The crime solver is an amateur sleuth, usually a woman, who is thrust into the aftermath of the murder. It’s possible that she or a friend discovers the body; perhaps a relative or dear friend is accused of the murder; or the victim is someone the amateur sleuth knows and the circumstance of murder arouses her curiosity which is another key component of the cozy mystery. Imbued with an innate nosiness, the amateur sleuth is not above snooping and actively seeks out gossip for any nugget of a clue it may provide. She persistently asks questions that she has no business asking, and generally doesn’t stop until she gets an answer.
Because the sleuth is not a cop, sheriff, medical examiner, or district attorney with access to information about the murder, she often has a friend or relative who works in one of those jobs and will share information, although it may take some badgering by the amateur sleuth to make the information flow.
And finally we come to the thing that draws me back to cozy mysteries time and again—the setting. Although a few cozies are set in larger cities or towns, in most the activity takes place in villages or hamlets, where people know their neighbors and individual quirkiness is not only accepted but often celebrated. The one commonality of all cozy settings is that if I was suddenly spirited out of my recliner and into the pages of the book, I always think I’d be delighted to live there, be it the small town of Elderberry, Georgia, setting for Miss Dimple Rallies to the Cause or Llaneden, Wales, the home of Canadian ex-pat Penny Brannigan in A Killer’s Christmas in Wales.
And if you’d like to see a modern day version of the English cozy mystery, you need only to check the schedule of your local television Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) for the charming series, Rosemary and Thyme, with its lush gardening theme.
So, dear mystery reader, if you are in need of an easily kept New Year Resolution, I’ve got one for you. “I firmly resolve to read a cozy mystery or two in the beginning of 2012.” Do that and I guarantee that you’ll be reading cozies regularly long before 2013 commences.
cozy china image via Janet Rudolph
According to Terrie, writing short mystery fiction is nearly as much fun as hanging out with any or all of her seven grandchildren. She is editor of the recently released Sisters in Crime New York/TriState chapter anthology, Murder New York Style: Fresh Slices and blogs at Women of Mystery.
Great post Terrie. I love cozies and haven’t read one in awhile. Reading your blog post reminded me of all the things that draw me to these lighter mysteries. I think I need to pick one up very soon.
Great post Terrie and I agree on it all. I usually do a cozy every other book. But if real life is busy or complicated, I’ll do them back to back b/c they’re familiar and comfortable.
One of the things I love about cozy mysteries is that they lend themselves so well to humor. It makes my day when one of my readers says that he laughed out loud.
@Kerry, I am so glad that I could remind you of all that cozy mysteries have to offer. @Kim, what a fabulous idea, matching your reading material to what is going on in your life. @Karla, and it makes my day to find that your protagonist is an over fifty woman. (Many of my favorite protags are!)
Great post Terrie!
The chocolate chip cookie mystery cover made me want to make chocolate chip cookies so I could eat them while reading cozies…
Those cooking mysteries can really sink a diet. Glad you enjoyed the post.
Great explanation about the differences between a cozy and other mysterious elements.
Thank you Sunnymay. I enjoy many types of mysteries but I must admit that cozies hold a special place in my heart, er, library.
I have to tell you I had a friend asked me what the definition of a cozy was and it was really handy to point them to this post.
That’s why I love Criminal Element. There is such good information here, I have more than once sent a friend to CE when they are looking for info on a specific book, author, tv show,movie, type of mystery, etc. CE is the most eclectic site around. AND–new stuff every day.
Cozy mystery (or cozy mystery, in British English) is the kindest subset of the broad type of crime writing. As its name advises, it’s security read that greeneries you happy and at one with the earth, rather than fearful to sleep alone with the beams out. These terms apply to cozies as a whole.
Thank you British Essay writers for your lovely description of cozy mysteries.
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