Have you ever been intrigued by what a cozy mystery is? Especially since they are all the rage right now? Have you ever wondered what a cozy mystery even is? Or have you been a bit disappointed that this genre isn’t very diverse? Do you love a good cozy mystery, but find yourself having to turn a blind eye to how exclusive it is? There really is not enough diversity in this genre! Before we get to the long list of diverse cozy mystery books, let’s talk a little bit about cozy mysteries!
What is a Cozy Mystery?
As with all genres, the cozy mystery genre doesn’t have a strict definition. Genres are used to help you understand the tone and content of the book, but genres are constantly being bent (but that’s the topic for another blog post altogether)! Cozy mystery 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 cozies is generally light, comedic, and comforting. Think of a book you’d want to read on a bad day or at the beach, nothing too serious, but lots of fun with plot twists and a little over the top. I like to think of these stories as solving murders Scooby-Doo style.
Cozy mystery books give readers everything they want from a murder mystery, without all the violence and darkness that can weigh down the tone. These novels are light, fast-paced, and generally focus on plot and character development, which ensures a comforting and predictable feeling for the reader. This provides readers with a healthy dose of escapism without feeling heavy.
History of the Cozy Mystery
In order to understand the history of the cozy mystery, it’s important to understand two different periods in the history of detective fiction.
The Golden Age of Detective Fiction was an era in detective fiction where the writing was aimed at misleading the reader (in a fun way) and making the reader attempt to solve the crime along with the protagonist. This is the same era of time where authors such as Agatha Christie, Anthony Berkeley, Dorothy L Sayers, and Freeman Wills Crofts were writing. These are light-hearted “whodunit” mysteries and are often considered classic murder mysteries.
Real History's Influence on the Genre
At the outbreak of World War II began a decline in the light-hearted mysteries where readers were attempting to solve mysteries alongside the protagonists. Consequently, there started to be a trend toward darker themes in detective fiction. Because current events always impact genres, with the start of WWII, we start to see a darker side of crime fiction emerge.
This period of crime fiction is often called Hardboiled American crime fiction. It often features more of a single, dark, tough protagonist. So this is the protagonist who drinks heavily, smokes cigarettes a lot, hangs out in sketchy areas, and is really good at solving crimes because he is willing to get his hands dirty. This period of crime fiction focuses much heavier on the darker side of crime and the corruption of those who solve the crimes.
Cozy Mysteries are thought to be an effort of the mid 20th century to revive the Golden Era of Detective Fiction and bring back the light-hearted “whodunit” type of mystery. Because the previous era of Hardboiled American crime fiction focused so much on darker themes, that it lost that light escapism tones that were so present in the Golden Age of Detective Fiction. Therefore, you can think of cozy mysteries as being evolved from the Golden Age, while simultaneously rejecting and learning from the era of Hardboiled American crime writing.
Cozy Mystery vs Crime Novel
Though it is kind of explained in the history of cozy mysteries section above, I think it is also worth taking a quick look at what the differences are and how to spot them. So what is a cozy mystery versus a crime novel? Well, a cozy mystery is a crime fiction novel, but not all crime fiction are cozies so it can sometimes be difficult to tell them apart. Cozy mysteries are a sub-genre of crime fiction with a lighter tone and many comforting elements thrown in.
The easiest way to differentiate is to not look at the crime but to look at the characters. The crime tends to be essentially the same in both, usually a murder or a violent crime. They both also tend to have clues along the way to help you solve the crime along with the main character. Though in a cozy mystery the crime will generally be explained in much less detail (much less gore and carnage), it’s sometimes hard to tell before diving into it. If you look at the characters, however, the picture becomes much more clear.
In a cozy mystery, the person solving the mystery is generally an average member of society. They generally have no background in detective work and make a lot of silly mistakes along the way. It is also common for the main character to be thrown into the case under extreme circumstances considering they are not usually detectives.
The Literary Tone of a Cozy Mystery
One of the main elements of a cozy mystery is that a cozy mystery often focuses on unraveling the mystery of a crime rather than the gore or the details of harm. The characters tend to be more active in terms of pushing the plot forward (whether accidentally or intentionally) rather than introspective. They also tend to have a lighthearted narrative rather than a darker and more mysterious one. Though it focuses on unraveling the mystery, the tone will often juxtapose the content, giving the tone a softer energy.
In these ways cozy mysteries tend to become humorous in their juxtaposition. Crime to society is often seen as something done by hardened criminals (though we know statistically that most crime is a nonviolent consequence of poverty, which is a policy choice) and solved by the police (though we also know that statistically the police do not solve crimes at all). So the lighter tone of cozy mysteries allow us to take a small step back from the police propaganda and just have fun solving a mystery.
