Mystery Books Podcast

Creative genius and chaotic influence: how a society photographer inspired a character This episode delves into the character of  Sebastian Blakely, a vibrant and unconventional photographer who brings his own unique form of turmoil to the High Society Lady series....

Murder at Archly Manor: Ch 5 and 6 + Mystery Books set in the world of Antiques

Why set a book in the 1920s? Because a time of great change makes for an interesting setting. The phrase "may you live in interesting times," certainly applies to the tumultuous post-World War I period. Find out how motorcars, bobbed...

Murder at Archly Manor: Ch 4 + Sherlock Holmes Reading Recommendations

⛲️ Love an English stately home? Then come with me on a tour of Chatsworth House and find out how the English country home inspired not one, but two book series in this “Story Behind the Story” of Chapter 4...

Murder at Archly Manor: Ch 3

Family tensions and inspiration from Agatha Christie are the “Story Behind the Story” of Chapter 3 of Murder at Archly Manor, a 1920s historical mystery.  Recent read: A Report of Murder by F.L. Everett (Affiliate link) Mentioned: The Moving Finger...

Murder at Archly Manor Chapter by Ch: 1 and 2

We’re traveling back to the 1920s in this season of Mystery Books Podcast with a chapter by chapter deep dive into Murder at Archly Manor, the first book in the High Society Lady Detective series.  What inspired the location of...

Tis the season for . . . holiday mysteries!   Get your holiday reading sorted with this list of mysteries that feature holly, mistletoe, and plenty of murder. Snowed-in country estates abound with tense family gatherings in these books. Cranky family members,...

Crime TV Shows for Cozy Mystery Readers (plus Book Pairings

⚓️ All aboard for a look at Death on the Isle, an amateur sleuth mystery from M. H. Eccleston with a nautical theme.

The Socialite's Guide to Murder by S. K. Golden

Unnatural Ends by Christopher Huang

Intro to Season 4

Mystery Books Podcast is back with Season 4.  Join me for spoiler-free discussions of mystery fiction along with “read-alike” book recommendations to keep your TBR (to be read) pile stocked.

The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy L. Sayers

Poison at Pemberton Hall by Fran Smith

Death in a Deck Chair by K.K. Beck

The Librarian Always Rings Twice by Marty Wingate

Who wouldn’t want to visit a library made up of first editions from Golden Age authors? That’s the premise of The First Edition Library series by Marty Wingate. Haley is a curator at the unique private library in Bath. The...

Under Lock and Skeleton Key by Gigi Pandian

A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons by Kate Khavari

Do you have a fondness for lady scientists of the early 20th century who encounter mysteries? Then you'll want to read “A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons” by Kate Khavari.

Murder at Mallowan Hall by Colleen Cambridge

Do you enjoy enjoy the “Upstairs, Downstairs” contrasts of Downton Abbey, but wish it had the added element of a murder mystery? Then you’ll want to check out "Murder at Mallowan Hall" by Colleen Cambridge, which features a mashup of...

The Bangalore Detectives Club by Harini Nagendra

If you’d like a fresh take on 1920s historical mysteries, check out “The Bangalore Detectives Club” by Harini Nagendra, which takes readers to India. Newly married to a doctor, Kaveri is juggling her own ambitions to get a degree in...

Intro to Season 3

Mystery Books Podcast is back with a new season of spoiler-free discussions of mystery fiction along with “read-alike” book recommendations to keep your TBR (to be read) pile stocked.

The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood

If you enjoy eccentric sleuths of a certain age, crosswords, and ensemble cast mysteries, you'll want to check out The Marlow Murder Club. Seventy-seven year old Judith Potts is just fine on her own, thank you very much. That is,...

Revenge in Rubies

We return to Singapore for “Revenge in Rubies” by A. M. Stuart, but this time we're seeing things through the British Colonial perspective. The 1910s are a bit of an underserved time period for historical readers, so if you're fond...

The House Without a Key

Travel to romantic Hawaii in the 1920s for Charlie Chan's first case in The House Without a Key by Earl Derr Biggers. Chan’s "Watson" is a stuffy Bostonian who thaws out in the tropics. We have another exotic locale for...

Olive Bright, Pigeoneer

If you want a look at a little-known aspect of World War II, check out the historical mystery "Olive Bright, Pigeoneer" by Stephanie Graves. It's got an English village full of quirky characters, a romantic subplot with a pretend relationship,...

The Mimosa Tree Mystery

If you like to experience other cultures through reading, you'll enjoy The Mimosa Tree Mystery. Ovidia Yu gives us a look at Singapore in the 1930s during the Japanese occupation. Her brainy young female protagonist must figure out not only...

Foreign Language Mystery TV

Murder, Mystery, and . . . Subtitles! I've discovered two foregin language TV shows, Crimes of Passion and The Art of Crime. Find out how the shows work in hints of Agatha Christie, Jurassic Park Syndrome, tension triangles, lost Old...

