COZY CRAZY

Cozy Mysteries are everywhere, just look around. Oh, they may not be labeled cozies but they are. A cozy mystery is the mystery without the blood, guts and gore. It’s Sherlock Holmes, Murder She Wrote, White Collar. It’s Castle and not Criminal Minds or those CSI shows.

Why are so many viewers and readers into the cozy thing? I think it’s a rebellion to all the violence around us that just weighs us down. When we turn on TV or read a book we want to escape. A lot of shows out there just scare the crap out of us and we are already scared. Just pick up a news paper.

That doesn’t mean we want mindless trivia, we still want to be surprised, we just don’t want to be shocked and disgusted and saddened. Bring on the cozies. No whack ‘em and hack ‘em stories with blood guts and gore everywhere but some fun. Remember that? When was the last time you laughed out loud over a book? Couldn’t wait to pick up a book to get back to the fun.

Who doesn’t love seeing Becket and Castle together solving crimes? Or the new BBC’s new Sherlock. That Sherlock is young and sexy and Dr. Watson is to die for. Then again I have a crush on Sherlock so I give him credit for everything mystery. Cozies deal with BFFs and getting the job done. White Collar has Peter and Neal. I love male friendships, the no man left behind attitude.

Cozy books deal with jobs we all want. There are books where the characters quilt, knit, make wine, cheese, wedding dresses, bake pies, dream up recipes and make fudge for everyone.

And then there’s the settings. Who would not want to live in Cabot Cove? Most mysteries are set in small towns and if they aren’t they’re set in the small area of a big city. Stephanie Plum is in the burg of New Jersey. I set my Consignment Shop Mysteries in Savannah. It’s like a character in the book. Settings matter.

I think my love of cozies started back in the day with Nancy Drew. I read The Secret of the Old Clock in the sixth grade, not exactly Mad Men era but close. I loved that Nancy Drew was smart and caring. I really loved that she was smarter than the guys. I wanted to be Nancy! Reading Nancy Drew was great for mystery and the ego. Nancy was self-sufficient and took charge of her destiny. It planted a seed that took root in enjoying mysteries and life.

So there you have it…why everyone is snapping up cozy mysteries or watching them on TV. Have you read one lately? Watched one? The new Sherlock? White Collar? Elementary? Let’s talk mysteries and why we love ‘em. Whats your new cozy mystery?

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Series: A Consignment Shop Mystery, #3
Publisher: Berkley (Prime Crime)
Released: March 4, 2014

It’s election time in Savannah, Georgia, and Judge Guillotine Gloria—aka Reagan Summerside’s mom—is neck and neck in the polls with Kip “Scummy” Seymour. But the already dirty campaign is about to get downright filthy—with one candidate getting buried six feet under…

With her strong opinions and knack for getting into trouble, Reagan is not an ideal volunteer for her mother’s alderman campaign. Plus, she’d rather be running her consignment shop, the Prissy Fox, and eating doughnuts with her dog, Bruce Willis. But when her mother’s opponent, Kip, is found poisoned and her mother is pegged as a suspect, Reagan nominates herself as lead murder investigator.

Reagan is intent on finding Kip’s killer and clearing her mother’s good name, but she soon finds herself on the bad side of Kip’s enemies-turned-suspects. This time, no amount of costumes and makeup can keep her inconspicuous and out of danger. Because the closer Reagan gets to the truth, the hotter things get…

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