimes (Supper Sleuths, Lucius Beebe Memorial Library, MA): Mysteries about libraries, booksellers, and authors. Author, title, publication year, protagonist name or occupation, and webcat link for about 50 series or single books, from Catherine Aird's Parting Breath to Mark Zubro's Here Comes the Corpse. Updated March 2005.

Academic Mysteries Bibliography (Clues Unlimited): Brief summary of about two dozen mystery authors or single mystery titles involving academics.

Academic Mysteries (Terry Frey Weingart, Suite 101.Com): Narrative list and description of academic mysteries, focusing on English professors, continued on her Academic Mysteries 2 page, featuring non-English professors and school teachers. (Scroll past ads.)

Death Among the Books: Bibliomysteries for Booklovers (Manchester Public Library, Manchester, CT): Over 25 bibliomystery titles/series listed and summarised, plus another dozen simply listed. Updated Oct. 2006.

Academic Mysteries (Ricki Nordmeyer, Skokie PL, IL): Author, title, publication year, and webcat link for about 35 titles, from Robert Barnard's Death of an Old Goat to Pamela Thomas-Graham's A Darker Shade of Crimson.

Academic Mysteries (Winter Park PL, FL): Set on campus or featuring professors, grad students, etc. Lists author, title, webcat link for about 60 single titles and about 65 series. Updated Nov. 2006.

Academic Mysteries (Reader's Advice): 'Mysteries set in and about Colleges, Universities, and the academic world in general.' Author, title, and Amazon link for about 120 titles, from Lou Allin's A Little Learning is a Murderous Thing to Sally Wright's Ben Reese series. Compiled Dec. 2000, updated regularly.

Bibiomysteries (Winter Park PL, FL): Lists author, title, webcat link for about 25 single titles and about 25 bibliomystery series. Updated June 2006.

Book and Book Publishing Mysteries (Reader's Advice): 'Mysteries set in and around the worlds of publishing, book selling & collecting, and libraries.' Author, title, and Amazon link for about 100 titles, from Isaac Asimov's Murder at the ABA to Kate White's Bailey Weggins series. Compiled Dec. 2000, updated regularly.

Mysteries Involving Libraries and Librarians (Simmons College - Boston, MA): Extensive list of library-related mysteries with their publication info and one-line synopsis of plot. Excellent. Look also at their Wishlist of similar books. Updated Jan. 2008.

Libraries Can Be Murder: Mysteries Featuring Libraries (Wilmette Public Library, IL): Author, title, pub. year, and webcat link for about 20 books, from Lawrence Block's The burglar in the library to Jonathan Valin's Final Notice. Compiled 2006.

Mysterious Librarians (Mid-Continent Public Library, Independence, MO): Authors, titles, and publication dates only for mystery series and titles (mostly series) about librarians written by 12 authors. Updated April 2007.

Librarian and Other Bookish People (Lake County Public Library, Merrillville, IN): Books featuring librarians and libraries. Author, titles, type of librarian or library (usually with setting) for 13 mystery series, 5 stand-alone mysteries, 3 sci-fi/fantasy books/series, and about 20 fiction titles. Updated March 2007.

Library and Book World Mystery Series (Oxford County Library, Ontario, Canada): List of 10 mystery series featuring books, with author's name and series sleuth only, from Jo Dereske's Librarian Miss Zukas to Elizabeth Peters' Author/Librarian Jacqueline Kirby.

Cozies and Domestic Mysteries

Cozies contain generally a minimum of violence and graphic unpleasantness (blunt instruments and poisons are popular weapons), and they often take place in a house, village, small town, academic setting, or other benign, familiar and conventional social setting, with characters who are usually civilised and mannerly. The mystery is usually solved by an amateur detective who understands human nature and is gifted in observation and deduction. 'Cozy' is pretty much the opposite of 'hard-boiled.'

COZIES: A SELECTIVE LIST (Helene Androski, University of Wisconsin): 'Each of the following authors wrote (or write) mysteries that contain most of the elements of a cozy: a minimum of violence, sex, and social relevance; the solution is arrived at by ratiocination or intuition rather than forensics and police procedure (or beating a confession out of someone); the murderer is indeed exposed and order restored at the end; the hero/ine is honorable and the other characters (often including the murderer) are well mannered and well-bred (except, of course, the servants); the setting is a closed community of some sort, such as a village, university, stately home.' Lists 60 authors, described their books generally. Not a list of titles.

Cozy Mysteries (Marin County Free Library, CA): Two-page PDF file. Lists about 25 mystery books and series, with author, title, publication year, and summary, from Catherine Aird's Little Knell to Michelle Spring's In the Midnight Hour. Compiled Jan. 2003.

