How to Craft a Killer Cozy Mystery

by Andrea J. Johnson

Crafting a killer cozy can be perilous. Fans of the subgenre expect authors to forego explicit gore and violence while at the same time creating a mind-boggling murder mystery with pulse-pounding tension and a twisty plot. But how is a writer supposed to satisfy such disparate demands?

How to Craft a Killer Cozy Mystery tackles this exact problem by providing an actionable roadmap for starting (and completing!) a manuscript that will leave readers dying for more. Packed with charts and questionnaires designed to streamline the writing process, this comprehensive step-by-step guide will help you create compelling characters, vivid settings, and clever storylines.

Whether you’re a new writer or just new to the genre, you will walk away from How to Craft a Killer Cozy Mystery with a checklist for everything you’ll need to start your first draft, and you will also learn…

The history behind the modern cozy and why they’re so popular with today’s audiences The 13 key reader expectations for the genre The 10 essential rules every cozy must follow to create a fair play puzzle The difference between cozies, thrillers, capers, detective stories, and police procedurals The difference between a premise and a hook—and how to kick-butt writing both The essential beats for the four-act plot structure How to effectively hide clues and create plot twists

SPECIAL  How to Craft a Killer Cozy Mystery contains an extensive ★GLOSSARY OF LITERARY TERMS★ and modern as well as classic examples of commonly used mystery solutions and misdirects.

Genres: Writing

144 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 30, 2021

About the author

Andrea J. Johnson is the author of the Victoria Justice Mystery Series about a trial stenographer turned amateur sleuth (think Murder, She Wrote meets The Pelican Brief) and the mastermind behind the sensational writer productivity guides Mastering the Art of Suspense, How to Craft a Killer Cozy Mystery, and How to Craft Killer Dialogue. She has also worked as an entertainment writer for women’s lifestyle websites such as Popsugar and The List and developed content for genre magazines like CrimeReads and The Romance Writers Report. To learn more about Andrea, visit ajthenovelist.com or follow her on Instagram, Facebook, BlueSky, X, and Pinterest @ajthenovelist.

Reviews

[Suz Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a fan of Johnson’s Victoria Justice mystery series and a writer, I was super excited to read her book on crafting killer cozy mysteries. For me, the best writing craft books are entertaining, full of actionable teachings, organized in an easy to use manner, and make a good reference for writers at all stages of their career. This book does all those things and more!

While the focus is on a particular sub-genre of mystery, there’s plenty of information that is applicable to writing and revising any type of novel or novella. Point of view, setting, creating a first draft, and revision are addressed along with mystery specific essentials such as creating a solid cast (sleuth, victim, killer, suspects, secondary characters), keeping the crimes compelling, and determining the best detection techniques.

The book starts with a comprehensive look at the evolution of mysteries in general and cozy mysteries in particular and reveals genre expectations. There’s plenty of information on writing a solid mystery, from establishing the premise, characterization, and plotting. Johnson addresses everything from plot twists to special challenges such as crimes committed in a locked room. Along the way, she provides a ton of examples from classic mysteries to contemporary cozies, including her own sensational series. The end of the chapter summaries are perfect for quick reference as are the list of writer resources and glossary at the back of the book.

This book is a goldmine of information providing a roadmap to for writing a solid book, particularly one with strong mystery or suspense elements. I preordered the next book in the series on writing legal thrillers.

[Andrea Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The definitive must-have guide to traditional mysteries for anyone looking to learn about the history of the genre or level up their writing game. This book covers everything from prewriting to revision and will leave you dying to claw your way to the top of the cutthroat world of commercial genre fiction. Paperback and ebook copies on sale now at mybook.to/CraftKillerCozy.

[A.M. Winters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably one of the most well structured and in-depth books I’ve read about writing a Cozy. It’s not my first book to read on the craft, but it builds very well on others. While providing a really in-depth view on applying story fundamentals, it does this having the Cozy writer (and reader thereof) in mind.

A definite must have for everyone that aspires to follow his dream on becoming the next Cozy Mystery writer.

[Goldie Fishbaum · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably one of the most in depth, easy to absorb cozy mystery writing books I’ve read so far. If you’re looking to become a cozy mystery author, this book is packed with so much information it’s mind-boggling. Only have enough money to buy one book? Make it this one! YES!!! It’s that helpful and in all honesty it’s surpassed the other books that teach you the ins and outs of writing a cozy mystery.

[Joanne McLaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’d already written two drafts of a cozy-ish mystery and was wondering how to improve it when I picked up this book at the recent Creatures, Crimes and Creativity Conference in Columbia, Md. (Andrea was a participant and panelist there as well.) Her approach is insightful and her advice and examples are useful. I took notes as I went along, so I can refer to them for Draft 3.