Tuesday, July 28, 2020

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Reasons I Like Cozy Mysteries



Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

This week is a freebie, so bloggers get to choose their topics. I chose this one because cozy mysteries have been a part of my life as long as I can remember. Here are the:

Top Ten Reasons I Like Cozy Mysteries

  • They give a voice to often overlooked people




Though Scooby Doo started off as a television series, my favorite mystery-solving pooch wound up with dozens of books. He and the "meddling kids" he calls his friends solve mystery after mystery with seemingly supernatural causes. These are cozy mysteries with teenage and dog antics and tons of humor. I'm still a fan of the Scooby gang.


The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew Mysteries are also from my younger years. These two series also featured teenagers, like its animated counterpart, Scooby Doo. Like other cozy mysteries, the boys live in a small city/town near the water. 

Both these series allow teenagers to shine, as they solve mysteries that often stump the adults.



Then there are cozy mysteries that feature senior sleuths. I haven't read a ton of Miss Marple, but I did read The Case of the Bouncing Grandma


  • They are set in neat places

Duffy Brown's Cycle Path Mystery series is set on Mackinac Island, a cozy resort town where everyone rides around on bicycles. 


Wouldn't you like to live in Cabot Cove, Maine, home to author and crime-solver Jessica Fletcher in the Murder, She Wrote series? 

  • They have tons of interesting themes




From herbs to magic and everything in between, new cozy mystery themes crop up all the time.

  • They have animal characters




Though cats and dogs seem to be the most popular, you'll even find horses, birds, and other animals in cozy mysteries.

  • The female sleuths really kick butt



No matter their ages, female sleuths know how to hold their hold and catch the bad guy. 

  • They lend themselves to series - which means plenty of reading material
  • They force you to pay close attention to the clues so you can figure out the killer
  • Many of their characters have everyday careers: librarian, real estate agent, psychologist, etc.
  • They often include quirky characters
  • They can be light/funny or serious

Do you enjoy cozy mysteries? What is your favorite cozy mystery? Are there other reasons you can think of to like cozies? 

12 comments:

Lydia said...

This is such a fun post. I enjoy cozy mysteries, too.

My TTT .

lissa said...

I love a cozy mystery now and then but I never could seem to solve any of the mysteries which I guess it's a good thing. All your reasons are my reason as well. I really that name 'Cycle Path', it's just sounds so quirky, they always have such fun names.

My TTT is here, some thoughts on romance books.

Have a lovely day.

Cheryl said...

Lydia, glad to have another cozy fan pay a visit today. Lissa, I'm not always good at solving the mystery, either. The Cycle Path mysteries are really fun. Hope you try them out.

Thanks for visiting!

Lectrice Vorace said...

Great idea for a topic! The Case of the Bouncing Grandma seems like an interesting story... Here's my TTT list this week.

Deanna @ A Novel Glimpse said...

Cozy mysteries are just so...cozy. What's not to love about them?

Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies said...

This is a great topic! I should probably read more cozies... the names and covers are always so intriguing!

Cheryl said...

Lectrice, Deanna, and Lisa thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoy some cozy mysteries soon.

jessicabookworm said...

I also love cosy mysteries, Cheryl! I haven't read any of these on your list, except other Agatha Christie and I loved the Scooby Doo cartoon when I was a kid. One of my favourite cosy mysteries is M.C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin series - If you haven't tried it, I highly recommend them. 🙂

Aj @ Read All The Things! said...

I should try more cozy mysteries. I read Nancy Drew as a kid and enjoyed them.

Aj @ Read All The Things!

Cheryl said...

Jessica, my MIL also enjoys M.C. Beaton. I will have to check out those books. Thanks for mentioning them.

Aj, I hope you get a chance to read more cozies.

RS said...

I've never really been able to get into cozy mysteries, which is an extra shame because so many of them feature animals, but I always think it's cool of people who do. This post gave me a better idea of their appeal.

Cheryl said...

Thanks, RS. Cozies are fun. Hope you'll give them a try.