Cozy Mystery Common Tropes and Elements
Elements in all books will differ a lot, but I want to give you examples of common aspects of a cozy mystery to give you more of an idea of what it includes. When I was first looking up cozy mysteries, I read definition after definition, and still couldn’t understand the appeal. Why would I want the sex and cursing to be off-stage? But as I started reading them, I started to understand that it’s just an entirely different mood, and that is the appeal.
- Cozy mysteries often have a murder (or a serious crime), but the victim is usually an unlikeable character. So it is never a big tragedy that they are dead.
- Relatedly, the book will never focus on the gore or violence. The idea is that they are focused on the sleuthing. It’s all about running around and solving the mystery!
- The main character is usually an amateur sleuth, trying to solve the murder (or crime) without any previous detective experience.
- The food descriptions are often a huge spotlight of the story.
- There is often a “cute” element, whether it be a talking dog, or cooking/baking as a profession. Something that feels cute and quaint.
- Clues are given to the reader so that the reader can start guessing too! But there must be fun, unexpected twists and turns.
Of course, there are more elements that can go into cozies, this is just an idea of the type of things you might find in cozies so that you can get a better idea of what they are! Or you can just read one!
Why Are Cozy Mysteries so Popular?
While all answers are, of course, mostly speculation, here at Bookish Brews we have a couple hypotheses. One is that we think that the popularity of cozy mysteries has a lot to do with the relatable protagonist. So much crime fiction features the same exact type of protagonist, so if you’re turned off by the protagonist and all of them seem to be the same, you maybe turned off by the entire genre.
One of the appeals of the cozy mystery is that a reader can still get the problem solving type of fun with a protagonist that is more relatable to the reader. Though relatability isn’t required to enjoy a book, sometimes seeing the same protagonist over and over again makes suspending your belief for fiction more difficult and less enjoyable.
Our secondary speculation is that cozy mysteries have a quaint way of letting readers let loose a little bit. There is so much incredibly serious media in the west, trying to win some kind of award or prestige. But being able to take life less seriously is a genuine joy and more importantly a skill. Cozy mysteries encourage readers to laugh with the protagonist, to believe in silly things for the sake of fun, and to keep anticipating more adventures. All of which can help us flex that skill.
The Best Cozy Mystery Books
Death by Dumpling by Vivien Chien
Death by Dumpling by Vivien Chien
After a brutal breakup, Lana moves back to work at her family’s restaurant. Not long after, their property manager ends up dead after getting takeout from the restaurant, now Lara must find the murderer before he finds her!
🍜 Food Memoir 📖 Couldn’t Put It Down🌏 East Asian Rep 🌳 Family Focused
Why pick up this book? Vivien Chien grew up in a mixed-race household, which helped her navigate writing this cross-cultural story. She’s been in love with books and writing since she was in elementary school, writing short stories about her classmates. She lives in Cleveland where this series takes place, which offers the book a very realistic setting.
A Deadly Inside Scoop by Abby Collette
A Deadly Inside Scoop by Abby Collette
Recent grad Bronwyn has taken over her family’s ice cream shop, but due to construction delays she is forced to open during the first snow of the season. To make things worse, in the snow, she finds the body of a man who has an old feud with her family.
🍜 Food Memoir 🥀 Quirky Characters ⏱️ Fast Paced 📚 First in Series
Why pick up this book? Abby Collette is a USA Today and Wall Street Journal best-selling author. She likes to incorporate a little mystery in everything that she writes because she loves mysteries so much. She is a member of Crime Writers of Color, “an association of authors seeking to present a strong and united voice for members who self-identify as crime/mystery writers from traditionally underrepresented racial, cultural and ethnic backgrounds” (source), and Sisters in Crime, an organization whose mission is to “promote the ongoing advancement, recognition and professional development of women crime writers.” (source).
The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra by Vaseem Khan
The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra by Vaseem Khan
On the day he retires, Inspector Ashwin Chopra inherits two unexpected mysteries: the case of a drowned boy, whose suspicious death no one seems to want to be solved, and a baby elephant.
🌏 Indian Rep 💗 Heart Warming 📖 Couldn’t Put It Down ⏱️ Fast Paced
Why pick up this book? Vaseem Khan has written two crime series set in India. This book was a Times bestseller and an Amazon Best Debut. Since it’s release in 2015 it has been translated into 15 different languages. The second in the series, The Perplexing Theft of the Jewel in the Crown won the 2017 Shamus Award for Best Original Private Investigator Paperback.
