Fantasic Firsts Cozy Mystery Series Starters

Just for fun, we want to help cozy mystery readers find new series they can love and look forward to reading for years to come. We hope you will welcome these new authors and /or new series ... for many years to come.

  • Sign up for one year and get 10 to 12 books we highly recommend and believe are likely to be collectible ... books you’ll value having on your shelves. There is no fee to join.
  • Subscribers receive 20% off cover price of selected titles with one-year subscription. To qualify for this discount, you are agreeing to purchase all of our club selections.
  • We will keep your credit card information on file in a secure location and charge you each month as titles are available.
  • You may pick up your new book at either Mysterious Galaxy location.
  • Standard shipping rates apply for shipped titles. Titles held for pick up in store will be billed and shipped if not picked up within two weeks of notification.
  • This is a great gift-giving opportunity. We are happy to send our selections each month as a gift to the book lover of your choice.
  • Some, but not all selections will be signed.

To sign up, or for more information, contact the staff in San Diego (858-268-4747). Club membership lists will be maintained by the San Diego location, but all fantastic titles can be picked up in either store, or shipped to you!

A new title will be revealed each month!

May Fantastic First Pick:

Gluten for Punishment (Mass Market Paperback)

By Nancy J. Parra
$7.99
ISBN-13: 9780425252109
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Berkley, 5/2013

Description

Gluten-free baker Toni Ryder may not cook with wheat, but when there’s a criminal on the loose, she’ll do what it takes to figure out who has their finger in the pie… Even though Toni is used to going against the grain by preparing allergy-safe, gluten-free products for her online bakery, Baker’s Treat, opening a storefront in the middle of wheat country Kansas might be biting off more than she can chew. The town is already skeptical of her flour-free ways, but when a local wheat farmer is murdered outside her patisserie, skepticism turns into outright suspicion. With the help of her eccentric grandmother, her handsome lawyer, and the sexy new widower in town, Toni is determined to find the real criminal before bad publicity and increasingly personal acts of vandalism shut her down. But when another suspect winds up dead, Toni realizes that this half-baked killer isn’t just trying to get her to close shop—he’s trying to make sure that she’s made her last gluten-free cookie…forever.

INCLUDES GLUTEN-FREE RECIPES

About the Author

Nancy J. Parra lives in the Midwest with her trusty Bichon-Poo, whom she refers to warmly as “Little Dog.” Parra’s 2010 novel, The Counterfeit Bride, was named “one of the top ten romances of 2010” by Booklist. Hard at work on her next mystery, Nancy loves to hear from readers.

Praise for Gluten for Punishment…

“A mouthwatering debut with a plucky protagonist. Clever, original, and appealing with gluten-free recipes to die for.”—Carolyn Hart, national bestselling author

“This baker’s treat rises to the occasion. Whether you need to eat allergy-free or not, you’ll devour every morsel.”—Avery Aames, Agatha Award-winning author of the Cheese Shop Mysteries
“Nancy J. Parra has whipped up a sweet treat that’s sure to delight!”—Peg Cochran, national bestselling author of the Gourmet De-Lite Mysteries “A delightful heroine, cherry-filled plot twists, and cream-filled pastries. Could murder be any sweeter?”—Connie Archer, national bestselling author of the Soup Lover’s Mysteries “A lively, sassy heroine and a perceptive and humorous look at small-town Kansas (the Wheat State)!”—JoAnna Carl, national bestselling author of the Chocoholic Mysteries

That Old Flame of Mine (Mass Market Paperback)

By J. J. Cook
$7.99
ISBN-13: 9780425252048
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Berkley, 4/2013
Other Editions of this Title

Description

Set in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, J. J. Cook’s thrilling new mystery series features Fire Chief Stella Griffin, who solves crime with the help of her predecessor, who just happens to be a ghost…

NO MATCH FOR MURDER

After knocking the lights out of her boyfriend when she catches him cheating on her, Chicago fire fighter Stella Griffin hops on her Harley and heads for Sweet Pepper, Tennessee, where she ends up becoming the small town’s fire chief. When her dear friend Tory Lambert dies after her gingerbread-style house is set ablaze, Stella suspects arson and foul play.

As Stella investigates, she gets help from a most unlikely source—the ghost of Eric Gamlyn, Sweet Pepper’s old fire chief. And if that isn’t enough to rattle her, attractive police officer John Trump seems to have taken an interest in her. But Stella’s got to stay focused if she hopes to smoke out a killer before her own life is extinguished.

INCLUDES DELICIOUS RECIPES!

The Christie Curse (Mass Market Paperback)

By Victoria Abbott
$7.99
ISBN-13: 9780425255285
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Berkley, 3/2013
Other Editions of this Title

Mystery & Suspense

 

 

A heroine who comes from a family of thieves, a mystery involving a missing Agatha Christie play, an avid (and cranky) book collector, a hunky librarian, quirky relatives, and an intriguing young detective. What more could you ask for in a new series? Jordan Bingham has returned to Harrison Falls, New York and is living with the not-too-law-abiding uncles who raised her. She is in debt and in need of a job. So even though that job comes from Vera Van Alst, the most hated citizen of Harrison Falls, Jordan is intrigued and has the right skill set (and connections) to hunt down the aforementioned missing manuscript. Which is why it was March’s Fantastic First Cozy Mystery pick!

– Terry

Description

In 1926, Agatha Christie disappeared—making headlines across the world—only to show up eleven days later at a spa under an assumed name. During those eleven days, did she have time to write a play?

Jordan Kelly needs a new job and a new place to live. She’s back in Harrison Falls, New York, living with her not so law-abiding uncles, in debt thanks to a credit card–stealing ex and pending grad school loans.

Enter the perfect job, a research position that includes room and board, which will allow her to spend her days hunting down rare mysteries for an avid book collector. There’s just one problem: her employer, Vera Van Alst—the most hated citizen of Harrison Falls.

Jordan’s first assignment is to track down a rumored Agatha Christie play. It seems easy enough, but Jordan soon finds out that her predecessor was killed while looking for it, and there is still someone out there willing to murder to keep the play out of Vera’s hands. Jordan’s new job is good…but is it worth her life?  

About the Author

Victoria Abbott is a former mystery bookstore owner. 

Buried In a Bog (Mass Market Paperback)

By Sheila Connolly
$7.99
ISBN-13: 9780425251898
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Berkley, 2/2013
Other Editions of this Title
First in a new series featuring Maura Donavan and the small Irish Village where her grandmother was born, this promises to be another winner for Connolly. Readers are introduced to Maura when she begins her first trip out of the U.S.  after the death of the grandmother who raised her in Boston. She is not leaving much behind and is open to the possibilities as they present themselves beginning with a job offer at the local pub. When a body is discovered in a nearby bog, Maura unwittingly finds herself in the middle of the investigation just as she begins discovering who she is and where she comes from. The scenes from small town life in Ireland provide a great background for the series,  as do the locals who all seem to be related to Maura! It will be a pleasure to spend time here again.
– Terry
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