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Cozy Mystery Series: When Is Enough Enough?!?

I received a really interesting letter from Jack asking me to write an entry that poses a two-part question for you all. I am going to break the question up, and post the second part in my next entry. So, here’s part A of Jack’s topic/question:

“…There is a question (parts A and B) I would like to hear responses from you and your readers about though.  I’m hoping you’ll consider this topic as one of your blog posts!  Since cozy mysteries have been around for such a long time, with so many themes, detectives, settings, etc., is there anything, in any category, that you or your readers feel they’ve had enough of?  (Too many cooking themes or quilting themes, etc.,)… “

Now, I know that a lot of people will clearly disagree with me, as there are many authors who are going this very popular route… BUT… I have read all of the Lily Bard Mystery Series… Lily was one of my favorite characters. Unfortunately for me, Charlaine Harris retired Lily in 2001, the very same year that Harris introduced us to Sookie Stackhouse, a Southern Vampire. YIKES!!!

I have to admit that I never made it through one television episode of Buffy, the Vampire… I tried several times to embrace the show, but just didn’t “get it.” It’s not like I don’t “like” vampires! I don’t know how many Halloweens have gone by when I didn’t treat myself to the original (to me!) Count Dracula… Bela Lugosi >>>[I was happy to see Lugosi immortalized by Tim Burton in Ed Wood. I told you I’m a big Tim Burton fan!]

Anyway, getting back to Jack’s question… I don’t mean to step on any toes out there, and never having tried a paranormal mystery series I KNOW I shouldn’t say this, but I would absolutely love it if “paranormal authors” like Charlaine Harris would resume their non-paranormal mystery series… I’m not asking that they drop their paranormal duties… not when paranormal is so popular…

Maybe, what I should do is listen to Mikey’s brothers: “Let’s let Mikey try it.” Who knows! Remember the outcome, once Mikey opened his mind to try something new:  “He likes it! Hey, Mikey!”

Please post a comment if there is a Cozy Mystery theme which you think has been done, done, and then re-done too many times…

Comments

  1. I don’t think there are enough paranormal cozies. It is my favorite topic, especially the ghosts.
    I think there are too many knitting cozies.

    Reply

    • Michelle, I know that a lot of people agree with you about the paranormal cozies. When I wrote this entry and included my paranormal comments, I thought about a lot of the authors who write the paranormal mystery series. I am guessing that they didn’t enjoy the same success when they were simply writing “normal” (versus paranormal) cozies. There is certainly a strong following of all things paranormal today…

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  2. I loved Harris’ Aurora Teagarden series, maybe because I’m a librarian, too. I agree, though. The vampire thing is way overdone! Another thing I’ve had enough of is cute pets who solve mysteries.

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  3. I thought about the question for a while. With all the books being published in the cozy mystery genre, it’s got to be hard for authors to come up with original themes or protagonists. I guess if I have a peeve, it’s the books where the main character is constantly being imposed on by other people, and she puts up with it and does what they want. Grrrrrr. I generally don’t bother reading past the first few chapters.

    I’ve seen some absolutely terrific “play on words” titles, but that starts to get old if everyone tries it.

    (One more thought … I do not like paranormal mysteries.)

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    • I disagree, the punny titles are what gets me to read a cozy in the first place. I hate when authors phone in some generic title. Joanne Fluke’s titles come to mind, “The [insert dessert here] Murder” blegh!

      The Pennsylvania Dutch Mysteries are always good for the punny titles. “Butter Safe Than Sorry.”, “The Hand that Rocks the Ladle.” Awesome!

      Good puns are quite difficult to come up with, so I take it as an indication of the contents inside. Usually I’m not wrong.

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  4. I too love the paranormal subgenre but agree that vamps are getting overdone. I like when it’s something original like Mary Stanton’s Angels series. I’m a little tired of seeing foodie mysteries. You know chefs, caterers, bakery’s etc… I like the crafter types also but would like to see some more non knitting ones. Personally, I can’t stretch my imagination enough to read the cute pets as investigator type mysteries so I would have to agree no more of those, lol.

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  5. Danna, thank you so much for blogging about my question! I’ve been a LONG time reader/lurker but haven’t posted because everyone here is so fun and thorough in their comments that I didn’t feel I had anything to add.

    And thank you to those who are responding. I love cozies. Being a man, I don’t admit to it much because people expect guys to like the more violent and fast paced novels. There’s enough gruesome stuff going on in the world that I thoroughly enjoy quaint settings, mild-mannered mysteries and quirky characters!

