Cozy Mystery Corner discussion

What do you look for in a cozy mystery? What factors come into play as you finish reading and begin rating and reviewing your cozy?

Do you have any cozy mystery pet peeves?

I don't like cozies that get too silly, though I very much enjoy those with humor...and there is a big difference.

I look for the relationships between characters. The main characters are people (so to speak!) that I like being around.

Like Lynn, I like the relationships between characters. But I really love the small town settings. Picking up a cozy is like reuniting with old friends or visiting a favorite vacation spot.

Like you both, I really enjoy a cast of characters that I would like to become friends with, who work/hang out in a setting that seems fun to visit. When I read, I really like to imagine the entire setting. That being said, I also find it humorous with cozies that these little sweet settings are also the home to endless crime. :)

I think that is is very important that I like the characters and would want to get to know them. If don't connect to the main character I just cannot read the book.

I tried reading the Agatha Raisin series and really disliked Agatha. I tried reading a second book in the series but it just did not improve and the blurbs on some of the later books repulsed me (well that may be a bit strong).

In comparison I really love Daisy Dalrumple and especially the relationships that she has and love the setting. I love this series and have to ration myself reading the books as I know if I read more that a few books in a couple of months I can go off a series. I do not want that to happen.

I'm with LynnB, I don't like cozies to be silly. I want to be able to relate to the main character. The cozy mystery genre has very fuzzy lines these days and paranormal and other genres are encroaching.
Ann

I like to be able to relate and I don't mind when small little mishaps happen to the main character but there is one popular series that I cannot stand the main character. I knew it wasn't the series for me when I read the first book and kept hoping that the main character would get killed.

I too think some of them can be a little to silly. I also like when there is a cooking/store theme to them.

I have to like the character and find their life believable (within reason). Humor/snarkiness is usually a plus.

Peeves - I have several. Probably the main reason I got away from most cozies. I like some romance in the story, but when the character's romantic relationship/sexual tension takes over the story, I start to lose interest. I also get annoyed when the heroine's big boobs start becoming part of the story.

I enjoy some psychic abilities. It's fun to see theses abilities used in their everyday lives and in solving crimes. Ghosts are fun too, but authors can go overboard. Jitty in Carolyn Haines's Sarah Booth Delaney series is great. The ones in Ghost Ship by P.J. Alderman drove me crazy.

The real biggie - a series where the amateur slueth continues to make the same mistakes, and nothing ever changes. It's like their lives and surroundings are in a bubble. The books become interchangeable.

Hettie wrote: "I think that is is very important that I like the characters and would want to get to know them. If don't connect to the main character I just cannot read the book.

I tried reading the Agatha Rai..."

I agree!!! I tried to read The Quiche of Death, and just could not get into it. I did not like Agatha Raisin at all, and don't plan on working through the series. I was disappointed because I had heard so much about this series :(

A cozy to me is a fun read. A little laughter (even the LOL kind is fun), characters that keep bumping into each other, and a small town that doesn't seem too small. I enjoy reading cozies because I don't have to think too much and pay attention. I like to be entertained in a cozy. A mystery that moves along, and doesn't get to bogged down in detail.

I read mysteries to solve the puzzle - trying to figure out 'who-done-it'. Cozies appeal because the focus is on the characters, the setting and the mystery. The murder is mostly 'off-stage' - no graphic description of the killing or the body. In series, I like to see characters develop and have lives that evolve. It makes them more realistic when they deal with relationships, family, friends, work, etc. but I don't want this subplot to overtake the mystery itself.

Pamela wrote: "Hettie wrote: "I think that is is very important that I like the characters and would want to get to know them. If don't connect to the main character I just cannot read the book.

I tried reading..."

I LOVE Agatha Raisin! She's a breath of fresh air amid the saccharine sweet protagonists some cozies lapse into. Plus I like having a woman who's a curmudgeon. Her character is a blend of arrogance and insecurity. Some of her antics are LOL. And the mysteries are good too.

Nell wrote: "I read mysteries to solve the puzzle - trying to figure out 'who-done-it'. Cozies appeal because the focus is on the characters, the setting and the mystery. The murder is mostly 'off-stage' - no..."

