Cozy Mysteries discussion

I didn't see a thread for this? What are your favorite things that you enjoy in cozies and what things annoy you in them?

I love being actually surprised with a twist. I hate things being repeated over and over in dialogue.

The biggest annoyance for me is a love triangle that goes on and on and on. I can handle the characters taking two or maybe three books to figure things out, but much more than that is just plain unnecessary, imo.

I hate love triangles too. And I don't like TSTL MCs either.

I was on Book 3 of a trilogy and then the triangle became obvious. (Not a cozy.) Grr, I want to know what happens in the end, but I quit and returned it to the library.

This are things I like twists that I am not expecting, new methods of murder, information on all the characters not just the MC I like to become friends with the characters, I like the flow of reading to be smooth
I don't like love triangles after about the 3 book not even with twists, too much romance, cliff hangers, If the book is good enough I will read the next book, too many asks that break the flow of reading, too many words of another language

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I do read reviews both good and bad. I like to know why you like the book or why you are giving it less than 5 stars.

I haven't read a cozy in a while. I got so tired of the MC being a suspect in a murder in the first book.

Sandra J wrote: "I haven't read a cozy in a while. I got so tired of the MC being a suspect in a murder in the first book."

That's totally true.

Betty wrote: "I like to know why you like the book or why you are giving it less than 5 stars."

Oh my, I rarely give a book 5 stars! I've been on GR since 2010, average 200+ books a year, and I've only given 5 stars to about a dozen books in all that time. Most of those would be 4.5 stars if GR had a half-star feature :)

Barb, you may told me how you grade books. It helps me decide whether to read a book.

I don't like when the romance is the main focus of the book. Or when the protagonist has a cutesey occupation that takes the main focus of the book. It's a cozy mystery at the end of the day it should be about the mystery. Not the cute craftwork she does that everyone adores, not the guy she's lusting after, not how amazing her food is, or how good at her job she is.

One of the things that bothers me the most is the preaching. (No, not religious!) I mean, if the MC is a cook or an organizer or antiquarian, we get all these "hints" on how to do their thing right.

That can be very aggravating.

Kirsten wrote: "One of the things that bothers me the most is the preaching. (No, not religious!) I mean, if the MC is a cook or an organizer or antiquarian, we get all these "hints" on how to do their thing right..."
I understand what you mean. I can't read any cozy where the lead is a homemaker.

Some of them are on a moral high horse too that bothers me.

Now I love when writers do things different from the usually cozy staples like have the setting be a city and not a small town.

The "triangle" thing is my biggest peeve. After the Hannah Swensen books, if there's a "triangle" and it goes for more than 2 books, then I don't finish book #3!

Melodie wrote: "The "triangle" thing is my biggest peeve. After the Hannah Swensen books, if there's a "triangle" and it goes for more than 2 books, then I don't finish book #3!"

I'm with you, Melodie. I'm really tired of the triangles. It gets old quickly.

Does anyone find it annoying when you find a cozy with a really cute cover and cute title and then find out neither have anything to do with the actual mystery? They were just used because they were cute!

NicoleG wrote: "Does anyone find it annoying when you find a cozy with a really cute cover and cute title and then find out neither have anything to do with the actual mystery? They were just used because they wer..."

I get annoyed when the cover is amazing and the story is lackluster.

I am not a fan of love triangles either. They have become very common in cozy mysteries lately along with a nasty cop. I wish the authors would focus more on delivering a complex mystery with a great main character.

Kristina wrote: "I am not a fan of love triangles either. They have become very common in cozy mysteries lately along with a nasty cop. I wish the authors would focus more on delivering a complex mystery with a gre..."

Wouldn't it be nice if some of these characters just had a normal romance with ONE guy? : )

Kristina wrote: "I am not a fan of love triangles either. They have become very common in cozy mysteries lately along with a nasty cop. I wish the authors would focus more on delivering a complex mystery with a gre..."

Some authors have really been laying it on thick with the asshole cop trope recently.

It has been awful. I am very tired of it.

If you want to read Protagonists who stay with a single guy. Go to Henery Press and follow some of their authors Annette Dashofy Zoe Chambers. Susan M Boyer her has one with her low country mysteries. There another one I really like and her name escapes but I am sure she is a Henry Press authors. Kyle Milberg has only one main interest but her Mother is shocked.

The author I was thinking of is Annelise Ryan others are Elaine Orr's Jodie books. Try my blog for First Lines Friday 2018.

Barb wrote: "Betty wrote: "I like to know why you like the book or why you are giving it less than 5 stars."

Oh my, I rarely give a book 5 stars! I've been on GR since 2010, average 200+ books a year, and I've..."

I only give 5 stars if it is one of my favorite authors that I love and never been disappointed.

Must say that I'm fed up with the busy body lead who puts herself in danger because she's decided she's so much smarter than the police but is ready to call them when she's close to death. I'm tired of reading about Little Miss Perfect who can do the police's job better than them and solves the case because people conveniently open up to her.

Divena wrote: "Must say that I'm fed up with the busy body lead who puts herself in danger because she's decided she's so much smarter than the police but is ready to call them when she's close to death. I'm tire..."

Isn't that pretty much 90% of cozies? What cozies do you like? I'm finding that not as many cozies hold my interest as they used to. I used to be willing to try any new cozy that came along, but too many were duds so have become far more selective.

Melodie wrote: "Divena wrote: "Must say that I'm fed up with the busy body lead who puts herself in danger because she's decided she's so much smarter than the police but is ready to call them when she's close to ..."

Like you I've found not many cozies lately hold my interest and I've become more selective as well. I'm quick to drop a story part way when it's too slow moving or the lead grates my nerves.