    I must admit, I’ve never read a paranormal or vampire cozy. I’m not into vampires and I don’t understand how there can be a paranormal cozy! (Any recommendations for my first?)

    I never tire of librarian or cooking sleuths, personally. The only animal ones I loved were from The Cat Who… series. Knitters and quilters are good in small doses. But, if it’s a cozy, I’ll read it! (Except perhaps the vampires!)

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    • Welcome to the site, Jack. It’s nice to see you posting a comment. I feel like this is one of the places where I actually see people reading other people’s comments, and responding to them. I visit several boards where it looks like people post their comments into the “internet’s outer space,” and no one actually reads them… I am really grateful for the interaction that the Cozy Mystery site readers seem to have.

      My husband enjoys Agatha Christie and Ngaio Marsh >>> two of the first Cozy Mystery authors. He also enjoys listening to Brother Cadfael (Ellis Peters) as he drives to and from work. But, I know what you mean about authors who write mysteries traditionally thought to be for men… a lot of explicit situations and language and truly unrealistic female characters.

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  6. My favorite mysteries are cat sleuths. The food thing is overdone and the vampire thing is also too common.
    I do like ghosts, witches and psychics. I also like the humorous mysteries.

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  7. Hi Suzy, looks like you are in luck! There are a lot of cat sleuths and it seems like the paranormal list of authors is increasing every day.

    I, too, enjoy the humorous mysteries. But, sometimes, if I feel like an author simply tries to hard to be funny, I drop the author altogether. There is something about forced humor… Of course, I could be wrong about the author trying too hard. I know of a few humorous authors who are best sellers, who I simply cannot read. Judging by the size of their fan bases, I am in the very minuscule minority!

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    • I never thought about that, Danna. Humor seems to naturally be a part of traditional cozies… at least to me. I love a good quirky character! If humor is forced it can be like fingernails on a chalkboard, though.

      What’s interesting to me is how cozies can be so intricately defined as to what makes a cozy but also vary widely in their range of topics.

      Is it the mystery that makes it a cozy? Consider Jan Karon’s Mitford series. No murders there. Only the casual goings-on of the quirky characters in a quaint small town. Same with the Boo series by Rene Gutteridge (a favorite of mine). (Boo, Boo Who?, Boo Hiss and Boo Humbug!) They have all the appearance of a cozy but without the mystery. So, is it the mystery that makes a cozy?

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      • I definitely think that Jan Karon’s Mitford series is a Cozy… even with no crimes to solve, it just has that coziness factor. Same with Alexander McCall Smith… I don’t think the crimes are what matters in the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series. I know that Precious and Grace are detectives, but the “feel” of the novels is what makes me think of them as Cozy material.

        (And, thanks for telling us about Rene Gutteridge!)

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        • That’s really interesting, Danna. So a cozy, for you, is more about being a feel good read than it is about having a mystery to solve? Honestly, I like that definition better than it having to be about the mystery. (Being that it’s a subgenre of mysteries, I always assumed it’s about the mystery.)

          I highly recommend Rene Gutteridge novels! Her books are just pure FUN! She’s a Chrisitan author but her books are definitely not preachy. The main character is a great cook but it’s not over-emphasized. At least not that I remember. She’s got a couple of character that are an absolute RIOT!

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  8. I love reading most cozies. I like the Haunted Bookstore Mysteries but am not a fan of the vampire etc… ones. Not sure I just couldn’t get into the subgenre. I find that I like a cozy ( cat, cooking, craft etc..) if I find the characters likable and a good story is told in the process.

    Reply

    • So true about the characters needing to be likable, Denise. And, of course, a good plot.

      There have been a few authors who I have tried to read, but because of their unlikable characters, I haven’t been able to make it to my “page-50-rule.” (When I try a new mystery, I try to read to at least page 50 before deciding not to continue.)

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  9. Danna: I love reading the comments here. We all have our own tastes, but we want to see what others like, too. I think Jack hit the nail on the head as to why I love “cozies”. I am reading “Southern Fried” by Cathy Pickens, because it takes place at Thanksgiving (I’m sure I first heard about it here). It has my kind of humor, which adds to the enjoyment.

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  10. I have also read and enjoyed Charlaine Harris’ mysteries (not the Sookie Stackhouse series). I wish she would add to these. I am kind of tired of reading the animal mysteries and mysteries where the main characters (mostly women) are portrayed as clumsy (One in particular is Diane Mott Davidson’s Goldy). I am also not a fan of the paranormal mysteries.

