Cozy mystery novels follow the classic mystery novel formula but walk a light-hearted path.  Bloody crime scenes?  Look elsewhere!  Tongue-in-cheek titles like Cheddar off Dead (from Korina Moss’s “Cheese Shop” mystery series) are synonymous with this “feel-good” literary genre.   

“Classic” cozies feature a lead female character who happens to own a bookshop, bakery, or antique store.  Maybe she’s returned to the village in which she was born, healing a damaged heart after a bad break-up, or she’s nursing a beloved aunt back to health.  Frequently, she’s part of a knitting group and owns a very smart cat or a loveable but clueless dog.   

A cozy heroine has good intuition and a knack for solving crimes.  (Often, she’s being romanced by the local detective.)  Over time the amateur sleuth becomes enamored of her neighborhood, peppered with quirky, colorful characters who evolve into loyal supporters and friends.   

 Recent, “edgier” cozies respond to the influence of popular books like Freida McFadden’s The House Maid and Spencer Quinn’s Chet & Bernie mysteries. However, high demand remains for classic-style “culinary” cozies because so many of them include recipes. Check out the following recipe-infused leads:  M.C. Beaton’s “Agatha Raisin” mysteries”; the “Singaporean” mystery series by Ovidia Yu; “Tita Rosie’s Kitchen” books by Mia Manansala, and Debra Senefelder’s “Food Blogger” culinary cozies. Don’t forget the “Hannah Swensen” mystery series by Joanne Fluke.  Her book pages are bursting with cookie and cake recipes!   

One culinary cozy sub-category is devoted exclusively to chocolate:  examples include the “Chocolate Magic” series by Olivia Swift; “Chocolate Centered” mysteries by Cindy Bell; and JoAnna Carl’s “Chocoholic” series.  (Carl gave readers a triple-chocolate trifecta in her Chocolate Cupid Killings mystery plot: she featured chocolate “tidbits” and Valentine’s Day – then added a seedy character named Derrick Valentine!) 

Cozies line the Adult Reference shelves at each of our three locations, but there are thousands of titles that could fill our entire square footage.  Inter-library loan is a great way to find books that MMSCL doesn’t carry.  If you’re a Libby user, an almost infinite choice of downloadable culinary cozies awaits your delighted perusal.    

Happy reading, cooking, and sleuthing!