Cozying Up to a Cozy
Hey-ho, it’s Rey today. We’re still reviewing mysteries and I won, er, got the cozy! For those not in the know, yet, a cozy is like a traditional mystery, with a few differences.
It’s a popular sub-genre (my new word) where, basically, an amateur sleuth solves a murder or puzzler in a pleasant setting while learning a whack of interesting stuff. These mysteries often comprise a series and there’s usually a theme or profession—such as the world of gardening, publishing/writing (think Jessica Fletcher), cooking or baking, catering, and even, yeah, possibly, a detective agency. Our sleuth is an everyday kind of person, like you or me, who possesses good judgment (common sense) that [eventually] enables him or her to figure out who the perp is.
Besides having said sleuth and a bona-fide mystery to solve, a cozy will generally contain the following:
a “family” oriented approach, where swear words and sexual exploits are at a minimum, if at all
a degree of wit and fun or eccentricity, be it through the characters, dialogue, or events
a main character—the amateur sleuth—the reader can relate to or root for . . . an “everyday” someone (again like you and me) who, when faced with the challenges of the crime, accepts them and valiantly does his/her best to ensure the crime is solved
clues, which are revealed to the reader, as well as a few red herrings to provide those fun twists and turns while we’re guessing who did it
an unlikable victim, so we can’t really feel that remorseful that he or she gets axed, er, leaves this mortal coil
a smart cookie of a villain/killer, so our amateur sleuth is challenged, but not outwitted
murder committed behind the theater curtains, so to speak, so the reader doesn’t have to hear the nasty or gory details (or know who the murderer is)
a small-town or rustic setting (back to Jessica and quaint Cabot Cove) that makes for a picturesque, tranquil location.
[image error]Lastly, what makes a cozy a cozy? The title. They’re “cute”. Given Jessica is so well-known, still, here are some titles, Murder She Wrote . . .
Gin and Daggers
A Palette for Murder
Martinis and Mayhem (love it)
Highland Fling Murders
Murder in a Minor Key
You get the idea. Cozy titles are fun, whimsical, playful . . . like me.