Cozy Mystery Authors (Madison Public Library, WI): Lists author, series sharacters, character's profession, and character's hometown, for about 100 authors. Based on a list created by Helene Androski, Reference Librarian at UW-Madison Memorial Library.

A Selection of Cozy Mystery Authors & Their Sleuths (Windsor Locks Public Library, CT): Lists author and sleuth, and sometimes other info, for 45 cozy series, from Catherine Aird's Detective Inspector C.D. Sloan series to Dorothy Simpson's series featuring Luke Thanet (he's actually a detective inspector and the only one on the list, I believe, who's not an amateur!). Updated March 2005.

Cozy Mysteries (Mesa Library, AZ): Author, title, series name, and summary for 20 titles/series, from Peter Abresch's Painted Lady (James P. Dandy Elderhostel Mystery Series) to Jill Paton Walsh's A Presumption of Death (continuing the Lord Peter Wimsey Mystery Series). Updated Aug. 2005.

Cozy Mysteries (Wake County PL, NC): Author, title, webcat link, and summary for 25 novels, by Mignon Franklin Ballard, Jonnie Jacobs, Leslie Meier, Anne George, Sarah Graves, Jeanne M. Dams, Nora DeLoach, et al.

Gentle Reads: Crime (State Library of Tasmania): Author and title (most with brief summaries) for about 50 gentle mystery series/books.

Cozies (Reader's Advice): 'Mysteries with a minimum of direct action and little blood, solved by genteel detectives in comfortable surroundings.' Author, title, and Amazon link for about 35 series and a handful of other titles, from Peter E. Abresch's James P. Dandy series to Sally Wright's Ben Reese series. Compiled Dec. 1999, updated regularly.

Cozy Mystery Authors (Harris County Public Library, Houston, TX): Author, brief description of sleuth, and webcat link for first titles in about 45 cozy series, from Catherine Aird's series featuring C.D. Sloan, CID Department Head in West Calleshire, England to Patricia Wentworth's series with Miss Maud Silver, spinster private eye in London.

Genteel British Crime Novels (Winfield Public Library, IL): 'When You've Read All of Agatha Christie...' Author, title, summary, and webcat link for about a dozen mysteries, by timeframe (before WWI, Golden Age, and WWII and After). Includes authors such as Bentley, Carr, Marsh, Allingham, Atherton, Innes, etc.

Cozy Life (and Death) in a Village (Diane Brunson, Bay County Library System, MI): Newspaper column with a paragraph each on about a half dozen village cozies, including those by Agatha Christie, M.C. Beaton, and Rhys Bowen.

Mysteries on the Mild Side (St. Charles Public Library, IL): Authors and about 50 series listed (no summaries or individual titles). From Catherine Aird's C.D. Sloan series to Peter Tremayne's Sister Fidelma series. Compiled Nov. 1999, updated May 2004.

Cozies (Anderson Bookshop, Illinois): Lists over 30 authors of cozies (all female), their sleuth(s), and a quick description of the series, from Susan Wittig Albert's China Bayles series to Deborah Woodworth's Rose Callahan series.

Village Cozies: Books Set in and about Village Life (Addison Public Library, IL): Title, author, summary, and webcatalog link for 13 series, of which 8 are mysteries. Compiled Oct. 2000.

Mysteries with a Domestic Twist (Forks Branch Library, Wash.): Narrative article that features several mystery authors with descriptions of their books, focusing on domesticity. Compiled July 1999.

ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE'S Sherlock Holmes Readalikes, Sequels, etc. are on the Series and Sequels page.

Holiday and Seasonal Mysteries

Murder on Holiday (Winter Park PL, FL): Author, title, webcat link for mysteries set at Christmas, Labor Day, Yom Kippur, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hannukah, New Year's, and Valentine's Day.

SPRING and SPRING HOLIDAYS

Springtime Can Be Murder (Eileen Pearce, MLS): List of 11 murder mysteries with spring holiday themes, including Passover, Lent, Easter, April Fool's Day, and Mothers' and Fathers' Days. Author and title only. Updated 2007.

Easter Cozy Mystery Book List (Cozy-Mystery.Com): Author, title and Amazon link for about 30 Easter (plus a few Mother's Day, Father's Day, Yom Kippur, Fourth of July, and Labor Day) mysteries.

My Shelf: Easter Mysteries (MyShelf.com) : Author and title only for about 15 Easter mysteries.

My Shelf: Mother's Day Mysteries (MyShelf.com) : Author and title only for 10 Mother's Day mysteries.

