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What is the most compelling reason to stop reading a cozy mystery series?
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Ramla Zareen
(last edited Oct 01, 2024 12:50AM)
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Mar 04, 2015 03:46PM
What is the most compelling reason to stop reading a cozy mystery series?
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I will stop reading a cozy mystery if there is too much profanity, or if the writer does something to throw the reader out of the stiory, as in comments in parentheses, which I've encountered lately.
if the cozy I am reading does not grab my interest by making the characters people I can care about and /or make them appear stupid . I am done with that book
Sometimes in a series there is too much emphasis on the main character and the stories become formulaic and then just boring.
Bad writing or authors who are clearly phoning it in because they're bored with their characters will do it for me. I got that phoned in feeling with the last couple of Goldy Bear books I read. Characters who are too cutesy or stories that are loaded with cutesy kids also definitely turn me off on a book. I'm also willing to suspend disbelief to a point, but when a character is constantly pulling TSTL stunts I'm also done with a book. Profanity doesn't bother me at all. Never has. I also like hard-boiled mysteries, thrillers, urban fantasy and even some well-written erotica. In those genres I expect more gruesome details, weirdness and graphic sex. When I'm reading a cozy, I don't expect those things. If they came up in one I would definitely be taken aback, but depending on context, it wouldn't make me stop reading.
^^ What Melodie said.Except there was one series I did stop reading because of profanity - it was stupidly excessive and used words even *I* find offensive and my vocabulary is pretty colourful.
Most of the time I stop reading because I find I just don't care at all about any of the characters, or the writing/characters are juvenile. I've also stopped at least one series because I started to hope the MC would be the next victim.
If the cozy is boring, I won't continue. Life is too short. I love cozies where I get involved in the character's lives; I want to know what they are up to. The writing has to be descriptive so I can picture everything. And something thrilling has to happen. And the writing needs to be witty. I don't want to read cookie cutter mysteries.
❂ Jennifer (reviews on BookLikes) wrote: "^^ What Melodie said.Except there was one series I did stop reading because of profanity - it was stupidly excessive and used words even *I* find offensive and my vocabulary is pretty colourful.
..."
I love it! "I started to hope the MC would be the next victim."
Boredom is one reason for not continuing a series. The second is profanity and the third is too much violence. I only read one book by Sarah Graves and it was so violent that I haven't read another.
I forgot one biggie for me! Animals being hurt or abused. That will make me put down a book quicker than anything.
There are sometimes where I will just read a couple of books and I won't be in the mood for reading for a while. However, if we're talking specifically about a cozy mystery it may have to do with how creative the crimes continue to be. Do they still keep me guessing or has the author given me enough clues that I already know who the murderer is? Is the main character evolving or staying the same? Things along those nature tend to have an influence on me.
Melodie wrote: "I forgot one biggie for me! Animals being hurt or abused. That will make me put down a book quicker than anything."If an animal is hurt or the main character really dislikes animals (not a device to being an animal lover), I stop reading not just the series but all of the author's books under any name. That book barely rates 1 star.
When the author gets on a soapbox to promote a point of view on some political or ethical issue. I'd rather see him/her use the story to show how that issue impacts the lives of the characters and let the reader make up her/his own mind.
Melodie wrote: "I forgot one biggie for me! Animals being hurt or abused. That will make me put down a book quicker than anything."Oh geez, yes!! That is a deal breaker for me. I stopped reading Calamity Jane because of a scene with a cat. The cat ended up being fine, but I just couldn't get past it. I also stopped reading another series after the first book, because the whole sub-plot about dogs just bothered me.
Gabrielle wrote: "There are sometimes where I will just read a couple of books and I won't be in the mood for reading for a while. However, if we're talking specifically about a cozy mystery it may have to do with h..."I agree. I get impatient if I've already figured it out. That said, there are some series that keep me going regardless because I enjoy the visit with the ongoing characters.
Melodie wrote: "Bad writing or authors who are clearly phoning it in because they're bored with their characters will do it for me. I got that phoned in feeling with the last couple of Goldy Bear books I read. Cha..."I agree. Some series have just gone on too long. If there aren't enough changes in the main, or ongoing, characters, it's hard to keep interest. To me, anyway, it can't be all about the mystery. It has to be about the regular cast of characters as well.
