I think that's the term for what I'm looking for.  I know there is a mystery forum but I sort of "know" how the taste of a lot of the posters here compares to mine.  So I thought I would try here first.

I read the Meg Cabot Size 12 Is Not Fat trilogy and the Harley Jane Kozak books, Dating Dead Men, etc.  Liked those a lot.  I don't want anything intense with a lot of suspense.  Something lighter, fun, with humor and some romance like the ones I named. Maybe some animals.  Loved the ferrett in Dating Dead Men.  I have read all the Charlaine Harris mystery series and loved them though they are darker.

And I think I want to stick with contemporary.  I have Deanna Raybourne's Silent In The Grave and Silent In The Sanctuary on the TBR but I seem to always pass them by when making a choice.

So, does anyone have some good ones that you've read?

I loved Silent in the Grave. I also love C.S Harris' historical romance/mystery series about Sebastian St. Cyr. 

I like Cozies.  Have you read Hailey Lind?  She writes murder mysteries centered arount the art world. The main character is an artist and the grand daughter of a master art forgery who always seems to cause trouble from a distance.  There's usually only 1 murder and not a lot of cops/procedural stuff like a regular mystery. 

I read Laced by Carol Higgins Clark and it bored me to tears.  No murder mystery.  It sounded good like there'd be a ghost story to go with the art theft but she never did anything with that line.  The Nancy Bush color series was all right. 

I like the Psychic Eye series by Victoria Laurie--they aren't too suspenseful and are pretty funny. I also like the Yellow Rose series by Leann Sweeney and the Teddi Bayer series by Stevi Mittman. So far these are the only ones I've read.

I have C.S. Harris' first in my TBR pile...looking forward to it.

Earlene Fowler writes about a woman who runs a folk art museum that I love.

There's another series written by a woman who has since died about two southern sisters -- I'm straining for her name, dang it.  They are excellent.  Aunt Sister is one of the sisters.  I'll keep thinking.

And a series about a woman who owns an herb shop - jeez, I'm slipping today.  Can't remember anything.  These are great too. 

I'll ponder ....

This is great.   Writers I never heard of to go check out!  I did go ahead and request the Murder With Peacocks as there was one copy in the system. It sounds good.

I love Murder with Peacocks it is a wonderful story.

Shirley Rousseau Murphy's cat mysteries are good.

Also Joan Hess is another good mystery writer.

Victoria Laurie 's 2 series are both great! I read the Psychic Eye ones then the Ghost Hunters..both are good.

I also like Earlene Fowler's Benni Harper series and Stevi Mittman's that have been recommended.

also a single book that's cute is Leslie Lafoy's 'Grin and Bear It' a harlequin Next title. It was a light mystery but cute. anohter Next series that's mystery is the Maggie Skerritt ones..think they're by charlotte douglas..an older and much more serious woman in these.. a police detective then later a PI with her fiance. they're not 'cute' though like Victoria Laurie's or silly like Stevi Mittman's...oh, another good Next title is 'Never Happened'..wish it had continued but only the 1 story..

Sex, Murder and a Double Latte was good.  I don't know what it qualifies for genre-wise.  I don't remember there being any sex in it or much murder for that matter.  So it would work in the cozy genre.  It was about a writer who stumbles into a murder mystery.  I think there's another one after the book.  I want to say the author was Kyra Davis. 

I forgot about Kyra Davis! yep that was agood book and there are 2 others I think - I started the 3rd one but for some reason never got around to getting back to it..the 2nd one has some sex! but she's broke up with the guy again when the 3rd one starts so sex isnt' the focus...I tink it's considred 'chick lit' with a mystery..sorta like Meg Cabot's Heather Wells..there's another seeries by Jennifer somebody I think that has simple titles' the hunt' the key' etc that I've heard are good.only have 1 in my tbr pile but  never read any of them.

A lot of good ideas here.  Thanks, everyone.  I've got some ordered and thinking about some others.

