Cozy Mystery Corner discussion

Hey everyone!!! I’m working on a new video about Cozy Misconceptions! What are some misconceptions or untruths people say about Cozy Mysteries?

Example: They aren’t real Mysteries? (WHICH WE ALL KNOW ISN’T TRUE!!!)

How about: The protagonist is always dumb or clumsy.

Protagonist is always looking for a husband IOW romance>mystery

Random thoughts:

Female lead, single with cop boyfriend. (frequently but not always)
Female, single or recently divorced and moves back to hometown to start a business.
Lead character has bad habit of finding dead bodies.
Simplistic language.
Shallow plot line. Doesn’t take much thought to solve the “mystery.”
Set in quaint, bucolic locations.
Contemporary setting.
Too many coincidental events.

Same plot all the time!!

That you can't learn anything from them
That they don't address serious issues
That they're always comedic
That they ignore correct police procedures

Beth wrote: "That you can't learn anything from them
That they don't address serious issues
That they're always comedic
That they ignore correct police procedures"

Hey Beth, I agree with you. I really love cozies but a lot of readers consider them fluff. But they can have really great writing, characters with depth and deal with serious issues. I recently started Dorothy Jame's Southern Chocolate Shop series and found it to be a perfect example of aa fun cozy with some real depth to the characterizations and story lines.

Beth wrote: "That you can't learn anything from them
That they don't address serious issues
That they're always comedic
That they ignore correct police procedures"

I particularly agree with "that they don't address serious issues". Susan Wittig Albert has tackled a few serious issues in her China Bayles series.....one of the reasons I enjoy that series so much!

Christine wrote: "Random thoughts:

...Female, single or recently divorced and moves back to hometown to start a business...."

<<---Actually, that's a trope that is not unique to cozies. Moving back to the hometown---and encountering the ex-boyfriend---is the set-up for a lot of romance novels in general.

They are written by and for women.
They take place in rural locations, small towns or villages in England or the United States and every book takes place in that location or nearby locations introduced in first books.
Main characters have jobs traditional for their gender.
They are a type of Christian fiction.
Characters and relationships develop from book to book in a series but everything else is completely resolved within each book.
Cast of characters is set in first books in series. After that any new characters who are added will be victims or villains.
Lives of main characters may be in transition during series but any major changes, especially if negative, take place before series starts.
They are all series.
Mystery is solved by serendipity not by detective work i.e. gathering information and figuring out what information is clue and what is red herring.

"I knew from page one who the culprit was".

L J wrote: "They are written by and for women.
They take place in rural locations, small towns or villages in England or the United States and every book takes place in that location or nearby locations introd..."

Disagree with the "by & for" women part. I know of some that are written by men using female pen names. I also know that men do, indeed, read & enjoy them. There are more than a few that take place in big cities. Some of my favorites do. And, finally, I disagree on the "Christian" fiction part. If that were true I probably would buy few, if any. I have a definite problem with slapping that label on them. One series I enjoy has a heroine who is Jewish. I WOULD say that they are generally inoffensive to most, but the most hardcore prude. No religious strings attached.

Melodie wrote: "L J wrote: "They are written by and for women.
They take place in rural locations, small towns or villages in England or the United States and every book takes place in that location or nearby loca..."

But these are common misconceptions that I heard from customers when I was a bookseller and since then from others.

Melodie wrote: "Beth wrote: "That you can't learn anything from them
That they don't address serious issues
That they're always comedic
That they ignore correct police procedures"

I particularly agree with "that they don't address serious issues". Susan Wittig Albert has tackled a few serious issues in her China Bayles series.....one of the reasons I enjoy that series so much!

Thanks, Melodie. I think addressing a serious issue in a mystery makes it a more interesting book for readers, in that they learn how that issue affects people through the reactions of the fictional characters in the book. Little did I realize that when I included the immigration issue in my 2013 mystery, A Basket of Trouble, what a huge topic it would become in present-day. I just wanted to show how complex it is, how it impacts employers as well as employees, etc. And, it made for a more interesting story.