What makes a cozy....good?

Robin Agnew 

My reading spans a variety of different types of mysteries.  I enjoy Elaine Viets as much as I enjoy Michael Connelly, for example.  Too often, "cozies", for want of a better term, are somewhat dismissed, and I think very unfairly.  For one thing, done well, they are one of the more entertaining and comforting segments of our beloved genre.  If you're sad or lonely I doubt you'll pick up the latest Ken Bruen, but you might turn to Ann Purser.  That's not a light responsibility, cozy writers.  What makes this genre so entertaining, and even more, what makes it good?  What makes it worthwhile?

There's a few rules of thumb I thought of that make a cozy good for me.

1.  Sidebar characters.  In a poorly done cozy, there are indeed many sidebar characters, but they are often indistinguishable from one another.  At the end of the book, one of these sidebar characters may be the guilty party, but you're forced to flip back, because you simply can't remember which is which.  In a well done cozy, not only are the sidebar characters memorable, but they are a key component of the story.  The story would not function without them.

2.  As an addendum to sidebar characters, in a poorly done cozy the romantic interest of the main character is often introduced in a way that makes you think (unless you have read other books of this type) that they don't actually like each other.  To the savvy reader, the world weary cop/P.I. with a mustache is actually the love interest, no matter how much the characters may seem to fight it.  In a well done cozy any romance is developed off to the side and over time.  

3.  In a well done cozy, the plot turns are somewhat unexpected and surprising.  I don't demand that I actually gasp in surprise as I read, but it's a nice touch.  Any part of any story that takes a somewhat unexpected turn is a welcome one.  In a poorly done cozy, the plot turns are often extremely predictable.  Going into an empty house alone if you are accompanied female - and nobody knows where you are - is a big no-no!  It takes a spectacular writer to pull off the female alone in the woods/house/old building.  Just don't do it.  Please.

5.  Subversiveness.  In a well done cozy, the main character often has a bit of a subversive element.  Think of the original cozy character, Miss Marple.  Miss Marple was dismissed because of her age and her knitting and her nosy ways, but unseen by everyone else she saw everything.  She is not someone to be toyed with.  A modern example of this would be Elaine Viets' Helen Hawthorne.  Because Helen works "dead end" jobs, she is as unseen as Miss Marple - and just as dangerous.

6.  Finally, what's good about cozies?  What makes them worthwhile?  Like every kind of well done writing, there's some kind of discovery to be made.  Because the discoveries in a cozy may seem to be more small scale - they often unearth the secrets of domestic life  - they are dismissed, just like Miss Marple.  But I think that's a mistake.  Cozy writers are chronicling life as we are living it.  Just as Agatha Christie was a master at dissecting manners and class in a light way, many excellent contemporary cozy writers are doing the same thing.  The themes may seem small, but sometimes they are the biggest of all.  As my brilliant husband once said of one of Celia Fremlin's characters, she may have been a doormat, but the doormat is the toughest mat in the house.

Who are your favorites?  I have mine, and like everyone else's, I bet it's a pretty personal and idiosyncratic list.  I'd love to know.

Comments

[Dorte H]

Very useful post as I finished my first cosy manuscript recently - and I haven´t read that many of the genre, because I think it is difficult to find the gems. So I for one would love to see your personal and idiosyncratic list. Based on your criteria above, it sounds as if you have a great taste.

A favourite writer of mine is Elizabeth Spann Craig, and last week I read my first Tess Monaghan mystery by Laura Lippman (The Girl in the Green Raincoat). A delicious experience from the very first sentence.

[Robin Agnew]

I love Laura Lippman though I wouldn't call her a cozy writer. Top notch cozies on my list would include Denise Swanson, Elaine Viets, Donna Andrews, the supreme Margaret Maron, Sharon McCrumb (McPhearson series), Sarah Stewart Taylor, Ellen Hart, Julia Spencer-Fleming,and Louise Penny though the last 3 are on the darker side. And I would put Patricia Wentworth in this category perhaps more firmly than Christie - Agatha's body count is pretty high!

[Lori]

Just read my first Louise Penny and I might have a crush. Thanks for the list.

[Robin Agnew]

That is NOT surprising, Lori!

[Jeff Cohen]

Ahem!

[Karen Russell]

Can I add another rule? I think cozy writers have to play fair, which includes not getting too sad or too serious (or at least not without bringing it back around to a happy ending) -- I'll read a noir mystery if I'm looking for that.

[Robin Agnew]

Jeff, you WILL notice I listed women - men get their due! But I do enjoy your books very much and sell them often. As to the dark stuff, I agree - I think it's more of a tone issue. If you throw child abuse into a cozy it's just weird. Different universe, different rules. But there are hard to categorize in between writers. For example, the resolution in Louise Penny's latest novel is VERY dark and disturbing and sad. But I would overall put her into the cozy - or traditional - category. Same with Julia Spencer-Fleming, whose next book is about PTSD (and it's terrific).

[Elaine Viets]

Robin, thanks so much for mentioning my Dead-End Job mysteries, and in the same sentence Agatha Christie.
I like Joanna Carl's chocolate mysteries and there are no calories in those cozies.

[Robin Agnew]

I've always thought Helen's eating habits must be a fantasy for you - chips, white bread, etc. It's just another bit I enjoy about your books!