National Library Week: the Ophelia & Abby Mysteries by Shirley Damsgaard

Today we are introducing a series that is described as "Bewitched meets Murder She Wrote"! Meet Ophelia, a small town librarian, with witchy powers...

Bewitched meets Murder She Wrote in this delightful new cozy mystery series featuring Ophelia Jensen, small town librarian and reluctant psychic, and her grandmother Abby, a benevolent witch.

Thirty something Ophelia Jensen wants to live a quiet life as a small town librarian. She's created a comfortable existence with her kooky, colorful grandmother Abby, and if it were up to her, they could live out their days—along with Ophelia's dog Lady and cat Queenie—in peace and quiet. But, to Ophelia's dismay, she and Abby aren't a typical grandmother/granddaughter duo. She possesses psychic powers, and Abby is a kindly witch. And while Ophelia would do anything to dismiss her gift—harboring terrible guilt after her best friend was killed and she was unable to stop it—threatening events keep popping up, forcing her to tap into her powers of intuition. To make matters worse, a strange—yet devastatingly attractive—man is hanging around Ophelia's library, and no matter how many times she tells him she's sworn off men forever, he persists. Soon this handsome newcomer reveals he's following a lead on a local drug ring, and then a dead body shows up right in Abby's backyard. And much as Ophelia would like to put away her spells forever, she and Abby must use their special powers to keep themselves, and others, out of harm's way.

Fans of paranormal mysteries will love this series!

Books in this series:
01 - Witch Way to Murder
02 - Charmed to Death
03 - The Trouble with Witches
04 - Witch Hunt
05 - The Witch is Dead
06 - The Witch's Grave
07 - The Seventh Witch
Check out all the books in this series on Amazon.

Visit Shirley Damsgaard on the web: Website | Facebook.

Today we're giving readers the chance to win a KINDLE edition of the first book in this series, Witch Way to Murder.

GIVEAWAY 

To enter: 

1. Giveaway is for a Kindle edition of Witch Way to Murder by Shirley Damsgaard. We have FIVE copies to giveaway.

2. Complete the ENTRY FORM. 

3. Giveaway is open to anyone that can receives Kindle books from Amazon.com and closes on Saturday April 16, 2016. 

4. Winners will be contacted by email.

National Library Week: the Bookmobile Cat Mysteries by Laurie Cass

Love books? Love bookmobiles? Love cats? Then we have a series for you! I remember visiting the bookmobile when I was kid. That air-conditioned truck was heaven! This series brought back how much I loved bookmobiles.

Meet rescue cat, Eddie, and librarian, Minnie:

With the help of her rescue cat, Eddie, librarian Minnie Hamilton is driving a bookmobile based in the resort town of Chilson, Michigan. But she’d better keep both hands on the wheel, because it’s going to be a bumpy ride…
Eddie followed Minnie home one day, and now she can’t seem to shake the furry little shadow. But in spite of her efforts to contain her new pal, the tabby sneaks out and trails her all the way to the bookmobile on its maiden voyage. Before she knows it, her slinky stowaway becomes her cat co-pilot!
Minnie and Eddie’s first day visiting readers around the county seems to pass without trouble—until Eddie darts outside at the last stop and leads her to the body of a local man who’s reached his final chapter.
Initially, Minnie is ready to let the police handle this case, but Eddie seems to smell a rat. Together, they’ll work to find the killer—because a good librarian always knows when justice is overdue.

Books in this series:

01 - Lending a Paw

02 - Tailing a Tabby

03 - Borrowed Crime

04 - Pouncing on Murder

05 - Cat with a Clue

Check out all the books in the Bookmobile Mysteries at Amazon.

Visit Laurie Cass on the Web: Website | Facebook.

Today we have the most fantastic prize for readers that haven't read this series! We are giving away books 1-4 in the series, with the winner choosing their prize as Kindle or Paperback!

GIVEAWAY

To enter: 

1. Giveaway is for Book 1-4 in the Bookmobile Cat Mysteries, with the winner choosing the option of paperback or Kindle. 

2. Complete the ENTRY FORM. 

3. Giveaway is open US/Canada and closes on Friday April 15, 2016. 

4. Winners will be contacted by email.

National Library Week: The Cats in the Stacks Mysteries by Miranda James

If we're going to talk libraries and cozy mysteries, one of the first series that comes to mind is the Cats in the Stacks mysteries by Miranda James. It says it right there in the title "Stacks" and this is one of my favorite cozy mysteries series ever. Readers meet librarian, Charlie Harris, and his maine coon cat, Diesel.

There's a cat in the stacks... ...

and he makes the purr-fect partner for a librarian-turned-sleuth. 

 Everyone in Athena, Mississippi, knows librarian Charlie Harris-and his Maine coon cat named Diesel that he walks on a leash. They also know his former classmate-turned-famous bestselling novelist, Godfrey Priest. But someone in Athena took Godfrey off the bestseller lists- permanently, and with extreme prejudice. 

Now, Charlie and Diesel must browse through the history section of the town's past to find a killer.

If you love libraries and cats you can't miss this series!

