The Charme of cosy mysteries

What have Miss Marple, Agatha Raisin, Jessica Fletcher, Professor Peter Shandy, and Sarah Kelling in common? They all are despite the differences in era, occupation, age, and location amateur sleuths starring in their very own cosy mystery adventures.

By definition a cosy or cozy mystery as I found it spelled a lot is a sub-genre of crime fiction, where sex, violence, and cursing are kept to a minimum, and often happen off stage. The tone of cosies is in general light, comedic, and comforting. A fair few embrace supernatural elements like ghosts, witches, or fairies without gliding into too dark waters.

The main character is an amateur sleuth, and the action is centered around a small community, like a small town/village, a family clan, or a college campus. And of course besides swarms of red herrings you can find any sort of whimsical characters and bizarre traditions.

So, why are cozies so popular? For me personally it’s a mix of oddball but likeable characters, interesting scenery and the fact that the pace is normally leisurely without being boring. Something to like, to relax with and to revisit for the sake of your favourite characters, because you already know who the murderer is.

I like both the “normal ” and the paranormal type. A firm favourite of both my wife and me is “Murder she wrote” and we both like Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot. While she enjoys MC Beaton’s Agatha Raisin I’m more partial to Charlotte MacLeod’s Boston- and Balaclava-Series with Sarah Kelling and respectively Professor Shandy sleuthing their way through New England of the 1980s. Father Brown is another favourite of ours. In fact, I come to like cozies so much that I will try to write one of my own.