American/Cozy Mysteries

Essays: § Cozies: An Especially American Art Form § When is a Cozy not a Cozy?
Kenneth Abel § Cold Steel Rain	Alina Adams § Murder on Ice	Donna Andrews § The Penguin Who Knew Too Much	Nevada Barr § High Country
Larry Beinhart § The Librarian	Claudia Bishop and Don Bruns (editors) § A Merry Band of Murderers	Meredith Blevins § The Hummingbird Wizard	Lawrence Block § The Burglar in the Rye
Jan Brogan § A Confidential Source	Judy Clemens § The Day Will Come	Joan Coggin § Who Killed the Curate?	Jeffrey Cohen § As Dog is My Witness § Some Like it Hot-Buttered
Thomas Cook § Into the Web	Gordon Cotler § Artist’s Proof	Casey Daniels § Don of the Dead	Diane Mott Davidson § Dark Tort § Double Shot
Aaron Elkins § Good Blood	Sharon Fiffer § Buried Stuff	Kate Flora § Stalking Death	Christine Goff § A Rant of Ravens
Denise Hamilton § Last Lullaby § Savage Garden § Sugar Skull	David Handler § The Cold Blue Blood	Charlaine Harris § Grave Sight § Grave Surprise § Shakespeare’s Counselor	Rosemary Harris § Pushing Up Daisies
Ellen Hart § An Intimate Ghost § The Iron Girl § Night Vision	Libby Fischer Hellmann § An Image of Death § A Picture of Guilt § A Shot to Die For	Martha C. Lawrence § Ashes of Aries	Marc Lecard § Vinnie's Head
Laura Lippman § To the Power of Three	Mary Logue § Maiden Rock	Margaret Maron § Last Lessons of Summer	Sujata Massey § Girl in a Box
Alexander McCall-Smith § The #1 Ladies Detective Agency	Deborah Morgan § The Marriage Casket § The Weedless Widow	Marcia Muller § Cyanide Wells	Kem Nunn § Tijuana Straits
Nancy Pickard § The Virgin of Small Plains	David Skibbins § Eight of Swords	Jessica Speart § Blue Twilight	Julia Spencer-Fleming § All Mortal Flesh § A Fountain Filled With Blood § I Shall Not Want § In the Bleak Midwinter § Out of the Deep I Cry § To Darkness and to Death
Denise Swanson § Murder of a Sleeping Beauty § Murder of a Barbie and Ken § Murder of a Snake in the Grass	Sarah Stewart Taylor § Judgment of the Grave § Mansions of the Dead § O’ Artful Death § Still as Death	Elaine Viets § Dying to Call You § Just Murdered § Murder with Reservations § Murder Unleashed § Shop Till You Drop

Artist's Proof, Gordon Cotler, Worldwide, $3.50

If this book interests you at all, snap up one of the few used copies we have, as it's out of print. I'm a sucker for "art" mysteries, and so I picked up this book by an apparent past Edgar winner who is now totally out of print. This novel features one of the more unusual characters I've encountered in a mystery - Sid Shale is a retired NYPD homicide lieutenant who has taken his twenty year pension to pursue life as a painter. His ex-wife handily owns an art gallery that handles his work, but still, sales are on the slow side for Sid. The Long Island Beach community he lives in is a small one, and when one of Sid's friends runs in to tell him there's been a murder "up the beach" - Sid goes up the beach himself to see if he can't be of help to the green Chief of Police whose main function heretofore has been investigating bicycle thefts.

Sid is allowed into the crime scene and discovers to his dismay that the victim is one of his former models, a beautiful sixteen year old named Cassie Brennan. Through various machinations of the plot Sid becomes one of the main suspects - and though we as readers are never seriously worried about what might happen to Sid - it gives him a reason to investigate the crime further. This is a well put together mystery with fair clues that, while it doesn't have the sparkle of some enduring series, still has a good main character, story, and art backdrop for the aficionado (and I know you're out there). I've included a list of some of my favorite "Art" mysteries, should Artist's Proof be unavailable.

• Artists in Crime, Ngaio Marsh
• The Rembrandt Panel, Oliver Banks and The Caravaggio Obsession by Banks are two of the most authentic art world mysteries I've read. Reading these two books will actually give you an insight into Rembrandt and Caraveggio.
• Picture Postcard, Frederick Huebner
  
• A Grave Talent, Laurie R. King
  
• Any art novel by Iain Pears (they all have an artist's name in the title). These novels are set in Italy and feature the inner workings of an art theft squad. Nicely written with a light touch and a healthy dose of atmosphere.

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