Lisanne

I'm a huge mystery fan, have been since my teens. The mystery publishing industry has definitely glommed onto making series books about hobbies and interests.

I'm reading Kansas Troubles by Earlene Fowler right now. I first learned about her quilting-related mysteries from another thread on this board.

TammyD

My favorite book is the Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas. It is a story of friendship, making do, quilting and does have a mystery in it.

Lisanne

They generally fit into the sub-genre known as the cozy mystery, which is characterized by light, easy, comfortable reading. Blood and guts are defnitely minimal. The emphasis is on just hanging out with the characters, though some authors do manage to infuse some suspense and puzzle into the mystery itself.

Often, but not always, there is a romance element that spans the series. For example, the female amateur detective may meet a cop in the first book in the series, then get to know him over the next many books and eventually wind up with him. But the main story is the mystery, not the romance.