We recently looked at Agatha Christie and her writing style and how she generally followed the rules from the Golden Age of Mysteries. Christie was definitely part of the Golden Age, but she is also listed as one of the prime examples of \u201cCozy\u201d mysteries. \u00a0So what is a Cozy mystery?<\/p>\n
Cozy mysteries or \u201cCozies\u201d first appeared in the late 20th<\/sup> century to revitalize some of the elements of the Golden Age mysteries. And many of today\u2019s popular mysteries fall into the category of a Cozy. It\u2019s one of my favorite categories and the mystery I\u2019m writing is also a Cozy. What are the characteristics of this type of mystery?<\/p>\n First, just as with a Golden Age Mysteries all clues must be presented so the reader\u00a0has a fair and equal opportunity to solve the crime. There can be the usual assortment of red herrings, but the true clues must all be presented and available for the reader to use to find the solution.<\/p>\n Cozies are often called \u201cbloodless\u201d crimes because violence, blood and gory facts are not described in detail. In many cases the body is discovered by someone other than the detective and it\u2019s after the discovery of the body that the detective gets involved. For instance Miss Marple in Christie\u2019s The Mirror Crack\u2019d from Side to Side<\/em> is at home with a foot injury when the murder occurs. It\u2019s the other characters in the story who described the crime and bring Miss Marple the information she\u00a0needs to solve the murder.<\/p>\n Small town atmosphere is another important element of a Cozy. In Atherton\u2019s Aunt Dimity series, Lori Shepherd does her sleuthing in and around the small English village of Finch. As readers\u00a0we learn the customs of the village and get to see the interactions between the residents and possible suspects. Sometimes the antics of village life can be a distraction, but nestled in the daily happenings are the clues.<\/p>\n What are the characteristics of the typical crime solver in a Cozy. The detective is an amateur and most often a woman. Since the detective is\u00a0an amateur\u00a0they have other professions or interests such as\u00a0inn keeper, shop owner, caterer, professor\u00a0or reporter. Frequently, it is their business\/profession that is adversely affected by the murder and that is their motivation to solve the crime. For Instance in JoAnna Carl\u2019s The Chocolate Cat Caper<\/em>, Lee McKinney has to protect her Aunt\u2019s chocolate business when a high profile lawyer dies after eating one of her aunt\u2019s chocolates that is laced with cyanide. Cozy detectives just like McKinney are on the scene and know the participants and therefore are the ones most likely to find the culprit.\u00a0 Plus, Cozies often center on\u00a0popular subjects\u00a0such as cooking, antiques, chocolate, coffee, wine, art, pets and books to name a few.<\/p>\n Cozies, unlike the Golden Age mysteries allow romance in the story. However, the romance is never described in explicit detail. Plus, it cannot interfere with and must be secondary to solving the crime. Goldy Schulz has her Tom and Jim Qwilleran has his Polly, but these relationships assist rather than\u00a0hinder the\u00a0solving of the mystery.<\/p>\n Here are some other features common to Cozies:<\/p>\n Cozies are comfortable especially on those days when we want to curl up with a good I\u2019m sure there are many Cozy titles on your mystery book list that you can\u2019t wait to read.\u00a0 In fact today is one of those days when I’m going\u00a0to curl up with a good Cozy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We recently looked at Agatha Christie and her writing style and how she generally followed the rules from the Golden Age of Mysteries. Christie was definitely part of the Golden Age, but she is also listed as one of the … Continue reading \n
\nbook. We won\u2019t be scared or horrified by the gory details, but we will be challenged by a\u00a0first-rate puzzle to solve. And at the end of the book we will feel good because the crime has been solved and justice prevails.<\/p>\n