Mindy Quigley

Tag: books

  • Cold Cases, Hot Cocoa: Five Great Cozy Mysteries with Historical Crimes

    This post is reprinted with permission from Chicks on the Case, October 29, 2025

    At Death’s Dough, the fifth installment in my Deep Dish Mystery series, was inspired by the long, cold winters of my Chicago childhood—and by one of the biggest unsolved heists in U.S. history.

    My sister put me on to the story of the Rondout Train Robbery after seeing an article commemorating it in her local paper. We were both struck that the largest train robbery in U.S. history happened not in the Wild West—but just north of Chicago in the 1920s. Millions in loot vanished, mob ties helped the robbers evade justice, and the truth remains a mystery. What better set-up for my clever, pizza-slinging sleuth and her detective boyfriend—who happens to be the great-grandson of Al Capone?

    If you’re like me and love a mystery where the past refuses to stay buried, here are five more fabulous cozies (and cozy-adjacent mysteries) that mix history, humor, and heart.

    1. How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristin Perrin
    Wealthy widow Frances Adams has spent sixty years preparing for her own murder—and when she’s finally found dead, her great-niece Annie has to solve it. Set in an English village full of eccentric characters and long-dormant secrets, this witty debut is a perfect pick for readers who like their tea hot and their corpses cold.

    2. Mischief Nights Are Murder by Libby Klein
    Halloween hijinks and historical secrets collide when gluten-free baker Poppy McAllister’s B&B becomes the center of a deadly prank gone wrong. Add in a paranormal researcher, a pet psychic, a century-old diary with Prohibition ties, and Klein’s signature laugh-out-loud wit and you’ve got the ultimate cozy comfort read—assuming you can read while snort-laughing.

    3. More Than Sorrow by Vicki Delany
    This beautifully atmospheric mystery from Canadian mystery-writing powerhouse Vicki Delany (aka Eva Gates) intertwines the story of a modern war correspondent recovering from trauma with the stories of 18th-century Loyalist settlers. It’s a timely reminder that the past is never really past.

    4. Murder Once Removed by S.C. Perkins
    A genealogist with a love of tacos and a nose for trouble discovers a murder from the 19th century—and accidentally ignites a modern political scandal. Perkins’s genealogical  series is clever, funny, and full of Texas twang. It’s proof that some families have actual skeletons in the closet.

    5. The Study of Secrets by Cynthia Kuhn
    English professor Lila Maclean’s sabbatical turns sinister when a Victorian mansion, a missing manuscript, and a small-town legend converge to spell murder. Smart and funny, this book showcases the talents of its Agatha Award-winning creator.

    Whether you’re chasing gangsters across a frozen lake or uncovering secrets in a dusty archive, these mysteries will keep you turning pages long after your cocoa goes cold. Hope you’ll check out these great reads and pick up At Death’s Dough—out now anywhere books are sold!

  • Cozy Companions: Six Furry Sidekicks Who Kick Butt

    Excerpted from Criminal Element, Sept. 19, 2025

    No cozy mystery would be complete without a trusty companion or two. Sometimes these come in the form of a team of quirky relatives, like the Calendar Crew of meddling aunties in Mia P. Manansala’s Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mysteries or even a supernatural frenemy, as in Olivia Blacke’s Ruby and Cordelia Mysteries.

    In my Deep Dish series, though, the key role of sounding board/emotional supporter/cuddler-in-chief belongs to Butterball, an orange tabby with the heart of a lion and the stomach of a chonk-monster. While Butterball isn’t exactly Sherlock Holmes (he is, after all, just a cat), he has a way of revealing clues that my human sleuth, Delilah O’Leary, might otherwise overlook.

    In my latest book, At Death’s Dough, the roles are reversed—this time it’s Butterball who lands in hot water, and it’s Delilah’s turn to rescue him. Writing the story got me thinking about just how much pets bring to a cozy mystery.

    Furry (and scaly and feathered) companions have become fixtures in cozy mysteries not just because they’re cute, but because they serve important narrative and dramatic functions. They provide a wholesome counterbalance to the violence at the heart of these stories. They can also ground the sleuth in everyday life, showing a softer, more vulnerable side of a character like Delilah, whose personality can be prickly. Their instincts, antics, and sheer existence can move the plot forward in organic ways. At the same time, they reinforce one of the central pillars of the cozy mystery genre: even in the dark shadow of crime, comfort is close at hand.

    Butterball isn’t the only four-legged sidekick kicking butt in the world of cozies. From loyal hounds to opinionated cats, these companions prove that crime-solving can be more fun with a furry gumshoe (gum-paw?) on the case.

    Here are six of my favorite books with animal sidekicks…

    READ MY LIST IN CRIMINAL ELEMENT MAGAZINE

  • Most Likely to Succeed… in Murder

    With the launch of my latest Deep Dish Mystery, Sleep in Heavenly Pizza, I’ve been getting ready to trot out Ye Olde Dog and Pony Show once again. I’ve observed previously that being a professional writer is essentially running a small business. Things like creating social media content, preparing for events, doing my taxes, and tending to relationships with booksellers, editors, bloggers, and readers—are necessary parts of the job. A lot of writers especially hate the task of pimping a new release, figuring out ways to get it on readers’ radar screens without looking like a shameless huckster.

    I get it. For some writers, doing publicity smacks of lacking writerly integrity. Surely, James Joyce would never do an Instagram reel where he pretended to be several different varieties of cheese??? For many others, promoting your work feels too much like promoting yourself, which can be a terrifying prospect. Writers are often sensitive, introspective, and introverted, qualities that are at odds with the demands of publicity.

