Cozy Mysteries discussion

A fun read yet I also like to learn something. I enjoy following the characters as they grow throughout a series.

I like the relationships that build over the series and the fact that I don't have to think too hard to enjoy them. I also like learning about a subculture that's different than my own.

Entertainment. Humor. The characters. I love following the characters' lives in a good series. You learn their personalities and quirks. I think their story is as important as the mystery. If written well, after a while they feel like old friends.

What a fun topic! Relaxation, of course, but I almost always learn something. I agree with the posters above, a lot of the pleasure comes from the development of relationships. Series characters become friends. And yes, there are those recipes. I still make Scout's Brownies from one of the early Goldy Schultz books - everyone still raves :)

What a great set of posts. Together they nail the purpose of the cozy--entertainment, escape, developing relationships, quirky info, humor. The list goes on. I strive for all of the above in my Murders by Design Series. Bottom line, cozies are fun to write and fun to read.

I read pretty much everything except erotica. For me, character is everything, so cozy mysteries are a natural home for me.

Yes, I love that about cozies--the emphasis on character development. You get to know the protag, as well as others, and they start to feel like family. At least in a series where the same people reoccur.

Jean wrote: "Yes, I love that about cozies--the emphasis on character development. You get to know the protag, as well as others, and they start to feel like family. At least in a series where the same people..."

Definitely. A good book for me, is when I get to the end and think, Oh no, I want to know what they did next.

Yup, Diana, I guess that's why series were invented.

Susan wrote: "Entertainment. Humor. The characters. I love following the characters' lives in a good series. You learn their personalities and quirks. I think their story is as important as the mystery. If writt..."

I like this, too. And when I'm feeling really stressed in real life, reading a cozy mystery is like watching "Murder, She Wrote." You know you can't take the murders seriously, the fun is in the whodunit and the sense of community that's created by some of the authors.

Oh God, thanks for saying that, Susan. You've nailed what I try to achieve in my own Murders by Design Series. It's the Florida ambiance, the fun, the whodunit and the life of my protag that make reaching the resolution--where the bad guys are outed--that are the books raison d'etre. To use a phrase from my student days!

Was craving chicken and dumplings, but I'm traveling. Then I thought, "oh, I have a new cozy!". Comfort food for the soul.

So well said. That's how it feels, warm, decadent and a reminder of home.

What seems missing in these answers is why read a mystery for the entertainment, humor, characters, etc. Why a mystery, not a romance or chick lit, or whatever...

Leslie wrote: "What seems missing in these answers is why read a mystery for the entertainment, humor, characters, etc. Why a mystery, not a romance or chick lit, or whatever..."

That's a really qood question, and I'm not sure I know, for me. Romances and chick lit leave me cold. Perhaps it's the unknown of trying to figure who did it. Or maybe it's the same human characteristic that makes us stare at car accidents. ;-)

Leslie wrote: "What seems missing in these answers is why read a mystery for the entertainment, humor, characters, etc. Why a mystery, not a romance or chick lit, or whatever..."

For me it's because I don't care much for romances or chick lit. I do, however, also enjoy a good UF or YA paranormal book!

Leslie wrote: "What seems missing in these answers is why read a mystery for the entertainment, humor, characters, etc. Why a mystery, not a romance or chick lit, or whatever..."

I don't think there is another genre that is as warm and upbeat as a cozy. Sure, there is conflict, but you are promised a good time while it resolves, and it always resolves and the MC always comes out ok.

I became a cozy mystery fan while working as a nurse. They're not gory or pumped up on kill thrills etc. I believe they really helped lower my mental stress.

Isn't it funny how a book about murder can be entertaining and uplifting at the same time? The first time I described my book to someone, I said it was a "happily ever after" murder story. They looked like I was crazy. ;-)

I used to read all kinds of mysteries, but I found that cozies entertain me and leave me feeling good. I read a mystery by a terrific writer that everyone was raving about at the time. When I put the book down I was depressed. Too many bad things happened to too many good people and the ending wasn't any better. There's so much drama in real life, it's nice to read a cozy and forget about it for at least a little while.

Agreed. I'm finding that about mysteries on television these days. They are often so depressing. I miss the Murder She Wrote days.

Tracy wrote: "Agreed. I'm finding that about mysteries on television these days. They are often so depressing. I miss the Murder She Wrote days."

Castle often times is pretty light-hearted and I really enjoy that one. Today's shows just seem way too graphic. I, too, miss the old mysteries on TV.

I like Castle too. I haven't seen all the seasons yet, but thanks for the reminder.

I love cozy mysteries because the story is really about the lives of the characters we grow to love but there is a fun murder to solve as well. I love the cozy feel of small towns and the fantastic food that many series bring.

Marja wrote: "I used to read all kinds of mysteries, but I found that cozies entertain me and leave me feeling good. I read a mystery by a terrific writer that everyone was raving about at the time. When I put t..."

I totally agree! For me, that is one major reason for reading cozies. I also like reading mysteries because I like good to triumph over bad so I strongly dislike mysteries in which the guilty party gets away with it (such as The Talented Mr. Ripley or many of the contemporary 'crime' novels).

Me too. Do you think that makes us old fashioned?

Tracy wrote: "Me too. Do you think that makes us old fashioned?"

Maybe, but I don't care :P

Tracy wrote: "Me too. Do you think that makes us old fashioned?"

No, not old-fashioned. I think it means we still enjoy life and we'd like to enjoy it in books, too. I much prefer something that makes me laugh or smile. Cozies leave so much room for humor.

I like mysteries, and cozy mysteries are the best. I especially like them in series because I like to follow the characters. They become almost like family. Well, sorta. That is, if family saw ghosts or baked cupcakes or fixed the toilets on big estates. So, okay, they aren't like my family, but I love them all just the same.

