It's Time To Cozy Up With A Mystery ☕

Did you grow up playing CLUE and having a mom who watched Murder, She Wrote?

I did.

And I think it led to me to falling in love with reading cozy mysteries. One of my favorites things to see is the variety of time periods we are getting these cozies set it. From Anna Lee Huber’s popular Lady Darcy series to Vanessa Kelly’s more newly release Murder at Highbury set in the world of Jane Austen’s Emma, the explorations of time periods continues to be so much fun.

Today, we are joined by author

Anna Sayburn Lane

. I came across Anna here on Substack and have been delighted to read her posts. Her love of history really shines through in her writing!

Here’s a little about Anna…

Anna Sayburn Lane is the author of page-turning murder mysteries set in jazz age London, and of award-winning short stories and contemporary thrillers. Her debut novel, Unlawful Things, was shortlisted for the Virago New Crime Writing award, and her first historical mystery, Blackmail In Bloomsbury, has been described as ‘like slipping on a pair of elegant evening gloves and slipping back to the golden age of detective fiction’.

Before turning to fiction, Anna worked as a journalist for local newspapers and medical journals – useful for thinking up novel ways of bumping off fictional characters. She lives in the UK, sharing her time between London and a small seaside town.

To find out more (and get the 1920s prequel novella Murder At The Ritz completely free), sign up to her newsletter at www.annasayburnlane.com.

Now I’ll hand over the typing to Anna…

The 1920s Murder Mysteries series were inspired by my favourite things: the Lord Peter Wimsey detective novels of Dorothy L Sayers, the TV series Miss Fisher Investigates, and my love of historical research. I’d already written four contemporary thrillers, all with a strong historical back-story. I wanted to write a story entirely set in the past.
The 1920s is a fascinating decade when lots of things were changing, not least for women. I was interested in how women who’d become independent during the First World War coped with the return of their menfolk, many of them badly affected by their experiences, after the war. The fun things we associate with the 1920s – flappers, jazz, nightclubs and cocktails – came out of the tension between the pre-war world and the modern era which rejected the past. Young people were determined to enjoy life, and I wanted to capture that sense of fun, while also reflecting the damage war had done.

I was also inspired by my own family. I have lovely photographs of my grandmother Marjorie looking elegant in 1920s gowns. My grandparents were shop-keepers and my mother was a scholarship girl, always conscious of her background. Lots of fictional 1920s sleuths are from the aristocracy, but I wanted to look at how an ordinary working-class woman would fare in that society, so I made my sleuth Marjorie a shop-keeper’s daughter with a good education, determined to forge an independent life.

All good wishes,

Anna

Check out Anna’s latest release Death on Fleet Street, HERE in KU or HERE in paperback.

Thank you, Anna, for stopping in!

Anyone reading a cozy knows you need to be sipping a cup of tea while reading. I have shared a few of my favorite cozy inspired teas below. ☕🫖

Sharing book recommendations is my happy place, so after you check Anna’s books out, here are a 3 of my favorite cozy mysteries in a variety of time periods. They all feature strong female leads who are a bit ahead of their time.

Scotland, 1830. Following the death of her husband, Lady Darby has taken refuge at her sister’s estate, finding solace in her passion for painting. But when her hosts throw a house party for the cream of London society, Kiera is unable to hide from the ire of those who believe her to be as unnatural as her husband, an anatomist who used her artistic talents to suit his own macabre purposes.

Kiera wants to put her past aside, but when one of the house guests is murdered, her brother-in-law asks her to utilize her knowledge of human anatomy to aid the insufferable Sebastian Gage—a fellow guest with some experience as an inquiry agent. While Gage is clearly more competent than she first assumed, Kiera isn’t about to let her guard down as accusations and rumors swirl.

When Kiera and Gage’s search leads them to even more gruesome discoveries, a series of disturbing notes urges Lady Darby to give up the inquiry. But Kiera is determined to both protect her family and prove her innocence, even as she risks becoming the next victim…

Check it out HERE.

Less than one year into her marriage to respected magistrate George Knightley, Emma has grown unusually content in her newfound partnership and refreshed sense of independence. The height of summer sees the former Miss Woodhouse gracefully balancing the meticulous management of her elegant family estate and a flurry of social engagements, with few worries apart from her beloved father’s health . . .  

But cheery circumstances change in an instant when Emma and Harriet Martin, now the wife of one of Mr. Knightley’s tenant farmers, discover a hideous shock at the local church. The corpse of Mrs. Augusta Elton, the vicar’s wife, has been discarded on the altar steps—the ornate necklace she often wore stripped from her neck . . .  

As a chilling murder mystery blooms and chaos descends upon the tranquil village of Highbury, the question isn’t simply who committed the crime, but who wasn’t secretly wishing for the unpleasant woman’s demise. When suspicions suddenly fall on a harmless local, Emma—armed with wit, unwavering determination, and extensive social connections—realizes she must discreetly navigate an investigation of her own to protect the innocent and expose the ruthless culprit hiding in plain sight.

Check it out HERE.

She’s on the rise to fame and fortune, but her sudden notoriety comes with some deadly consequences.

In the glittering arenas of the Wild West Show, Annie Oakley's marksmanship dazzles crowds and draws acclaim. With dreams of pulling her family's farm from the brink, the spotlight is both a blessing and a curse. A dark turn awaits as she stumbles upon her assistant, lifeless in her tent—an event cloaked in mystery and bearing whispers of foul play.

Probing into an unsettling past, Annie unearths secrets with far-reaching consequences. As she delves deeper, the line between friends and foes blurs. With her beloved horse suddenly stolen, Annie faces a chilling revelation: was she the intended victim all along?

Girl with a Gun is a gripping foray into an era where legends were born and danger lurked at every corner. Dive headfirst into this exhilarating Annie Oakley mystery series, where suspense, courage, and old-world charm converge. Don't miss the chance to ride alongside a true American heroine!

Check it out HERE.

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