Okay, I have read A LOT of cozy mysteries since December! They have turned into the ultimate comfort read for me and something I am able to listen to during a long/stressful week that always helps me decompress. The excitement of the mystery but the low steaks of a cozy mystery make them the perfect read, in my humble opinion!
So, did I break down the ABC’s of a cozy mystery into actual ABS’s? You bet I did – because why the heck not?! I used my 2 favorite cozy mystery series to help establish these – A Cheese Shop Mystery and A Flower House Mystery. These are so incredibly similar in how they “feel” when you read them, and make for the ultimate cozy mystery experience.
Abrupt – For me this is how quickly the action happens. Is it abrupt, or does it take a while to get to the mystery/murder? If I am reading close to a third of the way into the book to get the action, I usually DNF the book when it comes to cozy mysteries. I like learning the characters as they uncover the murder, I don’t need their whole backstory before we get to the action. The more abrupt and sudden the murder the better – as it keeps the reader (and the characters) on their toes!
Believable – I know, I know – cozy mysteries tend to be a little cheesy and kind of out there, but there HAS to be some kind of believability to the murder. Not necessarily that it happened, but WHY it happened. I have read several cozy mysteries that I am just like, “there is no way someone would be murdered over ‘xyz’, it makes no sense.” If I can believe why it happened I am there for it. It helps sell the story and make you want to learn more about the how it happened!
Complexity – Again, this may not seem like something that would be attached to a cozy mystery, but I love a good complex mystery. If you can keep me on my toes the whole book I am sold. This is something Jess Dylan and Korina Moss do incredibly well. There are some cozy mysteries I have figured out by the 4th or 5th chapter, but an author that creates a complex story I am not able to untangle until the end is the absolute greatest! Sometimes I never even get there, and find out the “big reveal” with the main characters, and I LOVE that!
There you have it, the ABC’s of Cozy Mysteries! I love the cozy aspect of these books (friendships, romance, usually some sort of restaurant and animal), but if the mystery falls flat there is no point to reading the book. I have so many incredible recommendations and also some I think you should avoid, so shoot me a message if you want to read some more!
Joyfully Jacquie 