Themed Mystery Series

So I just finished reading Murder a la Mode by G.A. Kevett. It is part of a series featuring Savannah Reid, a former cop turned PI. She's a Southern girl born and raised on the wrong side of the tracks. She is described as voluptuous and she loves food. Savannah participates in a reality-type show where women are competing for a vacation with a Fabio-type model. The producer of the show is found dead one night and two contestants are seriously injured during the course of the investigation.

On www.goodreads.com I rated it 2 stars. While the last 50 pages were fun, I found the characters, setting and writing cliched. It was more consistent with that of a creative writing class. I don't know, it just didn't rub off on me. It was the first Savannah Reid book I've read, and it will probably be the last.

And since I finished a book, I started another one - Buried Bones by Carolyn Haines. This, too, is a series featuring a character named Sarah Booth Delaney. As with the Savannah Reid series, this one features a Southern girl, but she was born into money and raised as such. She, however, is in danger of losing her family plantation and has stumbled into PI work.

The writing is much smoother than the Savannah Reid books; not as contrived. In the Savannah Reid series, I get the definite sense the author is trying really hard to write an entertaining book. You get the distinct sense, too, that the characters, plot and writing is much smoother in the Sarah Booth Delaney series. There is more grace and less effort with Carolyn Haines.

G.A. Kevett and Carolyn Haines are two of many female authors who pump out successful mystery series books where the protagonist is also female and single (by choice or circumstance). They are all light, entertaining reads that, for the most part, don't need to be read in sequence. What is also interesting is that several of the authors write multiple series and write other series under pseudonyms. Here are some of the authors with whom I am more familiar. You may find one or more authors you have yet to read.

Susan Albert Wittig writes the China Bayles Herbal Mysteries. The series is set in a small west Texas town where China Bayles solves crimes in tandem with the Sheriff's office. China's love life includes the local sheriff. Each book is centered around a specific herb which ties into the season, circumstance and characters. Some of the book titles include Thyme of Death, Witches' Bane, and Hangman's Root.

Monica Ferris writes the Betsy Devonshire Needlework Mysteries. This series is set in a small town in Wisconsin. Betsy owns a needlework shop and solves mysteries in her spare time. Each book is centered around a specific style of needlework or the materials involved. Many books include simple themed patterns the reader can complete. Some of the book titles include Crewel World, Framed in Lace, and A Stitch in Time.

Diane Mott Davidson writes the Goldy Schultz Catering Mysteries. This series is also set in a small town, this time in the mountains of Colorado. Goldy is twice married; first to an abusive doctor and second to an intelligent, considerate homicide detective. Catering must be deadly because many of Goldy's events involve murder. Each book focuses on a food or cooking technique, and recipes are included throughout. Some of the book titles include Catering to Nobody, Dying for Chocolate, and The Cereal Murders.

Blaize Clement, sadly, passed in 2011. Her son has assumed the reins on the series his mother originated, which is the Dixie Hemingway Pet Mysteries. This series is set in Sarasota, Florida; or a small subarb near Sarasota. Dixie is a former cop who retired after her cop husband and young daughter were killed. Dixie now petsits for the rich and (in)famous. Each book is centered around a breed or genus. The book titles include Curiousity Killed the Cat Sitter, Duplicity Dogged the Dachshund, and Even Cat Sitters Get the Blues.

Joanna Fluke writes the Hannah Swensen Cookie series. This series is set in a small Minnesota lake town where Hannah, the eldest of 3 sisters, owns and runs a Cookie shop. Hannah is torn between a recently transplanted detective and a local dentist. Each book focuses on a cookie or other baked dessert. The reader is also treated to the recipes of the mentioned desserts. Book titles include Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder, Strawberry Shortcake Murder, and Blueberry Muffin Murder.

Kyra Davis is a more liberal writer. She writes the Sophie Katz series which are set in San Francisco. Sophie is a bi-racial writer whose best friends include an erotica shop owner and a PETA militant. I've not been able to discern a theme among the books, and I find them entertaining as Sophie's life is messy, and the conclusion of the book doesn't necessarily mean everything is wrapped in a neat and pretty package. Titles include Sex, Murder and a Double Latte, Passion, Betrayal and Killer Highlights, and Obsession, Deceit and Really Dark Chocolate.

Krista Davis writes the Domestic Diva series which feature Sophie Windsor. This series is set in a small town near Alexandria, Virginia. Sophie is as the series says, a domestic diva. She contracts for events, oversees catering, and so on. Sophie is also dating Wolf, a homicide detective. Each book centers around an entertaining theme, and recipes and entertainment tips are sprinkled throughout. Titles include The Diva Runs Out of Thyme, The Diva Takes the Cake, and The Diva Paints the Town.

Laura Childs writes a few series. I've read some from the Tea Shop series and the Scrapbook series. The Tea Shop series is set in Charleston, South Carolina while the Scrapbook series is set in the Vieux Carre of New Orleans. Each protagonist (Theodosia Browning in the Tea Shop series and Carmela Bertrand in the Scrapbook series) is a Southern woman, born and bred, who breaks the mold by choice and circumstance. Each series focuses on the subject at hand, tea in the Tea Shop series and scrapbooking in the Scrapbook series. Teas and scrapbooking ideas and technicues are included in each series. Titles include (Tea Shop) Death by Darjeeling, Gunpowder Green, and Shades of Earl Grey, and (Scrapbook) Keepsake Crimes, Photo Finished, and Bound for Murder.

Dixie Cash is actually two sisters collaborating together. Pamela Cumbie and Jeffery McClanahan write one of the funniest mystery series I've read in a long time. The Domestic Equalizers, Debbie Sue and Edwina, do PI jobs on the side. Their main mode of income is hairdressing in the itty bitty southwestern town of Salt Lick, Texas. They remind me Lucille Ball and Ethel Mertz; just as wacky with the unmistakable knack for getting into absurd situations. I highly recommend this series when you need a pick-me-up. Titles include Since You're Leaving Anway, Take Out the Trash, My Heart May Be Broken, but My Hair Still Looks Great, and I Gave You My Heart, but You Sold it Online.

There are many more authors, some of whom I've read. These are but a few. And like I wrote above, these are light reads, and you can easily finish a book in a day. If you haven't tried these authors, you'll enjoy them.