Wedding and Honeymoon Mysteries (Terry Frey Weingart, Suite 101.Com): Lots of detail on nine wedding and four honeymoon mysteries. Compiled June 2001. (Skip ads at top of page.)

SUMMER AND SUMMER HOLIDAYS

Summer Sleuthing (Terry Frey Weingart, Suite 101.Com): Detailed descriptions of over 20 mysteries set in summer, some on holidays. June 2001. (Skip ads at top of page.)

Mysteries Set in Hot Climates (Northbrook Public Library, IL) : Author, title, summary of each of 40 books, from Steve Allen's Murder in Hawaii to Charles Willeford's Miami Blues.

Summer Thoughts (Ginny Ryan, Wolfner Library, Jefferson City, MO): 'In summer our thoughts turn to beaches, lakes, the seashore and other resort areas as we plan our vacations. The books in this list ... are set in these areas.' Most are mysteries. Author, title, and summary for books, in title order, from Beach House by James Patterson to Up Island by Anne Rivers Siddons. Violence, language and sex noted. Updated Jan. 2007.

Summer Can Be Murder (Eileen Pearce, MLS): List of 7 murder mysteries with Independence Day and Labor Day themes. Author and title only. Updated 2007.

My Shelf: Independence Day Mysteries (MyShelf.com) : Author and title for about 15 Fourth of July mysteries.

FALL AND FALL HOLIDAYS

Autumn Can Be Murder (Eileen Pearce, MLS): A compendium of about 30 murder mysteries with Autumn holiday themes, including Yom Kippur, Halloween, and Thanksgiving. Author and title only. Updated 2007.

Murder on Holiday: Yom Kippur (Winter Park PL, FL): Author, title, webcat link for 3 mysteries set at Yom Kippur.

Halloween

Halloween Mysteries (Springfield City Library, MI): Author, title, pub. year, summary for about 45 novels and a few story collections, from Susan Wittig Albert's Witches Bane to Kathy Hogan Trochek's Strange Brew. Updated May 2006.

Halloween Cozy Mystery Book List (Cozy-Mystery.Com): Author, title and Amazon link for about 65 Halloween mysteries.

Halloween Mysteries That Won't Scare You To Death (Des Plaines PL, IL): Author, title, summary for about 20 Halloween mysteries, from Witches' Bane by Susan Wittig Albert to All Hallows' Evil by Valerie Wolzien. Compiled Oct. 2003.

My Shelf: Halloween Mysteries (MyShelf.Com): Author and title for about 75 books.

Murder on Holiday: Halloween (Winter Park PL, FL): Author, title, webcat link for about 15 mysteries set at Halloween.

Halloween Mysteries (Salina PL, KS): Mysteries that take place during the Halloween season. Author and title for about 15 titles, from Hangman's Root by Susan Wittig Albert to Strange Brew by Kathy Hogan Trochek.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Cornucopia of Murder (Terry Frey Weingart, Suite 101.Com): Detailed description of nine Thanksgiving mysteries. Nov. 2001.

Thanksgiving Cozy Mystery Book List (Cozy-Mystery.Com): Author, title and Amazon link for more than 100 Halloween mysteries.

My Shelf: Thanksgiving Mysteries (MyShelf.com) : Author and title only for about 30 Thanksgiving mysteries.

Murder on Holiday: Thanksgiving (Winter Park PL, FL): Author, title, webcat link for 9 mysteries set at Thanksgiving.

WINTER AND WINTER HOLIDAYS

Winter and Snow

Mysteries Set in Cold Climates (Northbrook Public Library, IL) : Author, title, summary of each of about 45 books, from Rosemary Aubert's The Feast of Stephen to Scott Young's Murder in a Cold Climate.

Wintertime Mysteries (Tompkins County PL, Ithaca NY): 'Winter, snowstorms, ice, and cold can ... be used in mysteries to help shape the story -– not only can it be the setting, but winter may also influence the action and can be an important element in murder.' Author, title, pub. year, cover image and extensive summary for a dozen books, from The Alpine Pursuit by Mary Daheim to Sun Storm by Asa Larsson. Compiled Jan. 2007.

Winter Can Be Murder (Eileen Pearce, MLS): Author and title only for about a dozen murder mysteries with winter holiday themes, except Christmas; including Hannukah, New Year's Day, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day. Updated Nov. 2007.

Christmas

Mistletoe Mysteries (Lincoln City Libraries, NE): Set at Christmas, Hanukkah, or New Year's. Author, title, and webcat link for about 275 books. Compiled Nov. 2000; updated 2005.

