Cozy Mysteries: How Small Towns Chip in to Find the Killer

by Elizabeth Spann Craig, @elizabethscraig

Cozy mysteries have a host of different settings, but one of the most popular, for writers as well as readers, is the small-town setting. It's fun to have this really insular environment where everyone knows everyone else…and then have one of those well-known residents be the local killer.

Another cool aspect of small town settings for cozies is the dynamic where the town itself sort of chips in to unmask the killer. Here are a few ways that happens:

How Small-Town Residents Collaborate with Cozy Sleuths

A common goal.  With small-town cozies, you start with this idyllic locale. Then something terrible happens (or two something terribles happen) and everything becomes cloudy. All the residents want is for their idyll to be restored. Everyone is gung-ho to get rid of the person who's created this problem.

Residents supply backstory and context. If the sleuth wasn't well-acquainted with the victim, the residents are more than delighted to fill her in. Whether it's at the salon, in the diner, or at the grocery store, residents of small towns are happy to offer context for the killing and help compile a list of likely suspects.

Gossip provides clues. Not only are residents filling in backstory on the victim, they're also giving information about all kinds of things: overheard arguments, observed assignations, and phone calls they've eavesdropped on while in the post office line.

Gossip provides red herrings. Small town residents can also supply your cozy mystery novel with more complexity and length by sending your sleuth out in the wrong direction and after the wrong people. Because gossip isn't always true…and even if it is true, someone who had an argument with the victim didn't necessarily murder .

Lots of eyes, ears, and general nosiness. With the common goal mentioned above, the small town in your cozy is on high alert. Everyone is offering their own ideas, poking their nose into everyone else's business, and delving into others' secrets. It's a recipe for drama, or at least some subplots.

Alibis can be tricky. If a suspect wasn't at home with his wife, where was he? With neighbors on the lookout and small business owners happy to dispute erroneous accounts, suspects are going to have a tough time offering a foolproof alibi.

Do you write small-town settings? Read them? What aspects about small-town life do you find appealing?

How Small-Town Residents Collaborate with Cozy Sleuths:
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