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Let's talk about cozy mysteries for a minute. Brian A. Klems, the online editor of Writer’s Digest, defined cozy mysteries this way:
The cozy mystery (sometimes simply called a cozy) is a subgenre of crime fiction that gives readers a chance to delight in vicariously solving a murder—without graphic violence or sex. Protagonists are typically amateur (and usually female) sleuths solving small-town crimes with old-fashioned detective work rather than forensics. These unlikely heroes are often small-business owners who find themselves drawn into detection by crimes impacting their work; sometimes their investigative efforts are aided by a significant other with police connections.
As Klems mentioned in his July 2014 article, cozies are making a come back. If you're looking for somewhere to check out the latest cozies, you can pop in over at The Cozy Mystery List Blog. This blogger also talks about cozies on television.
Speaking of television, Netflix has been a great way for me to re-watch Murder, She Wrote; one of my favorite mystery series, which ran from 1984 - 1996. It featured Angela Lansbury as Jessica Fletcher, a former high school English teacher and famed mystery writer who has a knack for solving mysteries in her coastal home of Cabot Cove.
I've read some neat cozy mysteries in my time. Agatha Christie brought us Miss Marple. Stuart Palmer gave us Hildegarde Withers. Miss Maud Silver came to us by way of author Patricia Wentworth. In 2008, I read The Poetry of Murder by Bernadette Steele. I have never seen another book by this author, but I would love it if she came out with something new. Back in 2009, I read the first in a new Christian cozy mystery series, The Case of the Bouncing Grandma by A.K. Arenz. I have the second book, but haven't had a chance to read it yet. I hope 2015 allows me the time to at least crack the cover.
Do you read cozy mysteries? Who are some of your favorite cozy mystery authors?
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3 comments:
I do like how crime fiction has so many sub-genres now! I read a book originally published in 1983, Jill McGown's A Perfect Match which although isn't a complete fit for the genre certainly avoided any explicit violence - It's good that there is a wide range of books to pick from although you can't beat AC.
I love cozy mysteries! One of my favorites is the Passport To Peril series.
I like all types of mysteries but I'll admit that cozies haven't quite hooked me the way others have.
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