Merry Little Murders (Des Plaines Public Library, IL): Christmas mysteries. List of 17 books, with author and summary of each. From Lydia Adamson's A Cat on Jingle Bell Rock to Dell Shannon's No Holiday for Crime.

Murder for Christmas (Downers Grove Public Library, IL): Author, title, publication year, page count, summary for more than 20 Christmas mysteries and anthologies, from Marian Babson's The Twelve Deaths of Christmas to Georges Simenon's Maigret's Christmas. List compiled 1983, revised 1993.

Holiday Whodunits (Winfield Public Library, IL): Christmas mysteries. Author, title, summary, and webcat link for about 15 mysteries, from Aunt Dimity's Christmas by Nancy Atherton to A Cold Christmas by Charlene Weir.

Merry Little Murder (Kaite Mediatore Stover, Kansas City PL, MO): Author, title, webcat link and summary for about 25 books, from A Cat Under the Mistletoe by Lydia Adamson to A Deadly Little Christmas by Mary Welk.

Merry Little Murder (Lansing PL, IL): 5-page PDF. Author, title, summary for about 20 crime novels set at Christmas, from A Cat Under the Mistletoe by Lydia Adamson to We Wish You A Merry Murder by Valerie Wolzien. Compiled Dec. 2004, updated Sept. 2005.

Christmas Can Be Murder (Eileen Pearce, MLS): A compendium of about 175 murder mysteries (novels and short stories) with Christmas themes. Author and title only, for authors whose last names begin with letters from A-H (about 110 titles listed); another page lists about 65 novels and stories by authors whose names begin with I-Z. Updated 2007.

Murder on Holiday: Christmas (Winter Park PL, FL): Author, title, webcat link for about 120 mysteries set at Christmas, from Lydia Adamson's A Cat in the Manger to Mom Meets Her Maker by James Yaffe.

Christmas Cozy Mystery Book List (Cozy-Mystery.Com): Author, title and Amazon link for lots of Christmas cozies (listed on separate pages by author's last name), plus some Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Hanukkah, and New Year's books.

My Shelf: Christmas Mysteries (MyShelf.Com): The plot of the books might be centered on the holiday or the holiday may be only in the background. Only author and title provided. Extensive list.

Christmas Fiction (Lucius Beebe Memorial Library, MA): List of 50 Christmas mysteries, with author, title, publication data, and links to catalog information on each. Updated May 2004.

More Holiday Mystery Favorites (Terry Frey Weingart, Suite 101.Com): Lots of detail on about a dozen Christmas mysteries. And for two dozen more summaries of Christmas mysteries, try her Holidays Can Be Murder. And her descriptions of eight more 2001 Christmas mysteries! (Skip ads at top.)

'Tis the Season: Mysteries With a Christmas Theme (Madison Public Library, WI): Author, title, and publication year for 58 Christmas mysteries.

Holiday Mysteries (Addison Public Library, IL): Title, author, summary, and webcatalog link for 13 Christmas mysteries, including a few anthologies. Compiled Nov. 2001.

Season's Greetings With a Twist (St. Charles Public Library, IL): Authors and titles only (no summaries) for about 55 Christmas mysteries, by authors including Corinne Holt Sawyer, Lesley Egan, Janet Evanovich, Mary Higgins Clark, Nero Blanc, and many more. Compiled Dec. 2003.

Murder Most Merry (Marin County Free Library, CA): Two-page PDF file. Lists author, title, and publication year for about 45 books, from Lydia Adamson's A Cat on Jingle Bell Rock to Kathy H. Trocheck's Midnight Clear. Compiled Dec. 2002.

Christmas Mysteries for Fun (Wilmette PL, IL): Author, title, pub. year and webcat link for about 20 titles, from Nancy Atherton's Aunt Dimity's Christmas to Charlene Weir's A Cold Christmas. Updated Nov. 2006.

Christmas Mystery (Skokie Public Library, IL): Author, title, and webcat link for about 50 Christmas mysteries.

Christmas Mysteries (Mid-Continent PL, Independence, MO): Author and title only for about 30 Christmas mysteries, from Nancy Atherton's Aunt Dimity's Christmas to Michael Underwood's A Party to Murder.

Holiday Mysteries (Novi PL, MI): Author and title only for about 25 Christmas mystery titles.

New Year's Day

My Shelf: New Year's Day Mysteries (MyShelf.com) : Author and title only for about 40 New Year's mysteries.

Murder on Holiday: New Year's (Winter Park PL, FL): Author, title, webcat link for 8 mysteries set at New Year's.

Valentine's Day

Love Can Be Murder (Springfield City Library, MI): Author, title, pub. year, summary for about a dozen books, from The Saint Valentine's Day Murders