Beth wrote: "When the author gets on a soapbox to promote a point of view on some political or ethical issue. I'd rather see him/her use the story to show how that issue impacts the lives of the characters and ..."I haven't seen that in a cozy. But... I agree it has zero place in a story of any kind. If you want to advocate, write an essay or a nonfiction book!
It would take a lot to make me stop reading a series once I've started it. I try to be careful when choosing books to begin with, but if I get stuck with a dog, I leave it on the TBR list (I just may not get back to it for a while :o)).I find reading cozy series like watching Days of Our Lives, which I've watched since I was a kid. There are times it's really good and times it's boring, but I keep up with it to see what's happening with the characters. I don't watch it daily, but see weekly summaries. I have a friend who watches and keeps me up to date now and then.
When a series I read gets boring for whatever reason, I keep reading it to keep up with what's happening with the characters. I find that when the books become too formulaic and repetitive I can read them faster (the same way I fast-forward through recorded programs).
Lately, the only thing holding up series reading is when new additions to the series are available as e-books only. I don't really buy e-books unless they're favorite authors and super cheap. That doesn't happen a lot with mainstream authors, but it does happen. I download a lot of e-freebies that are starts or parts of series. I find it easier to back-burner those, but do check for other freebie offerings in those series. If I really like their writing I they're TBRed and check the library.
The good thing is that I have a Nook and am near a Barnes and Noble store. They allow an hour of free Nook reading per day in their stores. I see it like borrowing from the library. If there is something I really really want to read and can't get it from the e-library, I can use B&N visits. Of course, that puts the temptation of book buying right there in front of me, but I can resist... at least I think I can... or maybe, I might be able to... :o)
Karen wrote: "It would take a lot to make me stop reading a series once I've started it. I try to be careful when choosing books to begin with, but if I get stuck with a dog, I leave it on the TBR list (I just m..."If i am invested in a series and I hit a book that is not great, I will just shrug it off and still try the next one. If it is only the 2nd book in and I get turned off I might give up on the series.
Fanficfan44 wrote: "If i am invested in a series and I hit a book that is not great, I will just shrug it off and still try the next one."~AND~
Ramla Zareen wrote: "once I do get involved in a series then I usually manage to ignore minor annoyances and flaws with respect to all the factors I mentioned just now, as long as the overall ambience remains pleasant, and the books continue to provide me pleasure"
Ditto!!
Interesting perspective. There are books that I do continue to read even if I start to get annoyed or bored with the material, but I can't say specifically what makes me continue or discontinue certain books at certain times. It's kin
Sorry for cut off. As I was saying its kind of a personal thing. I may pick up a series or book I put down a while ago and find that I enjoy it more than I did before.
Once I start a series, I generally stick with it. If I start a book, I will almost always finish it. If I choose to start the next book in a series, I will usually continue. Having said that, there are must read series, and fallback series. Sometimes they can change from one to the other in terms of how I rank their importance, but most of the time, I feel enough loyalty to the characters to keep me coming back. Sometimes authors have slumps, but if you hang in there, they also can get their mojo back! I'm usually in it for the long haul!
There are some series I have stopped reading because they got boring to me--I agree with those who say that there needs to be some kind of character growth and development. Some I haven't kept up with because I just got sidetracked while waiting for a new one, and for whatever reason they no longer appeal as much as they once did. And I have quit quite a few after one book because they just weren't that engaging to me.
I am more likely to read a whole series if the books are already out, than if I have to wait for the next to be written. I guess I have a short attention span!
OOO...look at all the shiny stories!
All of the above, PLUS several tropes that are named in this article, from Nancy Cohen's blog:https://nancyjcohen.wordpress.com/201...
My pet peeve is the TSTL sleuth who just has to go out for fresh air, to think & clear her mind, when she's already been threatened/ shot at, and police have told her to stay home or at some other safe location.
...And/or has to go out alone at night to investigate something, without leaving word of where she's going, or calling for backup, etc.
IN A SERIES, repeating the same information(about a past event, or the protagonist's philosophy); bonus negative-points for using the same turn of phrase, over & over.