Books in this series:
01 - Murder Past Due
02 - Classified as Murder
03 - File M for Murder
04 - Out of Circulation
05 - The Silence of the Library
06 - Arsenic and Old Books
07 - No Cats Allowed
Check out all the books in the Cats in the Stacks Mysteries on Amazon.

Follow Miranda James on the web: Website | Facebook

Today we're giving away the latest book in the Cats in the Stacks mysteries, No Cats Allowed.

GIVEAWAY: 

To enter:
1. Giveaway is for ONE hardback of No Cats Allowed by Miranda James.
2. Complete the ENTRY FORM.
3. Giveaway is open International (book delivered by Book Depository) and closes on Thursday April 14, 2016.
4. Winners will be contacted by email.

National Library Week: The Library Lovers Mysteries by Jenn McKinlay

It's National Library Week and we're introducing the best of cozy mysteries with a library setting. First up is the Library Lover's Mysteries by Jenn McKinlay.

Meet Lindsey and the sweet town of Briar Creek:

Lindsey is getting into her groove as the director of the Briar Creek Public Library when a New York editor visits town, creating quite a buzz. Lindsey's friend Beth wants to sell the editor her children's book, but Beth's boyfriend, a famous author, gets in the way. When they go to confront him, he's found murdered-and Beth is the prime suspect. Lindsey has to act fast before they throw the book at the wrong person.

This series is a must for readers that love to read books about books!!

Books in this series:

01 - Books Can Be Deceiving
02 - Due or Die
03 - Book, Line, and Sinker
04 - Read It and Weep
05 - On Borrowed Time
06 - A Likely Story
07 - Better Late Than Never

Today we're giving away a hardcover of A Likely Story by Jenn McKinlay.

GIVEAWAY 

To enter:

1. Giveaway is for a hardcover of A Likely Story by Jenn McKinlay.
2. Complete the ENTRY FORM.
3. Giveaway is open US/Canada and closes on Monday April 11, 2016.
4. Winners will be contacted by email.

Introducing National Library Week

Today starts a week-long celebration here at The Cozy Mystery Journal for National Library Week. We will be celebrating all week long with features on cozy mystery series that are centred around libraries, and lots of fun giveaways.

Libraries are great friends to cozy mystery readers! The publishers release more books than my book spending budget allows, and I love browsing the stacks at my local library, Regina Public Library, for books to add to my reading pile. They are also a great source for older series, that are harder to find in the bookstore.

My local library is the Regina Public Library and they have an impressive collection of cozy mysteries, both at their Central branch and the various branches around the city. We also have access to the other branches around our province to request titles.

Without my local library I wouldn't be the reader I am today. Growing up in Australia my town had a bookmobile library service and I looked forwarded to stepping into the air-conditioned heaven on wheels every Saturday! Those early experiences with the library made me into the reader I am today.

I love libraries and I'm looking forward to celebrating National Library Week with all our fantastic readers!

This week we will be featuring the following series:

April 10 - Library Lover's Mysteries with Jenn McKinlay
April 11 - Aurora Teagarden Mysteries with Charlaine Harris
April 12 - Cats in the Stacks Mysteries with Miranda James
April 13 - Bookmobile Cats Mysteries with Laurie Cass
April 14 - Ophelia & Abby Mysteries with Shirley Damsgaard

Each day we will feature a series that is set in a library, and we will also be giving away at least one book in each series! A little something from us to readers, to introduce them to a new series.

We also have a fabulous MAJOR prize! This giveaway will be open week-long, and one lucky winner will win:

- A tote bag signed by Charlaine Harris!

- The bag contains FIVE paperbacks from our collection. All fantastic books that we know you will enjoy, as much we have.

- A hardback of The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie.

- Our signature mug "Drink Tea and Read Cozy Mysteries".

- Lots of fun cozy mystery author swag.

To enter:
1. Giveaway is for the prize listed above.
2. Complete the ENTRY FORM.
3. Giveaway is open to residents of International and closes on Saturday April 16, 2016.
4. Winners will be contacted by email.

National Library Week - April 10-16, 2016

Next week on April 10-16, 2016 is National Library Week, and we're going to be celebrating cozy mystery style! For most avid readers libraries are an important part of our lives. While I buy a lot of cozy mysteries, I also read a lot from my local library. My library has a huge cozy mystery section and I enjoy every discover new series, or pick up vintage mysteries too! 

Let's not forget that libraries are also featured in a lot of cozy mysteries. We've selected seven of our favorite mysteries that feature librarians, and we will be discussing each series per day during National Library Week. Check in each day to discover each series and author, and enter to win a great prize!

Our line-up:

April 10 - Library Lover's Mysteries with Jenn McKinlay

April 11 - Aurora Teagarden Mysteries with Charlaine Harris
April 12 - Cats in the Stacks Mysteries with Miranda James
April 13 - Bookmobile Cats Mysteries with Laurie Cass
April 14 - Ophelia & Abby Mysteries with Shirley Damsgaard

We hope you will join us on April 10 to celebrate National Library Week!