A Peculiar Combination

Mix together a World War II setting and a heist story, and you’ve got the very entertaining novel, A Peculiar Combination by Ashley Weaver. This book has so many twists on tropes--cat burglars, Cinderella, and opposites attract, to name just...

The Sloane Square Mystery

If you have a soft spot for rather dense sidekicks and you miss detectives from the 1920s, you'll enjoy The Sloane Square Mystery, a novel from one of Golden Age fiction's prolific writers, Herbert Adams. Published in 1925, The Sloane...

The Thursday Murder Club

The Thursday Murder Club was the feel-good hit of 2020—and we certainly needed that in 2020! I think the novel is also an example of a new type of subgenre, upscale mystery book club fiction. Join me for a look...

Intro to Season 2

Mystery Books Podcast is back (finally!) with Season Two.

Murder on a Midnight Clear

Are you fond of a jolly little Christmas mystery? I certainly am. Join me for a look at the inspiration and research behind Murder on a Midnight Clear, a 1920s Christmas mystery. I can’t pass up a mystery set at a...

Come Hell or Highball by Maia Chance

S1 E10 / This American-set 1920s mystery with an odd-couple pairing is a madcap American twist on Downton Abbey, with a murder mystery added, of course.  Full show notes at https://www.sararosett.com/mbps1e10 Support the show

The Good Byline by Jill Orr

S1 E9 / A small town cozy with plenty of humor and lots of Southern tropes? Yes, please! In this episode, we take a look at the clever set-up of this amateur sleuth mystery that features an obit writer who...

The Astonishing Adventure of Jane Smith by Patricia Wentworth

S1 E8 / If you like Agatha Christie's mystery The Secret Adversary, you'll want to check out Patricia Wentworth's The Astonishing Adventure of Jane Smtih. It features a plucky young woman set on adventure, a dashing Scotland Yard man, and...

The Mallorca Files

S1 E7 / Sara  pivots to look at mystery television in this episode. By-the-book British detective Miranda Blake goes to sunny Mallorca to escort a prisoner back to the UK, but things go very wrong. She must work with a...

Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen

If you love Downton Abbey, Miss Fisher, and The Crown, this episode is for you. Her Royal Spyness is a historical mystery set in the 1930s London with fun tidbits of royal trivial and intrigue. Why are country house mysteries...

Enola Holmes and the Missing Marquess

MBP S1 E5 / Does the world need another Sherlock Holmes spinoff? If the answer involves Enola Holmes, the answer is yes. Join USA Today mystery author Sara Rosett for an in-depth look at the much younger sister of Sherlock...

The Moonspinners by Mary Stewart

S1 E4 / Escape to Crete and delve into one of Sara's favorite tropes, the travel mystery. Adventure, intrigue, and romance abound in Mary Stewart's classic romantic suspense novel, The Moonspinners. Full show notes at https://www.sararosett.com/mbps1e4 Support the show

Poppy Redfern and the Midnight Murders

S1 E3 / What do you get when you set a World War II novel in a sleepy English village, add a plucky Air Raid Warden, then mix in an influx of American fly boys stationed at the nearby air...

Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death by M.C. Beaton

S1 E2 / Join Sara for a look at the cozy mystery about a quirky and abrasive (yet loveable) former PR excutive who moves to an English village and just can't quite fit in. It's a cozy mystery with a...

Murder on the Orient Express

S1 E1 / Welcome to Mystery Books Podcast, a podcast covering mysteries in all of their forms from classic Golden Age novels to contemporary cozies. I’m mystery author Sara Rosett and this is Season One, Episode One, and it's all...

Introduction to Mystery Books Podcast

Hello and welcome to Mystery Books Podcast. I'm mystery author Sara Rosett, and this is a short introduction to Mystery Books Podcast. This podcast will cover mysteries in all of their forms from classic golden age novels to contemporary cozies....

MBP 018 - Riddle at Gipsy's Mile

In Episode 018 of the Mystery Books Podcast, I talked about the new Fire Tablets with their speed reading app and auto-download features. Two tidbits of news from me: the cozy holiday anthology that I have a novella in is available...

MBP #017 - A Man of Some Repute

MBP # 017 is for fans of Downton Abbey and classic village mysteries as I profile Elizabeth Edmondson’s cozy, A Man of Some Repute.  In the Frequently Asked Question section of the show, I briefly answered the question, “How do I...

MBP #016 - Dangerous Talent

MBP # 016 - Dangerous Talent  If you love art mysteries, this podcast is for you. I profile the first in the Alix London series, A Dangerous Talent.  First I gave a short update. Devious (On the Run book Five) is out....

MBP 015 - Bloodstained Egg Cosy

This episode opened with the Frequently Asked Question feature: how do I get my illustrator matched up with my story for my childrens' book? If you're going traditional, you usually don't really get much input on the illustrator, but if you're...

MBP 014 - Her Royal Spyness

Episode 014 looked at the historical mystery, Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen. My personal update: getting back to writing after the move (yay!) and going over copyedits for Devious (book five in the On the Run series). Look for the...