I like leads who are smart, funny, relateable, and have a range of occupations.
Cozies I've liked recently include A Bread Shop Mysteries, Mystery Bookshop series, Brewing Trouble series, Romaine Wilder Mystery, and Detective By Day series

I have not read Divena's books but a couple are on my TBR list. I tend to stir away from cafe books as there are so many of them. I don't read books for their recipes. I do like Maddie Day series on the cafe.

I agree with most of the comments above - but a couple of things bother me that haven't been mentioned:

I hate when the MC drinks like a fish (I read one once where she had a couple of drinks at home, two bottles of wine at dinner, then drove home - in a blizzard - without even slurring her words!) I don't mind the occasional drink, but some of them drink through the entire book, and it makes me wonder if they're sneaking it at work, too. (Booze does not solve all problems; not to mention the more you drink the less you can reason things out). It's always, "I need a drink".

The other thing is when the MC gets ready to go somewhere and just "runs a finger through her hair" and puts on "a little lip gloss". I'm not saying give us an entire makeup routine, but jeez, a lot of women do wear makeup before we leave the house, and I don't know anyone except preteens who wear lip gloss. Don't these women own a comb? Some of them even throw on the same clothes they wore the night before to go out. Who does that? Talk about bad hygiene. I'm not saying all MC's should wear makeup, but it would be nice to see one who didn't worship lip gloss as making them look hot.

JoAnne wrote: " it would be nice to see one who didn't worship lip gloss as making them look hot."

I think the intent is to let the reader know that the character doesn't spend a lot of time fussing with hair and makeup rather than to convey that think they lip gloss will make them look hot. As one of those whose hair and makeup routine takes less than ten minutes every day, I appreciate knowing that there are others out there with the same attitude -- even if they are characters in a book :)

I realize not everyone spends a lot of time on makeup, but let’s face it, cosmetics are a big business, and if women didn’t wear it, it wouldn’t be. I don’t want to read about their routine, (who does? I don’t want to read about them going to the restroom, either) still it would be nice to know that at least some of them wore it. Every woman in my book club - and practically every woman I know - wears makeup to some extent, and none wear lip gloss. I have read about more than one character who put on lip gloss only, and was told by TWO men how hot she looked. It would just be nice to see the ‘other side of the coin’ as it were, represented as well as those who have a minimal interest in makeup; but it’s rare to find one who does.

JoAnne wrote: "I realize not everyone spends a lot of time on makeup, but let’s face it, cosmetics are a big business, and if women didn’t wear it, it wouldn’t be. I don’t want to read about their routine, (who d..."

Guess what? Over 50 woman here who DOES often wear lip gloss!! Lancome makes some pretty good ones. I really hate condescension.

Makeup is usually an afterthought for me like if I catch glimpse of myself in a mirror and I think I oh boy I better fix my face lol

Cathleen wrote: "Do you remember the days when you could spend hours on your hair and makeup. Now your so busy getting everyone else ready(we have a large family) you barely have time to get dressed let alone makeu..."

I remember waiting two hours for my sister to get ready, just so we could go out shopping the malls.

I'm reading Bear Witness to Murder right now which is the second in a series and the protagonist laments on her first case and actually thinks "But I wasn't proud of nearly getting myself killed by sleuthing. I'd learned my lesson."

I usually don't see self realization like that in these books.

Betty wrote: "Barb, you may told me how you grade books. It helps me decide whether to read a book."

I rate books for my own cataloguing. I never write reviews. Its what I like to do.

Kirsten wrote: "One of the things that bothers me the most is the preaching. (No, not religious!) I mean, if the MC is a cook or an organizer or antiquarian, we get all these "hints" on how to do their thing right..."


I agree. I read a cozy mystery to be amused. I don't want any political, religious or issue related preaching. I get those elsewhere

I started writing reviews to give myself something to do. If I can share them to help someone else that is all the better. Until I wrote reviews I never realized how important reviews are both to the author and buyer of the book.

That's not the "preaching" I mean. I mean in some of the books you have an amateur detective with a specialty. Like the organizer in Sara Rosett's series or the chefs/bakers in others. In some of the books, they insist on going on and on and on about their specialty.

Neither do I. I read to relax.

Yes, I read to relax and escape from everyday life issues.

I read to relax and to be entertained. I also don't care for the "preaching," and I really don't care for the long, drawn out descriptions.

I sometimes read the reviews to help me decide if a book might be something I want to read. However, I want it to actually be a review of the book. So many reviews are mostly another synopsis. There is a long paragraph or two of synopsis (which is usually a repeat of the book description I've already read) and then two sentences of actual review. If I want another synopsis or teaser of the book, I'll read the publishers synopsis again. Did you like it? What did you like or dislike about it? I want to read an actual review.

When I write a review, I try to make it my feelings and thoughts on the book. I try not to write too much about the plot.

Trying to get into Bear Witness to Murder and already the theme is annoying me. I mean how many holiday celebrations can you have with a teddy bear theme?

I get annoyed when the book has a cutesy theme and the author goes overboard with it.

Like I read a book where the protagonist and her family manufactured maple syrup and everything they ate in town was maple syrup related.

When I first starting writing reviews, I had no perceived idea what was needed. I decided to write what I myself looks. On series I try to give information on what the chzracters. On stand-alones I tell what I like a d any faults I find. Now I add rather the author is new and the number of books it is in the series. Some books are easier to review than others.

I have read the teddy bear series and enjoy it. The festival theme is overdone in cozy mysteries. There are not many ways you can write about teddy bears.

Betty wrote: "I have read the teddy bear series and enjoy it. The festival theme is overdone in cozy mysteries. There are not many ways you can write about teddy bears."

I haven't read the first one but I've started the second one and I'm less than 10% of the way through it and they've already named dropped multiple bear festivals and activities beyond the Ocktobear festival they're planning.