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  11. Okay, I like’m! The paranormal cozies are okay with me so long as they aren’t overdone. IMO, Charlaine Harris did great with the first 3 of the Sookie mysteries. BUT…then they turned more into paranormal romances with different guys each book because *everyone* loved Sookie…I didn’t read any past 5 and I skipped 4. Or maybe I read six and skipped 4 and 5.

    I read other paranormal mysteries too– Kay Hooper and…Oh what is the name of the Southern Belle with her aunt as a ghost. I read the first three and enjoyed them.

    I don’t mind vampires so long as they are the bad guys or just…investigators or what have you. They canNOT be part of the romance. Let’s face it–the guy is dead. He can’t be up in the daytime so who is going to empty the garbage? Sit on the porch and sip tea and eat cake on on bright sunny afternoon? For that matter, I’m guessing the vamp isn’t going to be too keen on Lemonade or chocolate (Two of the finer things in life) so what is the point? Any romance is dead on arrival, right there!

    :>)

    As for other cozies, it’s all in the writing. Keep me involved, make me care about the characters and you can knit, you can cook, you can scrapbook. Doesn’t matter!

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    • Maria, I have to admit that I sought out Monica Ferris because she writes the Needlecraft Mystery Series. I am so glad that I did! Monica Ferris is one my personal favorite Cozy Mystery authors now… and I’m not sure I would have “found her” if I hadn’t been attracted to her needlework theme in the first place. Her characters and plots keep me coming back for more!

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  12. Paranormal, in my store, is never in “Cozy Mysteries,” I understand the popularity today, but Cozy and Scarry do not sound comfy to me; however, if I could choose I’d take more Mrs. Polifax and Koko and YumYum and fewer lawyers, sheriffs and Police detectives. In all honesty, I must admit that I read everyone of them, Diane Mott’s recipes to James Patterson’s, “Witch & Wizard” series. But I’d put one down for a new Mrs. P or new Cat Who …
    Mary aka Twice Sole Tales, CA
    Living in snowing WA reading a Grisham’s book, but would put it down in a heart beat for one of the later.

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    • Mary, I know I shouldn’t do this, without actually having first-hand knowledge, but I agree with you about some of the vampire themes out there. I just don’t see how someone who dines on human blood can possibly be Cozy! Of course, as for the series which feature people who hunt blood-drinkers, well, then, maybe… as long as they don’t get too graphic about the goings-on.

      I remember years ago, my children read a very clever young children’s book about a little vampire boy who made it his mission to get his family to “eat” road-kill. It may sound like an odd book, but it really was good! (I wish I could remember the name of that book…)

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  13. Does the age of the sleuth make any difference to anyone? I have to admit that I like the older characters. With age comes experience, after all. And I like the fact that someone who’s older is still portrayed as able to have a productive life and not just be the feeble old dear who rambles, scuttles along or is hard of hearing. (I have a heart for seniors since I grew up with them.)

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    • You know, Jack, even when I was younger, I enjoyed a sleuth with some age on her/him. I mean, I remember reading Miss Marple while in my twenties, and loving her. Maybe that’s because growing up, my grandmother was by far my “mostest” favorite of all people… I didn’t grow up with her, but I had a connection with her that was by-far the strongest I had back then…

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    • I like the older slueths as well. Make them productive part of society and not a goofy bad driving ding bat. I also think that the main characters having the local police or FBI agent as a love interest has gotten a bit tiresome. But that is just me.

      I like some of the paranormal. Carolyn Hart has a ghost/angel series that is a real winner in my view.

      Good luck on the book Jack…

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  14. I love cat and dog stories. The only paranormal stories I like are for witches, psychics, and intuitives. I know vampires are all the fashion these days but I avoid zombies and vampires in my cozy reading.

    BTW, I discovered this site yesterday and am so excited. Thank you for all your hard work and sense of fun.

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    • Dee, from one new person to another, welcome! If you love cozy mysteries, you’ll love this place! I can’t tell you how many times I didn’t know what to read next. I’d come here and would start reading old posts and comments. It never failed to get me excited over one of the ladies’ recommendations. And they were always right!

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  15. I’m one of those people who loathe paranormal and vampire mysteries. Maybe it is because I don’t particularly like science fiction as a genre or maybe it is because it is so totally divorced from reality that I can’t take them seriously. Yes, I know that for most cozy mysteries you have to suspend belief a bit, but at least you can identify with the characters, whereas with paranormal or vampire mysteries I find that I can’t empathize with anyone.

    I agree with Marianne about cute pets who solve mysteries.

    Apart from the above, the only other authors that I find annoying are the American/Canadian/Australian/etc. authors who insist on writing cozy mysteries set in England (usually involving country house murders) where they get the details all wrong. I’ve read several perfectly good mysteries which have been ruined by sloppy research. However, I do realise that for the author’s home market the readers probably wouldn’t notice the mistakes.

