A murder at a retirement village solved by the residents? Sounds like a great plot for a mystery book. Several murders at a retirement village solved by the residents? Even better.
These plots are examples of “cozy mysteries,” a genre that's seen a boom in recent years. Nicole Lintemuth, the owner of bookstore Bettie’s Pages in Lowell, Michigan, first noticed an uptick during the pandemic when readers gravitated toward more lighthearted books. She's hosted readers every month at her virtual "Cozy Mystery Book Club" since 2021.
“They’re always kind of slightly ridiculous and I love that the genre leans into it,” Lintemuth says. “It doesn’t take itself super seriously.”
"Cozy mystery" is a subgenre of mystery books. In a cozy mystery, you’ve got the classic elements of the sleuth and the caper, but the blood and violence happen off the page. The person solving the crime is also not a seasoned detective – they're more likely to be a bookseller, baker or even a senior citizen. They also often have animal sidekicks and the stories take place in small towns, which adds to the oddity of the murders.
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Many cozy mysteries are series, letting the reader fall in love with these eccentric detectives through several escapades. And as the “cozy” suffix suggests, the books are meant to leave the reader feeling warm and fuzzy even if the plot involves murder.
“Murder doesn’t sound cozy,” says Michelle Vega, an executive editor at Berkley, an imprint of Penguin Random House. “You can know that something horrible happens but then things will be put right again by the end and that you’re going to laugh along the way, you’re going to be charmed, you’re going to enjoy that journey.”
Cozy mysteries make a great read for anyone who loves a traditional mystery but also wants to be able to sleep at night.
“I love mysteries, but I’m a giant baby,” Lintemuth says.
The genre is particularly character-driven. Because they aren’t in law enforcement, the protagonists' amateur detective skills make them loveable and endearing. You’re along for the ride with a character who knows probably as much about solving a murder as you do (in the first book, at least). And in recent years, casts of characters have become more popular than a singular lead.
“When I first started (editing), it was a lot of this singular amateur sleuth going about and solving crimes, but now you’re seeing more of this ‘found family’ of sleuths, these people from different backgrounds or nosy neighbors that all come together and solve a crime together,” Vega says.
Popular examples include Richard Osman’s band of retirement village investigators in “The Thursday Murder Club” or even television's “Only Murders in the Building.” Notice a through line? Octogenarian operatives.
“You’re getting the wisdom and the experience that is comforting and is wonderful, but you’re also turning it on its head,” Vega says of the old-people-solving-murder trend. “The quiet grandma – she can come out and piece together why this person was killed.”
Cozy mysteries are also becoming more diverse. Lintemuth and her book club are prioritizing books by young, queer and BIPOC authors in a genre that older white women have long dominated. The audience for cozy mysteries is growing, as are the genre’s offerings.
“We’re getting younger authors who are more diverse … and we’re also starting to see them in more traditional trade paperback versus mass market,” Lintemuth says. “It’s really nice to see it being taken a little bit more seriously as a genre.”
Ready to dive into the cozy mystery genre? Here are some titles that Vega, Lintemuth and BookTok recommend:
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