COZY MYSTERY STORIES

As well as enjoying historical fiction, I am also a fan of mystery novels, and after coming across the Cozy Mystery site
I have a good list of authors to choose from.

A couple of stories that I have recently read are:

THE BOHEMIAN MURDERS - A Freemont Jones Mystery (by Dianne DAY).

The period for this story is 1906 and Freemont Jones is forced to leave San Francisco after the devasting earthquake. She goes to the bohemian beach community of Carmel-by-the-Sea and is looking forward to being reunited with her friend, Michael Archer, and setting up her typing business.
But she is not prepared for the way that Michael has arranged a cottage for her, situated in the artist colony and feels that she will be restricted. So she takes up the offer of being the fill in for the Lighthouse keeper for a period 6 months and also rents out a small shop for her typing business. The lighthouse duties only really take up a few hours during the day and she has a man to help out with the other duties.
One day while carrying out her duties on the watch,she sees through the binoculars, a body in the water. When the body is recovered from the water, no-one seems able to identify the person (a young well dressed woman).
Freemont therefore undertakes to find out what happened and promises herself that she will pay for the burial for the woman. But this turns out not be an easy task.

I found the character of Freemont to be a lively, independent person and enjoyed the story.

The other book was THE CHOCOLATE BEAR BURGLARY - by Joanna CARL

As I love chocolate, couldn't resist the title of this book. Also a good read into the chocolate making business.
Lee McKinney works with her Aunt Nettie in the shop - TenHuis Chocolade.
To participate in the "Teddy Bear Getaway" organised by the chamber of commerce at Warner Pier, Michigan (where the shop is located), Lee and Nettie agree to display a collection of antique chocolate moulds.
The moulds have been in the same family for generations and are quite valuable.
But after a burglary at the shop, the antique dealer who asked for them to be on display is murdered, and the main suspect is Lee's young stepson, who has left home.
Once Lee starts delving into the background of the moulds and the family who owns them, secrets are exposed and her life is put in danger.