I just remember 2 books that I think could count as "cozies" although they're technically romantic suspense.  Sex, Lies and Online Dating by Rachel Gibson.  She's a writer going on blind dates to research a book she's writing.  He's a cop trying to catch a serial killer picking off guys who set up blind dates through the internet.  But it's got a comedic aspect and it's not really a mystery. 

Mouth to Mouth by Erin McCarthy.  She's deaf and tries online dating.  He's a cop looking for a con man who targets rich lonely women. 

These might help your cozy fix. 

Also try Barbara Michaels.

Hmmm to me the Davis books are more of a Chick-Lit mystery which would be a type of cozy mystery but the heroines are usually more out spoken.  Jennifer Sturman does another mystery series similar to the Davis books. Ellen Byerrum does another series called Crimes of Fashion. They are hilarious!

When I think of cozy mysteries I think of Lillian Jackson Braun with her Cat Who mysteries. Or Diane Mott Davidson with her Goldy Bear Culinary mysteries. The hero or heroine is usually softer or old fashioned.

I think we angled towards these because she mentioned Meg Cabot's books and to me those are more c hick-lit/mystery than what I consider cozy..I also think of the cat who as cozies as well as the tea shop mysteries by laura childs..but so many cross over it seems that it's hard to narrow them down!

Just wanted to say thanks to Marilyn for the Murder by Peacocks suggestion.  Just finished reading that one and really enjoyed it.  I have the next few books in the series lined up now, but first I'm going to give the Southern Sisters a try.

ok had to order that one lOL!

I just read Them Bones by Carolyn Haines and thought it was very good.  There are 5 or 6 in the series so far. 

Also the Tucker Sinclair series by Patricia Smiley is good.  Three books so far.  I have the first one, False Profits, on my shelf in hardcover. 

I would also classify these as more Chick Lit Mystery.

I also loved Charlaine Harris' Shakespear and A Teagarden series.  Too bad she is not planning to write any more of those since her paranormal series are doing so well.  :(

yeh, everything's going paranormal now it seems like..not that I dislike paranormal but Ilike having the other stuff too..I enjoyed her shakespeare series once I got into it and understood Lily better.

Bronwyn, did you read any of the sisters?  I did love them.  And the Charlaine Harris Lily Bard series is another great suggestion -- I loved those too, but have not at all gotten into her paranormals, darn it.

I've read a couple of Lillian Jackson Braun's "The Cat Who..." books and thought they were cute but while I like mysteries I don't usually read cozies. I prefer a good nail-biter, or leave-the-lights-on kinda mystery (ya know, scary stuff). I did order a bunch of the Fear Familiar harlequin books a few weeks back (another cat-themed mystery series) but I dunno if these could be considered cozies.

Karen,

I read the first Sisters book, Murder On A Girls' Night Out.  Really enjoyed it.  I grew up in the south and I swear I knew some of those people, LOL.I just need to get with it and get some more ordered.  I understand that there are only eight in the series as the author passed away. 

I've read the Lily Bard series, well, more like inhaled it.  Except for Shakespeare's Christmas which I was not able to get. But a reprint is due out in November and I'm counting the days.  I was so sorry to see that that series had ended that I tried her Harper Connolly books.  I like them as much as the Lily Bard books, but they do have the paranormal element in them as the heroine is able to find dead people (after being struck by lightning as a teenager).  Only three books in the series so far but more to come I think since the ongoing mystery of her lost sister is not solved yet.  I'm hoping for several more books.  Have you tried them? They are very intense like the Lily Bard books.  I'm always surprised by how very much I like them because I'm not really into intense.

I tried the Sookie Stackhouse books ages ago and didn't care for them.  But now I'm so needing a Charlaine Harris fix that I'm trying them again and enjoying them more than the first time though the mysteries are my favorites.

Sarah, I've never tried the Braun books though I've noticed the interesting titles.  Maybe because I'm not a cat person.  Now if it was a dog. . ..

Which reminds me, has anyone read any of those with the dogs in them, I think the author's name is Berenson, Lorraine Berenson or something close to that?

edited for bad typing