This being the month of Mother's Day, it seemed appropriate to talk about mothers in mysteries, whether they be main characters, the moms of main characters, or even mother in laws. One of my favorite moms in mysteries is Joan Hess'Claire Malloy. She's an unconventional, single mother of a teenager-which is enough of a mystery in itself. A favorite mother-in-law is Laurel Darling, Annie Lawrence Darling's mother-in-law in Carolyn Hart's Death On Demand series. Laurel is very eccentric and not at all your typical mother-in-law. She often causes conventional Annie a lot of concern as she seems to attract trouble and strange ideas, and yet she has also helped Annie solve a murder on more than one occasion and is a very intelligent and charming woman. A favorite mother of a main character would have to be the mother in Kris Neri's series. (a review of her latest book can be found on this site) If you're familiar with any of these series you can already tell I like unconventional and interesting mothers; perhaps because that's how I see myself as a mother. But whatever kind of mother you like best you can find in mysteries somewhere, as moms are very present in the mystery genre. Here is only a partial list of some of the many moms in mysteries:
Each listing is in the following order: AUTHOR MOM KIDS SERIES/BOOK 1. Jane Isenberg Bel Barret(main character) 2 grown children Bel Barret series-first book- THE "M"WORD 2. Leslie Meier Lucy Stone(main) 4 children MAIL ORDER MURDER-is the first in series 3. Marianne McDonal Dido Hoare(main) Baby named Ben series Jo Fluke Anna Swensen Todd(sister of main) Tracey-age 4 Hannah Swensen series-CHOCOLITE CHIP MURDER, STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE MURDER 4. Jill Churchill Jane Jeffry(main)widow 3 children-Mike, Katie, Todd Jane Jeffrey series 5. Jane Lane Walters Katherine Miller(main) mother & grandmother 1 grown child Katherine Miller series-MURDER AND MINT TEA, REQUIEM MURDER 6. Beth Anderson Claire Jenson(main) 2 children MURDER ONLINE 7. Elizabeth Peters Amelia Peabody(main) 1 child Amelia Peabody series 8. Naomi Rand Emma Price(main) ten year old first in series 9. Ayelet Waldman main character NURSERY CRIMES 10. Patricia Harrington Bridget O'Hern(main) 2 grown children First in series is DEATH STALKS THE KHMER 11. Marilyn Meridith Tempe Crabtree(main) Blair, a volunteer fireman Tempe Crabtree series-DEADLY OMEN & UNEQUALLY YOKED(you can find a review of this here on this site) 12. Jonnie Jacobs Kate Austen(main) Anna-4, Libby-16 Kate Austen series-MURDER AMONG NEIGHBORS, MURDER AMONG FRIENDS, MURDER AMONG US, MURDER AMONG STRANGERS
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