Hummus and Homicide by Tina Kashian
Hummus and Homicide by Tina Kashian
When Lucy Berbarian quits her job and moves back home to her work at her family restaurant, she definitely wasn’t expecting the health inspector to drop dead after eating a kebab…
🍜 Food Memoir 🌼 Self Discovery 🌳 Family Focused 🎲 Plot Twists
Why pick up this book? Tina Kashain grew up working at her parent’s restaurant and grew up to be a NJ Deputy Attorney General and a patent attorney, so writing culinary cozies comes from a lot of personal experience. She also is an Amazon best-selling romance author, where she writes under the pseudonym, Tina Gabrielle.
Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto
When a blind date turns into an accidental murder, a young woman can rely on her meddling mother and aunties to help cover up the crime and hide the body.
🌳 Family Focused 👩👧 Mother-Daughter Relationship 🌏 Chinese-Indonesian Culture ✒️ Debut Author
Why pick up this book? Jesse Q. Sutanto actually lives on the same street at her mother and seven hundred meddlesome aunties, so she knows what she’s talking about in this one. In 2019 she was at Pitch Wars mentor, which is a program where agented and published authors pair up with newer writers to help mentor them and help with their writing. Jesse is especially interested in helping marginalized writers get their voices heard.
Hollywood Homicide by Kellye Garrett
Hollywood Homicide by Kellye Garret
When Hollywood actress Dayna witnesses a deadly hit-and-run, she figures that going after the reward isn’t a terrible idea… Until it turns into a full-blown investigation.
🎭 Hilarious ✒️ Debut Author 🍃 Easy Reading 🎲 Plot Twists
Why pick up this book? Kallye Garrett’s debut novel was named one of BookBub’s Top 100 Crime Novels of All Time. Hollywood Homicide has also been given starred reviews by Publishers Weekly and Literary Journal and has won multiple awards, including the Agatha, Anthony, Lefty, and Independent Publisher “IPPY” awards for the best first novel.
Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala
Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala
Lila’s life seems to be the perfect blend of rom-com tropes until she moves back home after a terrible break-up and a nasty food critic (her ex-boyfriend) drops dead right after eating her new dish.
🍜 Food Memoir 🌏 Filipino Rep 🍃 Easy Reading 🌳 Family Focused
Why pick up this book? Mia P. Manansala is the winner of the 2018 Hugh Holton Award, the 2018 Eleanor Taylor Bland Crime Fiction Writers of Color Award, the 2017 William F. Deeck – Malice Domestic Grant for Unpublished Writers, and the 2016 Mystery Writers of America/Helen McCloy Scholarship. She’s also a 2017 Pitch Wars alum and 2018-2020 mentor.
Raining Men and Corpses by Anne R. Tan
Raining Men and Corpses by Anne R. Tan
After a series of unlucky losses of money, her quest to get her money back goes spiraling out of control after she finds her ex-lover’s body and becomes the prime suspect to his murder.
🌏 East Asian Rep 🌳 Family Focused 👩👧 Grandparent Relationship 🎲 Plot Twists
Why pick up this book? Anne R. Tan writes books as a legacy to her children. She grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area surrounded by a cultural hub that helped her appreciate her culture. She no longer lives in the Bay Area, but writes these books to help her children visit the rich culture through reading, just like us as readers. Enjoy Raina Sun’s large and dynamic family and visit the cultural hub with her!
Murder in G Major by Alexia Gordon
Murder in G Major by Alexia Gordon
Gethsemane Brown has six weeks to turn a group of rowdy schoolboys into an award-winning orchestra and solve a decade-old murder with her new ghost friend all at the same time.
⏱️ Fast Paced 👻 Supernatural 🎶 Musical Mystery 📚 First in Series
Why pick up this book? Murder in G Major was the winner of the lefty Award for Best Debut Novel, a nominee for the Agatha award for Best First Novel, and chosen one of Suspense Magazine’s Best Debut Novels in 2016. Alexia Gordon has a medical degree, but her passion is writing, so she spends her time writing fantastic novels. She is also a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, and Crime Writers of Color.
The Accidental Alchemist by Gigi Pandian
The Accidental Alchemist by Gigi Pandian
Zoe Faust recently moved to Oregon, and while unpacking she finds a real gargoyle in her bags. Not just that, but he needs her help to decipher a century’s old text to explain exactly what he is.
💫 Atmospheric 🛸 Sci-Fi/Fantasy 💞 Light Romance 🍜 Food Memoir
Why pick up this book? Gigi Pandian is a USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award-winning mystery author, breast cancer survivor, and accidental almost-vegan. Her books have been described as a cross between Agatha Cristie and Indiana Jones, and her mysteries have also been awarded the Agatha, Rose, Lefty, and Derringer awards.
