What is a cozy mystery and what does that sub-genre have to offer?
Cozy: comfortable and pleasant; homey (Cambridge Dictionary)
Mystery: something strange, unknown, that has not been explained yet (Cambridge Dictionary)
With this in mind, could we think that this genre is just some mystery book with a homey feeling? Yes, and not quite.
Much like regular mystery books where there is a character (or group of characters) that tries to solve a case, cozy mysteries (or cozies, as some readers call them) are characterized by the protagonist being someone with a career or hobby that is not involved in law enforcement and tends to take place in a small picturesque town. They usually have ties to law enforcement, such as a sibling, close friend, or even a romantic partner. The main character tends to find the victim of a crime, or notices clues that point at something being off about a case, and is usually asked by other members of their tight-knit community to solve the case in order to clear up someone else's name (or sometimes even their own name!).
Something that plays a huge role in cozy mysteries is the lack of gory details and the fact that the romance sub-plots do not become central to the storyline. Blood splatters, wounds, and all the nitty-gritty parts are not overly descriptive. If there is romance, it is briefly mentioned or kept to the minimum; a short kiss description, hand holding, dates are casually mentioned, and such. The usual point of a cozy mystery is that, while there is a case to solve, the atmosphere is relaxing and friendly for most of the book.
I think these are the perfect books for readers who want to read a "whodunit" but keep their sanity from the grips of a thriller or the nightmare inducing descriptions in some crime/mystery books. Yes, I've gotten nightmares from a mystery, boo hoo-hoo.
The sub-genres of cozy mysteries have so much variety!
There are cozies involving the culinary field, where the sleuth is a pastry or food chef, their family owns a restaurant, or sometimes they are just foodies that get involved in solving a crime:
Note: This is not sponsored! These are just recommendations. Some of the pictures included in this blog post are not mine.
While others involve characters that love to craft, from needlepoint to sewing to scrapbooking. There is so much to choose from:
How about cozy mysteries about books? We've come full circle.
There are some unique cozies that have their own niche, such as Connie Di Marco's Zodiac Mystery series, and Ellery Adams' Hope Street Church Mystery series. I have read these and strongly recommend them.
Have you read any of these cozy mysteries or do you have them in your TBR? I'd love to know!
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