    Can I tell you something?

    <<looks from side to side>>

    <<lowers voice>>

    I actually like doing publicity.

    Yes, sometimes promotion feels like time stolen from the actual writing. But mostly, I regard it as a welcome break, a chance to build my creative muscles in a different way. Plus, as my sisters will surely aver, I’ve always been an attention-hogging ham (aka middle child) and almost nothing embarrasses me. Thus, I will gladly enlist every resource at my disposal in the service of getting the word out. Puppies, adorable children–it’s all fair game.

    All this is to say that I was delighted to appear recently on the Midwest Writers Room podcast for an episode of Chapter Break and do funny character voices. I hope you enjoy it!

    I also had the pleasure of being featured on Fresh Fiction’s “Character Most Likely To…” segment.

    Here’s a little taste of that. You can click the link above to read more.

    Most likely to be an agent of chaos?

    Butterball the cat! This chonky orange mischief-maker is a staple in every book. Whether he’s knocking over crucial evidence in SIX FEET DEEP DISH or unexpectedly leading the way to a clue in ASHES TO ASHES, CRUST TO CRUST, Butterball’s accidental heroism is legendary. Just don’t be fooled—his real priorities are snacks and snuggles, solving murders is just a side gig.

    Thanks for reading. Now it’s time for me to harness the dogs and ponies (and adorable children), because we’ve got more shillin’ to do!

  • Hooray! It’s time for my semi-annual existential crisis!

    Hooray! It’s time for my semi-annual existential crisis!

    If you write for a traditional publisher, you get paid twice a year. That payment covers a period that’s up to twelve months prior to the date of the check. The sales are lumped together in various line items, some illuminating (e.g. Canadian e-book sales), some… less so (I’m looking at you “Additional Earnings” line item).

    So yeah, you may be wondering what LSD-dosing psychopath invented such an arcane business model. And you may find yourself asking why any self-respecting literary artiste such as moi would put herself through it all. Maybe for the fame and fortune?

    BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! <<wipes tears>> BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

    Yeah, no.

    Overall, there’s almost no way to track whether a specific promotion/appearance/snippet of media coverage had a measurable effect on sales.*

    *Unless you obsessively track your Amazon rankings and Nielsen Bookscan numbers and try to extrapolate your weekly sales numbers from there. Which I for sure don’t do on a regular basis. ‘Cuz that would be batshit crazy. <<deletes browser history>> 😬

    I, like most of my writerly brethren, have zero job security and little understanding of how to make this modestly-profitable hobby/poorly-remunerated career work for me. I end up saying “yes” to almost every marketing opportunity, constantly afraid that I’m not doing enough, that my next project will implode like a billionaires’ submarine. Thus, over the past few years, I’ve found myself running on a relentless hamster wheel of social media posts, guest blogs, newsletter articles, giveaways, and appearances, trying to find success. I live in fear that the Spigot of Modest Recognition could, without warning, stop dribbling out the little droplets of validation that sustain me.

    And that’s because I’m lucky enough to be afforded those opportunities. I have a series of mass market paperbacks with a Big Five publisher. They sell, if not like hotcakes, at least like very warm cakes. I’m well aware that not every writer is so fortunate. So I also get to feel guilty for being ungrateful! Yay! The shame cherry on my fear sundae!

    For several years, I’ve been burning the candle at both ends, trying to justify this career choice. And, inevitably, I have a mini-existential crisis whenever a new book comes out or a major deadline looms or my royalty check comes in lower than I expected it to. I’ve been living in a constant state of low-grade existential panic.

    A few things have happened over the past couple months that caused me to start to recalibrate. My beloved grandmother, the bedrock of our family, died. My entire nuclear family got sick, some of us more than once. My aunt was struck by a car and nearly killed on the front steps of the post office. (Yes, you read that right. A car went out of control and up a flight of stairs.) I’m realizing that all the career-related, mini existential crises were just a prelude to the real deal.

    It got me asking myself why I do this writing thing. Here’s what I came up with:

    A “pizza” the gift box my friend Desiree sent to me.

    This little pizza friend was part of a cheer-up gift box my friend Desiree Di Fabio sent to me recently. Desiree and I, along with fellow mystery writer Korina Moss, bonded over cheese fondue during last year’s Mechanicsburg Mystery Book Fete. I’d never met Desiree before that event, but we had an instant connection. That happens a lot in the mystery writing world. You’ve spent your whole life searching and suddenly HERE ARE YOUR PEOPLE.

    Maybe in school, you were the only weird kid reading a book during outdoor recess. Maybe, while your high school classmates were out doing whatever normal high schoolers do (drugs, probably? IDK), you were that nerdy teenager the public librarians all knew by name. Maybe you were that oddball who spent decades wondering if other people thought about death as much as you do. Welcome, my friend. The world of crime fiction is your happy place.

    My life is infinitely richer because I have written and published my books and stories. The community of readers and writers I am a part of is wonderful. Telling stories is a joy and a privilege. Through this work, I learn so much about myself and what it means to be human. Also, I FREAKING LOVE WORDS. They are so powerful.

    I’m still in the midst of a pretty rough season of life. But when I look at this fuzzy little pizza, I’m reminded of the joys of my life as a writer. Joys that cannot be quantified on any bestseller list or with a six-figure check. Pleasures that defy external metrics. When it comes to a full creative life and sustaining personal relationships, I am very rich indeed.