    Jack, you are not alone in being a male cozy mystery lover. The two people that I most discuss mysteries with and swap titles and authors with are both men. In both cases we discovered our mutual interest quite by accident, but now the three of us regularly swap recommendations.

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    • Bless you, Carrie. I appreciate the encouragement! Even as a kid I leaned towards the wholesome, clean entertainment. Little House on the Prairie, The Waltons, etc., I think it was being raised around so many senior citizens that did that! But, to be honest, I’m so glad now because I had a pretty darn good life because of the advice I took from them. Even during the hard times, they taught me how to see past it and be patient.

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    • Carrie, I know what you mean about authors who set their series in a location that relies heavily on research! How many times have you heard the expression: “Write what you know.”?!? I wrote about my Indian Summer problem a while ago, and while I know the phrase has become more universal, I simply could NOT stop thinking about it as I tried to continue reading my book. It just annoyed me that much…

      A while back, I received a letter from a British woman who talked about this very problem. She said that a non-British author listed some breakfast items which would never have appeared in Great Britain. That really annoyed her, as it would have me!

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      • “Write what you know,” and “Write what you love to read,” are two popular sayings to wannabe writers (like myself). And they’re true.

        All writing requires research, though. No one can know everything about every place. When they get the details right, the reader should feel as though they’ve had a glimpse of the place. When they get the details wrong… ooh boy! It’s highly doubtful that author will have many readers giving them a second chance.

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  16. I love cozies, I agree with more crafting types, quilting, sewing etc, there are so many crafts out there.
    Paranormal, take it or leave it, but I do like Aunt Dimity (is that paranormal?), vampire no thanks, I have not been able to get past the first few pages.
    PS I absolutely love this site!!! Local library does not keep updated lists of new books being put out, and let’s face it, in these economical times it is too expensive to buy the books, so I count on our library system for my cozy addiction!!!

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  17. Jack:
    As a first paranormal cozy, I would recommend the Victoria Laurie Ghost Hunter series. Her Abby Cooper series is good too (psychic), but I’d really recommend the Ghost Hunter for your first foray…!

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    • Thanks for the recommendation, Sue. I’m interested to see what a paranormal cozy is like. Gosh, I may actually enter the 19th century yet with all the new things I’m trying! (I still make my bread every day from scratch and, although people like my bread, they think I’m one odd character for not buying it!)

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  18. I am with you. I don’t enjoy the paranormal cozies at all. I am not sure I understand the current fascination with vampires at all. Maybe it is a generational thing.

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  20. Just went on line to my county library web site and requested Boo by R. Gutteridge. It will probably be a couple of weeks because our system doesn’t have it but apparently one of the other 9 counties in SCLends does. I love the fact that my library system has access to books from other counties in the state- unless it is brand new and if it is not in your local system you have to wait 6 months before you can get it else where. Will try it. Always looking for someone new to add to my list.

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    • I’m so glad you requested Boo! When you get it, Denise, you will laugh at the first character in the book! I will only say that “they” are a determined soul!

      I’ve written to the author, Rene Gutteridge, a couple of times and she’s written back. She even makes herself available to book clubs who are discussing her books. The folks I know who had that experience said she was a lot of fun and very gracious. (She did them via speakerphone! Although, not with the advent of do-hickeys like Skype, I’m sure that’s a more desirable method for both parties.

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  21. Denise, it sounds like you have a very progressive and impressive library system. Years ago, ours would get interlibrary loans outside of our county. The last time I tried that, the person I spoke with didn’t know what I was talking about!

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  22. Paranormal doesn’t interest me enough to try. I do enjoy some of the animal-sleuth series, Joe Gray, PI series being a favorite (by Shirley Rousseau Murphy). Set in the fictitious California coast town of Molena Point that reminds me of Morro Bay, I take a trip in my mind with each book I read. Also, being a “feline-ophile” the concept of talking, literate cats is intriguing – not to mention that the problem of keeping this talent from becoming too well known adds another dimension. Rita Mae Brown & “Sneaky Pie Brown” write about an engaging group of critters (Mrs. Murphy series) – cats, corgis, and farm animals – who all understand English, just don’t speak it. In both series the critters can get into places and find out things that humans can’t. I enjoyed many of the Lillian Braun series, especially the quirky characters and names, but that last one I read had so little mystery (I knew who done it and who they would do it to as soon as the character was introduced) that I decided that after so very many books the series has run it’s course.

    Reply

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