Ellen Byron

Favorite Reads of 2024

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This year was a slow burn – sometimes I find a book early in the year that I’m completely passionate about.  This year I didn’t find “the one” until November, when I devoured Christina Lynch’s utterly original Pony Confidential.  I read lots of other great books along the way though, some by tried and true writers – Elly Griffiths, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Ann Cleeves, Anthony Horowitz, Deanna Raybourn and Ragnar Jonasson – and particularly in the historical novel category, lots of wonderful debuts that give us lots to look forward to. These recommendations are divided into categories.  Full reviews for all of these can be found on this website, just search by title or author. read more

Ellen Byron: A Very Woodsy Murder

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Golden Motel #1

Ellen Byron always brings it.  In this series launch, exhausted TV writer Dee has found gold at the end of her particular rainbow.  In her case, it’s an abandoned mid century motel in need of lots of love at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains.  She wants to buy it and renovate it with her ex-husband and now best friend, Jeff, whose life also needs a bit of a reboot.  The two agree to the plan, sinking their savings into it.  They’re happily renovating when their first guest checks in: an old fellow sit-com writer frenemy of Dee’s.  He seems to be roundly disliked by everyone in town and in good cozy fashion he’s shortly dispatched.  (It’s the end of his particular rainbow.) read more

Best of: Cozies 2022

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So many cozies – so little time!  Reading cozies for my Mystery Scene column has been a real joy, and an extra joy was that the column focused on my favorite of formats, the mass market paperback.  A long ago customer, a pilot during WWII, told me he learned to love Agatha Christie during the war as he was able to stick a paperback in his back pocket.  This format is slowly being squeezed out, but to me it’s the best way to have a little rectangle of affordable, portable happiness always on tap.  Hopefully this list will give you a place to start (not ALL on this list are mass markets, but most of them are). Dive in!   read more