I'm surprised that some of you have come across the nastiness you've mentioned in Cozies, I suppose I've been lucky and haven't seen any as yet.I did put down a book a short while ago because I felt the humour was forced, it just didn't seem to flow naturally and it put me off, but.... the book has been a huge seller so maybe it was more my issue than a fault with the book itself.
Beth wrote: "When the author gets on a soapbox to promote a point of view on some political or ethical issue. I'd rather see him/her use the story to show how that issue impacts the lives of the characters and ..."yes, the rita mae brown series got like that for me.
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Yes! Just like when the heroine goes to see what the strange noise is, or idiotically goes to confront the murderer by themselves.
I have to like the MC. -MC has to have an ethical code
-MC has to be logical or believable as a person or I can't see how they can solve a problem. If in one book they stumble upon an answer or a major clue, fine. If all the mysteries are solved by coincidence, I'm done.
-If the MC has a personal dilemma (separate from the mystery) which is not addressed at least partially by the end of the book, I'm put off. If this issue continues into the second or third, then I will stop. This is probably what others are referring to as personal growth.
-If there is any romance in the series, I like to see growth. It can be very slow but I like the relationship to develop as the characters get to know each other. No triangles that go on for many books, or exes who keep returning. I like MC to be decisive.
-And of course the TSTL MC will kill it for me.
Bad Spanish is my pet peeve. It's one thing when a character who does not speak it messes it up, but when the MC is talking to someone who is Hispanic, and their Spanish is incorrect (not just colloquial or uneducated), I scream.
I would stop reading if the characters don't grow and change from book to book. I'm compelled to follow a series to see what happens to the main characters, so I expect their lives to evolve. If they're just solving a mystery in each story and not making decisions about their love life, for example, I'll move on after a few books.
I stop reading a cozy series when it becomes obvious that the writer has never spent any time researching police procedures. It's usually obvious in the first book - the sleuth does all sorts of stuff that would jail anybody else. Just go back to your romance writing and stop writing about stuff you know nothing about. Unfortunately, a lot of mystery cozies these days are like this.
Nancy wrote: "I would stop reading if the characters don't grow and change from book to book."I am sort of dealing with this now. I am catching up on Laura Levine's Jaine Austen series. I love the series, but I'm not sure how much I like the characters right now. I just finished books 11-13 (including 11.5 short story). I hadn't read the series for a few years and didn't remember the characters to be as scattered or stupid as they seem to be now. I love Jaine, but can't believe some of the things she does. For example, in Death of a Neighborhood Witch (book 11), jerk-face Lance purposely changes out the cute Halloween costume Jaine rented with a gorilla suit -- which she wore. Really?? What woman doesn't have something in the closet she can toss together into a costume? I wore jeans and carried a backpack and went to work as a "college student" so I could wear jeans to work. I get that this turned out to be the set up for the murder, but come on...
And, Lance... I didn't remember him being so self-centered and mean. I guess I could check the older books.
Anyway... I think Jaine is ageless, like Miss Marple or Jessica Fletcher. Maybe her not growing or maturing is just part of the story. It really just irritated me in book 11, but books 11.5-13 were fine. Jaine still gets into some tight situations because of stupidity, but I wasn't as annoyed.
Two more books to catch up the series. I just wish Jaine wasn't as pathetic as she is sometimes. I like her humor and moxie, but there are those times...
I stopped reading one series because the love triangle carried on for far too long and way beyond believability. It just got to the point where it seemed mean to keep jerking these guys around.
As mentioned by others, animals being injured. Few exceptions. For instance, I kept reading when a police dog was injured in the line of duty and recovery was part of plot.
AngryGreyCat wrote: "I stopped reading one series because the love triangle carried on for far too long and way beyond believability. It just got to the point where it seemed mean to keep jerking these guys around."I kind of agree. I am currently putting off reading a next-in-series entry because I am angry at what the author did with the main character's relationship. It was a triangle only the men weren't being jerked around (even if one of the men is a jerk!). Although the triangle has been part of the series since the beginning, it's only been a few book years and hadn't annoyed me to the point of dropping. Then the main character got married. But, the author doesn't seem to be happy and has put obstacles in the way of the new relationship (marriage). I had high hopes that the marriage would take the character and series in a new direction, but it seems to me more of the same only annoying because the author has ruined the happy-ever-after.