You said it perfectly, especially the last part of the last line.

Nell wrote: "In series, I like to see characters develop and have lives that evolve. It makes them more realistic when they deal with relationships, family, friends, work, etc. but I don't want this subplot to overtake the mystery itself."

Yes!!

A cozy without its quirky characters and interesting settings wouldn´t work. I think, as in any genre, an author has to have some kind of natural talent of telling a good story or it wont do it for me.
Which are the most boring and badly written cozies you´ve ever read?

My cozy pet peeve is when characters put themselves into dangerous situations for no good reason. If characters have believable motivations, I'll follow them anywhere. I had to give up one cleverly written series with fun characters because I just couldn't believe that the main character would do the things that she was doing.

Kristin wrote: "My cozy pet peeve is when characters put themselves into dangerous situations for no good reason. If characters have believable motivations, I'll follow them anywhere. I had to give up one cleverl..."

I hate when that happens. There are several series that I quit in the middle of a book because I got so irritated with something they did.


Anita, I'm 53 and I've read a lot of cozies, so I know what I like. I've become more selective now (ok, downright picky is more accurate), and don't spend much time on books I don't like. There have been a few I really hated, but I can't think of them offhand - not worth using brain cells, I guess.

Anita wrote: "...Which are the most boring and badly written cozies you´ve ever read?"

The worse one I read last year was a free download to my Kindle - Invisible by Lorena McCourtney. I want the story to make sense and this one did not in many ways. The writing was stilted; the main character's actions inconsistent with what she claimed to believe. I will not read any others in this series.

My biggest pet peeve is when an author uses many characters and doesn't develop any of them very well. I hate stories that begin with a cast of characters page. I usually don't even get past that page. I know that I am going to be confused by the 20th page. Like Anita, I am picky. I know what I like. If I cannot get into the story by the first thirty pages, I am done. I also like a little romance with my mysteries.

Jaxnsmom, It´s ok to be picky, especially with a bulk of writers out there. Sometimes it feels that many characters and plots in stories are glued together. I read in some book that writers should never underestimate their target groups; no matter what genre. I guess its true. We are the biggest critics and if the story, writing, tone doesn¨t make sense -goodbye then.

Julia, page 30 seems to be the crucial point where you decide whether it¨s worth your time or not.

Nell, thanks for the warning.

Julia wrote: "My biggest pet peeve is when an author uses many characters and doesn't develop any of them very well. I hate stories that begin with a cast of characters page. I usually don't even get past that p..."

On the other hand, I like a cast of characters page. It's helpful when the story is set in a village or on an estate. The author's one or two sentence description of a character can be pithy and amusing. I expect the main characters to be developed but when there aren't enough characters, there aren't enough suspects.
Tastes vary, lucky for authors.

btw - Agatha Christie often had a cast list in her mysteries.

They don't do this much anymore, but when I'm in a bookstore looking at a mystery, if there's a map or a floor plan in the front, I tend to buy it.

I think that a cast of characters page can be nice in a series for a quick reminder on who is who.

I enjoy a character who comes across smart but can be funny. I like an assortment of friends and neighbors and I like that most cozies have a specific theme going on (jobs, hobbies etc)

Evelyn, you will enjoy Josi Kilpack culinary cozies. I read book #5 first and then found books 1 and 3. I just finished one. She includes recipes in her books. The best thing is, the heroine is not some skinny minnie 20 something year old. She's 56, a little on the large side and a widow with two grown children. So read them if you get the chance.

Thanks for this recommendation! I am only familiar with the Goldy Bear culinary cozies and I do enjoy them.

I like Cozies because I like the people in them. If I don't like the people, I don't continue to read...

Brenda wrote: "Evelyn, you will enjoy Josi Kilpack culinary cozies. I read book #5 first and then found books 1 and 3. I just finished one. She includes recipes in her books. The best thing is, the heroine is ..."

I have Lemon Tart on my tbr. Sounds like I should move it up the list.

Joyce wrote: "They don't do this much anymore, but when I'm in a bookstore looking at a mystery, if there's a map or a floor plan in the front, I tend to buy it."

