Saturday, April 6, 2019


As Cozy Mystery fans, we all know what the words cozy mystery means to each of us.

Have you ever looked to see what an 
"official" site's definition is?
Here's what Wikipedia has to say about it.

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Cozy mystery

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Cozy mysteries, also referred to as "cozies", are a subgenre of crime fiction in which sex and violence are downplayed or treated humorously, and the crime and detection take place in a small, socially intimate community. Cozies thus stand in contrast to hardboiled fiction, which features violence and sexuality more explicitly and centrally to the plot. The term "cozy" was first coined in the late 20th century when various writers produced work in an attempt to re-create the Golden Age of Detective Fiction.

The detectives in such stories are nearly always amateurs, and are frequently women (village policeman Hamish Macbeth, featured in a series of novels by M. C. Beaton, is a notable exception). These characters are typically well educated, intuitive, and hold jobs that bring them into constant contact with other residents of their community and the surrounding region (e.g., caterer, innkeeper, librarian, teacher, dog trainer, shop owner, reporter). Like other amateur detectives, they typically have a contact on the police force who can give them access to important information about the case at hand, but the contact is typically a spouse, lover, friend, or family member rather than a former colleague. Dismissed by the authorities in general as nosy busybodies (particularly if they are middle-aged or elderly women), the detectives in cozy mysteries are thus left free to eavesdrop, gather clues, and use their native intelligence and intuitive "feel" for the social dynamics of the community to solve the crime.
The murderers in cozies are typically neither psychopaths nor serial killers, and, once unmasked, are usually taken into custody without violence. They are generally members of the community where the murder occurs and able to hide in plain sight, and their motives—greed, jealousy, revenge—are often rooted in events years, or even generations, old. The murderers are typically rational and often highly articulate, enabling them to explain, or elaborate on, their motives after their unmasking.
The supporting characters in cozy mysteries are often very broadly drawn and used as comic relief. The accumulation of such characters in long-running cozy mystery series, such as those of Charlotte MacLeod, frequently creates a stock company of eccentrics, among whom the detective stands out as the most (perhaps only) truly sane person.
One subtle joke in such series is how the main character constantly becomes embroiled in so many high-profile cases, often by accident. A long-running joke about the series Murder, She Wrote was how the main character/detective had to be the actual murderer in every case, because, "No matter where she goes, somebody dies!"

Cozy mysteries do not employ any but the mildest profanity. The murders take place off stage, frequently involving relatively bloodless methods such as poisoning and falls from great heights. The wounds inflicted on the victim are never dwelt on and are seldom used as clues. Sexual activity, even between married characters, is only ever gently implied and never directly addressed, and the subject is frequently avoided altogether.
The cozy mystery usually takes place in a town, village, or other community small (or otherwise insular) enough to make it believable that all the principal characters know, and may well have long-standing social relationships with, each other. The amateur detective is usually a gregarious, well-liked individual who is able to get the community members to talk freely about each other. There is usually at least one very knowledgeable, nosy, yet reliable character in the book who is intimately familiar with the personal history and interrelationships of everyone in the town, and whose ability to fill in the blanks of the puzzle enables the amateur detective to solve the case.
Cozy mystery series frequently have a prominent thematic element introduced by the detective's job, pet or hobby. Diane Mott Davidson's cozies, for example, revolve around cooking, Parnell Hall's around crossword puzzles, and Charlotte MacLeod's "Sarah Kelling" series around art. Other series focus on topics ranging from fishing, golfing, and hiking to fashion, antiques, and interior decoration. Cat-lovers are well represented among the ranks of cozy-mystery detectives, notably in the work of Lilian Jackson Braun and Rita Mae Brown; herbalists appear frequently (of whom the best known is Ellis Peters' medieval sleuth Brother Cadfael). There are also cozy mystery series with themes of Christmas, Easter, and other holidays.
While de-emphasis on sex and violence, emphasis on puzzle-solving over suspense, the setting of a small town, and a focus on a hobby or occupation are characteristic elements of cozy mysteries, the boundaries of the subgenre remain vague, with the work of authors such as Philip R. Craig and Aaron Elkins considered borderline cases.
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So, what do you think?
Does Wikipedia have it right? 
I'd really love to hear what you think!

What is your definition of 
what makes a mystery a cozy?

Please leave a comment!

14 comments:

  1. I think Wikipedia did a good job. I read cozy mysteries for the “coziness”, to escape the everyday reality of violence, profanity, etc. I’ve been disappointed some cozy authors are introducing more profanity. To me, it’s just not necessary. Happy Saturday, Lisa!

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    1. I agree with you 100%, Pat. Profanity just isn't needed.

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  2. Yes I think Wikipedia has the definition spot on. I just started reading cozy mysteries and I am really enjoying them. They are light and humorous, the ones I have read. Especially if they have animals, i am having a great time.I agree with Patricia, cozies dont need profanity to be good. To me that just makes me not interested in them.
    quilting dash lady at comcast dot net

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  3. I think Wikipedia’s description is accurate. I think as the genre has evolved,some of the lines have blurred a little, and sometimes I have a hard time deciding if a book is really a cozy. I read more than cozies, so it does really matter as long as their isn’t graphic sex, violence, or profanity.

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    1. Chris. Cozies have evolved. More authors are pushing the limits of the definition. A few of the things I can except. But there are other that I think takes a book/series out of the realm of cozies.

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  4. I read cozies for the characters. These are people I would like to know as neighbours and friends. There are some pretty good characters in hard core mysteries, but would you really want to live next door to Marlow or Spenser?

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    1. Me too! There are so many cozy characters that I adore and would want to be friends with.

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  5. That's a wonderful description. Very thorough in describing all aspects of a cozy. Some cozy lover did a good job creating this definition for Wikipedia.

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  6. Fairly accurate on the meaning of cozy mystery. I'm hoping that these some what guidelines stay in place and that boundaries between cozy and just mystery don't get blurred. I love that there aren't explicit blood and gore about the murder. Yes it took place and some details is fine but I don't need to know in great detail the bloody details. Like that there may be a romantic angle in the story but it's not the highlight of the book and not sexual explicit. I read cozies to enjoy reading and relax sort of with neighbors or friends because that's what they become when you read a series. The characters are people that I can relate to, wouldn't mind living next to or being friends with. I want it to be challenging enough that the reveal can through me for a loop or the mystery take a curve in the road that's unexpected. I do think it's a shame that some authors have started to use some profanity even if mildly. I know it's in our world but I don't buy a book to read it.

    Have a great weekend!
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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    1. I couldn't agree with you more, Kay. These are the reasons I started reading cozies!

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  7. This is a mostly accurate description. Sometimes the usage of profanity is appropriate, given the particular circumstances. But as long as it's not their gratuitously, or over used, I'm okay with it. Implied romance is okay. Explicit or graphic romantic scenes are NOT okay under any circumstances. I also disagree that the main character is the most/only sane person in the story.

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    1. Hi, Thomas. I can look past a h*ll or d*mn. Other words have been creeping in that I feel have no place. Honestly, even the h*ll and D*mns are more than I like. I think of Hallmark Mystery movies. They get the point across without the language.

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