Colorful characters, interesting puzzles, and sometimes a little comedy.

Tracy wrote: "Agreed. I'm finding that about mysteries on television these days. They are often so depressing. I miss the Murder She Wrote days."

Well, but come on, it's MURDER. I mean, I understand why people read cozies, and I love "Murder, She Wrote," but the whole thing of taking murder and making it something comfortable, warm and fuzzy is a bit oxymoronic. I may be in the wrong group here. Mysteries are my favorite kinds of novels, but I'm not sure -- maybe it's not cozies, but just mysteries that are not overly graphic. :/ Might have to leave this group. Sorry.

Hope you don't leave the group over me! I wasn't meaning to make anyone feel bad or out of place. I can read about something without seeing all of the gory details. One of the things I love about cozies is that there is a sense of at least justice in the end. I don't like reading a book that makes me feel worse about myself and human nature when I'm done than when I started. I can watch the news for that. But I agree, it's an interesting part of human nature that we can read about murder but not want to be subjected to its very real ramifications.

Wendy wrote: "Well, but come on, it's MURDER. I mean, I understand why people read cozies, and I love "Murder, She Wrote," but the whole thing of taking murder and making it something comfortable, warm and fuzzy is a bit oxymoronic. I may be in the wrong group here..."

I don't actually want "warm and fuzzy", which is why I don't care for a lot of the current cozies. However, I do like a touch of humor such as Edmund Crispin has in his books. I think there are probably a lot of people in the group who would agree that what they are looking for is "not overly graphic".

Quite a few of the Golden Age police procedurals (and even some later ones) are not graphic - such as Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse series. Of course, these aren't cozies...

I go on cozy benders where I read a whole bunch, and the I go on to something else. I think humor and the familiarity that's created in a small town provide a nice counterpoint to the darkness of murder, and that's why they're satisfying. We get to experience a range of emotions and follow along as the main characters tries to solve the crime.

Leslie wrote: "Wendy wrote: "Well, but come on, it's MURDER. I mean, I understand why people read cozies, and I love "Murder, She Wrote," but the whole thing of taking murder and making it something comfortable, ..."

Ah, true! I also like Anne Perry - to an extent. Not cozies, not graphic, where do they fall in, do you think? And yeah, I've read and loved Edmund Crispin as well as Julian Symonds.

No, thank you, nice people, I won't leave this group! I guess sometimes I'm very picky and I like well-written books. I find too many cozies that are not well-written, or where the perpetrator is this almost-random person and the solution is unfulfilling. But sometimes I do like to read them anyway for the sense of community you find in them.

Does Sharan Newman's Catherine LeVendeur series count as cozy? I am really enjoying that one! :)

Wow there's Crispin's name again! I need to check into him.

Wendy, I also like the mysteries I read to be well-written. When the heroine does something that makes her "too dumb to live," I'm through. You know, like, taking a short cut through a dark alley where twenty people have been killed all ready. Or, if the solution needs three boat-loads of "suspension of disbelief" to swallow. Fortunately, there are lots of cozies and other mysteries that qualify.

I feel I get a lot out of a cozy. They have mystery, drama, humor, romance, and in my case cats! They really hook me in and make me want to read. Sometimes I even stay up late to get further into the story which if you know me I never do. I was never a big reader until I discovered cozies now I read like crazy.

Susan wrote: "I love reading cozies because they are such a fun escape. When life gets stressful, there is no better way to unwind than reading a cozy."

I totally agree, Susan!

Kirsten wrote: "I like that it's plot focused. It doesn't sell violence, sex or gore."

I totally agree, Kirsten! Cozies have plots and great characters and don't need the violence, sex, or gore.

Linda S. wrote: "A delicious sense of community, good will, and justice."

I love the communities. I want to live in all of the towns in my cozies despite all of the murders.

Sherry wrote: "A fun read yet I also like to learn something. I enjoy following the characters as they grow throughout a series."

I never really picked up a series before cozies and I have to say I love finding out what each of the characters are up to.

a mystery that is generally not violent and the sex is more implied. Totally escapism as others have said

A lot of people have mentioned the characters and character development...What is the quintessential cozy (or series) in terms of the characters?

I feel that Mysteries, and in particular Cozy Mysteries offer readers an intimate glimpse into the world of fictional crime: toned-down violence, blended with suspects and characters who we can either defend or convict, while offering a front-row seat in observing situations we will(hopefully)never experience. It is in a sense, escapism, but who hasn't been tempted to read the last pages of a particularly juicy Cozy Mystery to discover if we were really right...or wrong?

I like to as Hercule always said "Use the little grey cells". Trying to figure out who did it is what I like to do.I don't like books that lack clues, or tell you who did it atthe beginning.

For me the most important thing I read for is entertainment. Being a senior I like tokeep my mind busy, so I prefer books with a really good mystery. Something with lots of clues maybe a red herring or three, something that makes me have to think.

Cathy wrote: "Linda S. wrote: "A delicious sense of community, good will, and justice."

I love the communities. I want to live in all of the towns in my cozies despite all of the murders."

This hits the nail on the head for me, Linda and Cathy. I often choose cozies to read based on the settings, although of course they must also have interesting characters and well-plotted stories to hold me through. My favourite locales for cozies are small towns (I'm partial to New England) with a strong sense of history and local colour, and where there can be a tantalizing undercurrent of something sinister behind the picture-perfect facade.

I have a hunch that many cozy readers are drawn to the genre because of the idyllic settings, the attractions of an ideal "safe haven" sort of place -- notwithstanding the occasional murders!

For me the enjoyment comes from getting to know the amateur sleuth and following their progress through several books, hopefully. I also like to watch the development of the other charactors.