The Jessica Beck Donut Shop series has a map if the town in the front of all her books :)

Pamela wrote: "Hettie wrote: "I think that is is very important that I like the characters and would want to get to know them. If don't connect to the main character I just cannot read the book.

I tried reading..."

I tried Agatha Raisin twice before I got bored one summer and read them all. My mom really likes her, which probably helped. I grew to enjoy her. The books are now moving on and letting Agatha grow a little bit. In the early part of the series, she was one who continued to do the same dumb things over and over and over. Now she's hired some people and that helps break up the Agatha overkill.

The biggest reason I like cozy mysteries is because I do not want to read graphic details of bizarre murders, extreme cruelty and sexual horror. That's it in a nutshell. So much of what it is murder mysteries is like a spec sheet for how to kill someone. It completely ruins the rest of the book for me.

I also enjoy the books set in the U.K and Ireland. I enjoy dreary, rainy days following a murder. I also like period cozies where the staff of an English manor solve the crime or the housekeeper of the chief constable figures it all out.

Rebecca wrote: "Joyce wrote: "They don't do this much anymore, but when I'm in a bookstore looking at a mystery, if there's a map or a floor plan in the front, I tend to buy it."

The Jessica Beck Donut Shop serie..."

Have you tried Mary Roberts Rinehart? She is a master of mysteries and she liked to include floorplans - they were often central to her stories.

Caron wrote: "Rebecca wrote: "Joyce wrote: "They don't do this much anymore, but when I'm in a bookstore looking at a mystery, if there's a map or a floor plan in the front, I tend to buy it."

The Jessica Beck ..."

No I haven't but I will definitely look for her next time I'm at the library or the bookstore I always enjoy finding new authors :)

Rebecca wrote: "Caron wrote: "Rebecca wrote: "Joyce wrote: "They don't do this much anymore, but when I'm in a bookstore looking at a mystery, if there's a map or a floor plan in the front, I tend to buy it."

The..."

Go to this link and search for the word "floor" to discover how she uses architecture in her mysteries: http://mikegrost.com/rinehart.htm

The good news is that you can find a lot of her work for free for Nook and Kindle. I've been a fan for many years and have enjoyed things I hadn't previously read along with rereading her collection.

Caron wrote: "Rebecca wrote: "Caron wrote: "Rebecca wrote: "Joyce wrote: "They don't do this much anymore, but when I'm in a bookstore looking at a mystery, if there's a map or a floor plan in the front, I tend ..."

Thank you for the link I will check it out ..I will also search my kindle and see if I can find some of her work!

I like knowing that the main character is going to be safe and in the end he or she is going to get the baddie! I also like the small town atmosphere. The Jessica Beck series is quite good.

Evelyn wrote: "I enjoy a character who comes across smart but can be funny. I like an assortment of friends and neighbors and I like that most cozies have a specific theme going on (jobs, hobbies etc)"

Evelyn, I also like the main character (esp. if it's a woman) to be a little intelligent/ intuitive and likable. I love Stephanie Plum but at times I wonder if she is EVER going to learn from her past mistakes. A good plot and plenty of witty humor, low/med on the "romantic heat" scale and prefer "light language" (if any )And feel good endings are a must. That makes a good cozy for me..Evelyn, you may like the one that I recently finished. "Buying Time". I believe you would like the lead character, Aspen Moore. If you try it, let me know what you think of Aspen.

Rhea wrote: "I like knowing that the main character is going to be safe and in the end he or she is going to get the baddie! I also like the small town atmosphere. The Jessica Beck series is quite good."

Love this series..just finished Tragic Toppings ..Killer Crullers is on tap for the weekend

Caron wrote: "The biggest reason I like cozy mysteries is because I do not want to read graphic details of bizarre murders, extreme cruelty and sexual horror. That's it in a nutshell. So much of what it is murde..."

I know what you mean Caron. I finished this week, and although it was good, it reminded me why I don't care for thriller mysteries anymore. I can do without grisly murders and serial killers. I think I used to enjoy them because they were more like really scary bedtime stories, but now they've moved to the nightly news. It's no fun reading these gruesome books as fiction when many have become a reality.