I'm not ready to give up the series at this point, but I am very disappointed right now. I may wait for the next book in the series to see if it appeases me or angers me enough to set the series aside.
I stopped reading one series because it described, in detail, sexual abuse of a toddler. Another one because it had a mom killed in front of 9 yr. old child. One because I could not stand a secondary character. Another one because the narrator used a word incorrectly (I would be okay if a character spoke it, but the narrator???) Incorrect Spanish also makes me cringe.
Beth wrote: "When the author gets on a soapbox to promote a point of view on some political or ethical issue. I'd rather see him/her use the story to show how that issue impacts the lives of the characters and ..."Ditto on this!!! If I want to read news, I'll read the newspaper. I read cozy book to escape.
AngryGreyCat wrote: "I stopped reading one series because the love triangle carried on for far too long and way beyond believability. It just got to the point where it seemed mean to keep jerking these guys around."I wanted to drop that one also, but the recipes kept bringing me back. ;-)
Ana wrote: "I stopped reading one series because it described, in detail, sexual abuse of a toddler. Another one because it had a mom killed in front of 9 yr. old child. One because I could not stand a seconda..."A COZY series that described sexual abuse of a toddler in detail?? What series was that??
Karen wrote: "I kind of agree. I am currently putting off reading a next-in-series entry because I am angry at what the author did with the main character's relationship. It was a triangle only the men weren't being jerked around (even if one of the men is a jerk!).."I quit that series for ALL kinds of reasons, but the triangle was a biggie. It was beyond ridiculous!
Ana wrote: "AngryGreyCat wrote: "I stopped reading one series because the love triangle carried on for far too long and way beyond believability. It just got to the point where it seemed mean to keep jerking t..."I had a friend that continued it and she said it was all coming together in the end, maybe I'll give it a try again some time.
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No way was that a cozy! Any detailed description of violence means it was not a cozy.
I have only stopped reading a cozy series because the characters have the same thing happening over and over again just different names and places - really would you live in a place that had that many murders!! But to stop reading a book - it would have to be 1) very bad writing with little proofreading - I came up with this in a few self published ones on kindle 2) When it gets violent with children or animals 3) When I could guess who the murderer was within a 1/4 of the writing of the book -- thin plots bother me terribly whether its a cozy or any book.
I've dropped not only series but authors due to onstage violence or torture scenes. I don't expect that in my fun reads. If it is directed at children or animals I quit there. Some I made it to the end by scan reading and skipping ahead of gruesome.I've tried authors again because I had other books. I no longer enjoy them. I dread what I might find on next page. That's expected when I'm reading suspense but it's not cozy.
Realized as I wrote this I no longer re-listen to one author's early ones which used to make me laugh. More books on cd to give away. Darn, and that reminds me of another author... That many more gone from my overfilled shelves.
Bad writing or editing is one off my biggest turn-offs. I've started a couple of series I've downloaded for free that I won't be continuing for that reason.I admit to being a grammar and spelling Nazi.
I am also turned off by authors who don't know the region or country they're writing about well enough to be accurate. Others write about a country for people who live in other parts of the world, giving an inaccurate view to the reader. Such things as asking for a cup of "hot tea" in England. In England, hot is the default for tea, so you would simply ask for a cup of tea.
Helen wrote: "...turned off by authors who don't know the region or country they're writing about well enough to be accurate.. .Such things as asking for a cup of "hot tea" in England. In England, hot is the default for tea, so you would simply ask for a cup of tea."The culture gaffes are often worse than the other errors. I can laugh at the geography and climate errors but people errors are harder to tolerate.
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jaxnsmom wrote: "Animal abuse is a big trigger for me in any book. I also stop reading if the characters stagnate, or do something that makes them too stupid to live....way too much time devoted to fashion - I really don't care what brand of clothing, shoes, or purse the characters are wearing..."I didn't think about the fashion thing and I have quit books and series due to it.
Even when part of the character's trademark or job it can get to be too much for me. It depends how the character deals with it and whether the fashion info interrupts the flow of the story.
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Death of a Neighborhood Witch (other topics)Authors mentioned in this topic
Joanne Fluke (other topics)Kaitlyn Dunnett (other topics)
Cleo Coyle (other topics)
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