Welcome to the Cozy Mystery

For the longest time, I only read mystery books. 

Nancy Drew books were some of the first - their eye catching art motivating me to learn how to read. The logic was easy to follow and occasionally, I could solve the mystery before the big reveal. After Nancy Drew and Encyclopedia Brown, I jumped right into Agatha Christi. 

Agatha Christi is the Queen of mystery series. She wrote Hercule Poirot, "And Then There Were None", and of course, the little granny knitting away and catching murderers, Miss. Marple. My grandparents had a ton of Agatha Christi books for me to pick from. And when I went through all of those books, I started going through the other mystery series they had stacked up in the many different bookshelves scattered throughout their house. 

Eventually I found my way to "The Cat Who..." series by Lillian Jackson Braun. I loved how easy to read the books were and enjoyed the narration of the main character Jim Qwilleran and hearing about the antics of his two Siamese cats Koko and Yum Yum. 

It was this series that formerly introduced me to the Cozy Mystery genre and its many wonderful tropes. Since my family seems to be drawn to these types of stories, they are the books I most commonly read outside of school (even to this day). 

My latest venture into this genre was "A Margin for Murder" the 8th book in the Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery by Lauren Elliott. I'd say the book was fairly standard as far as Cozy Mystery Tropes are concerned, though not all of the big tropes were present. 

An alliteration for the title keeps it in the reader's memory better.

I most associate Cozy Mysteries with the following: 

• Amateur sleuth. Bonus points if this sleuth is a woman in her mid-30s (it seems to be the most popular main character right now in this genre)
• Romantic ties to law enforcement (either a new boyfriend/girlfriend or an ex). Could be a police officer, a government agent, or a lawyer. 
• A hobby that links the sleuth to the mystery. Bonus points for ties to writing, books, knitting, cooking, fashion, or home remodeling (can also be an occupation).
• The sleuth owns their own business or is a writer. I'm lumping these two together because this occupation allows for the main character to go off on adventures without risking their livelihood (at least too much). Typically these jobs are seen as quaint like tea room operators, fashion reporters, columnists, bookstore owners, or wedding planners. Home remodeling can be a hobby or an occupation. Bonus points for coffeeshop owners.
• An animal side kick. Typically this is a dog or a cat, but there was one book I read that included a bird as the cute animal companion. 
• Something to do with the paranormal or psychics. I've read series with witches, tarot readers, and psychics. Even "The Cat Who..." series had a cat that might have had some psychic abilities. Extra bonus points for ghosts and poltergeist activity.
• Small towns or cities - it wouldn't be a Cozy Mystery if everyone didn't know everyone else. That way there are plenty of local suspects as well as shifty out-of-towners to be vary of. Think Cabot Cove in "Murder She Wrote". The majority of "The Cat Who..." books take place in Mouse County which is "300 miles North of everywhere".

There are other tropes that I've noticed over the years. Cozy Mystery titles usually have some kind of pun that centers on the main character's occupation or hobby and the mystery at large. At some point the sleuth becomes a suspect. Or (my current least favorite) the too many boyfriends problem - and it's always boyfriends for a mid-30s super-sleuth. 

However many predictable tropes these series have or how complicated it can be solve the mystery (sometimes its really obvious and other times the author pulls one of Christi's famous last minute clues), I enjoy returning to the genre every so often. When I go into a Cozy Mystery, I expect all of those things (yes, even the too many boyfriend).

What keeps me coming back to the many series in this genre are the characters and how they interact with each other. 

Sometimes its a fun aunt/niece duo, other times its a pet causing all kinds of trouble, or it could be a bored retiree looking for a little excitement. The characters typically have a ton of friends with big personalities. The suspects are all distinct and memorable. And the murder victims sometimes deserve what's coming to them. 

With the Cozy Mystery market so saturated, it takes a lot to stand out in the crowd. I've noticed that more Cozy Mysteries are branching out into other subgenres. I've already mentioned the witches and paranormal angles, but historical fiction is equally becoming a popular subgenre to host a Cozy. 

Personally, I'd like to see more mixing genres for Cozies. Science Fiction Cozies could take place on a space station with plenty of locked room scenarios (there are actually a few Star Trek books that might count as Cozies in this example). Western Cozies could offer a new perspective on law enforcement in the wild west. Fantasy Cozies apparently already exist, but could you imagine the potential for Urban Fantasy Cozies like the "Dresden Files" meets Miss Marple? 

I'm not sure how horror might work as a Cozy subgenre, as a Cozy Mystery is supposed to be relaxing and not high-stakes, but I'm sure some ambitious author (not me) could make it work.

Have you guys read Cozy Mysteries and if so, what were some of your favorite series? Did your Cozies mix genres at all? What are some of your favorite tropes in the genre. Leave a comment and let me know.

Until next week. 

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