Give me a cozy where there's a less traumatic ending, and I can keep my hope for humanity alive.

Caron wrote: "I also enjoy the books set in the U.K and Ireland. I enjoy dreary, rainy days following a murder. I also like period cozies where the staff of an English manor solve the crime or the housekeeper of the chief constable figures it all out. ."

Have you ever read Murder on Monday by Ann Purser? I like that series because the main character is a little different from your average cozy heroine, a little more rough around the edges with an interesting backstory.

No, I'll give it a shot. Thanks, Stitchywoman.

I haven't read a whole lot of cozies, but the ones that I have read have all been really different. I read cozies because they are an escape and usually an easy read. I also like the small town atmosphere and learning new things as I read (such as about coffee for the coffeehouse mysteries or gardening tips for the gardening mysteries, etc). I also enjoy trying to solve the puzzle that is the main part of the story.

I agree with Susan on all points. I also like thrillers and suspense, but I get really tired of protagonists who have severe personal problems, alcoholism being the favorite of authors at the moment. As a protagonist, I prefer a basically well-balanced if somewhat quirky person who finds themselves in a situation that throws everything around them out of balance. I think that shows in my own writing, too.

The characters! I, too, like reading about characters I'd like to know or characters I can relate to. Though I love the mysteries (and puzzles and recipes and craft patterns, etc.), they are secondary to following the lives of the characters. (I always liken it to watching a soap opera.)

I have to admit I tend to stick with series I don't particularly like because I've started them and "know" the characters and writing, especially if I've read more two or three in the series. They make for fast reads. Plus, I'm always hopeful that they'll get better making the time I've put in them not wasted---though, in the end, I guess if they make me appreciate good characters and writing it's not wasted.

I do like non-cozy mysteries, suspense, and thrillers, but don't read as many as I used to for the same reasons many of you mentioned. I tend to stick to authors I've read in the past. If I'm passed books with authors I haven't read, I may give them a try if the stories look interesting. Funny... for non-cozies, it usually comes down to the writing and the story-crafting rather than the characters unless it's serial characters I'm following. So, I read books like Lawrence Block's Matt Scudder, Evan Tanner, and Keller series and Marcia Muller's Sharon McCone series, which aren't really "cozies," unless cozies encompass serial characters, dark or light. (Block's Burglar series, to me, is a cozy and a very good one!)

Karen - I love Marcia Muller's Sharon McCone series! I always look forward to a new one. It amazes me that for a series this old (35 years), the writing stays fresh, and I think the series is better than ever.

jaxnsmom wrote: "I love Marcia Muller's Sharon McCone series! I always look forward to a new one. It amazes me that for a series this old (35 years), the writing stays fresh, and I think the series is better than ever."

I totally agree. I never thought about it being that old, by the way. I got the first few from Half-Price Books and just kept going. Though some are better than others, I haven't been bored or have gotten tired of the stories or the characters. This is what I like about cozies---characters that grow and change as the years go by. As long as they stay fresh, I don't care how old the series gets.

That seems to the built-in dilemma for cozies. How can a cozy sleuth grow as a person and still remain an amateur? I think that's part of the reason some authors start a new series before the current one gets stale. What's that old saying - "Get out while you're on top, always leave them wanting more."

To me, a cozy is a combination of chick lit romance and murder mystery. If done right, a cozy makes me giggle along with the protagonist and keeps me guessing "whodunnit".

I like it when I can live vicariously through the protagonist (who often appears to have a much less stressful life). It's sort of like role-playing. :)

Flora wrote: "To me, a cozy is a combination of chick lit romance and murder mystery. If done right, a cozy makes me giggle along with the protagonist and keeps me guessing "whodunnit".

I like it when I can liv..."

And their jobs are really fun, or don't get in the way of their life, especially not the sleuthing :~)

I like it when the protagonist develops...that she/he learns as they go along. If they keep making stupid mistakes over and over it doesn't work. They have to change.

The first thing I look for in a cozy is a theme/subject matter that I am interested in - then whether I can get lost in the book or not.

My pet peeve - I don't seem to read a lot of them that have unbelievable things in them - i.e. talking animals and such but that is changing.