What is a Cozy Mystery Novel?

You may have heard of the term "cozy mystery" but what in the world does that mean? Somebody gets murdered and the murder gets solved. How can that be considered cozy?

Actually, we are not talking about getting a warm fuzzy feeling from the story or plot, or even the characters. This whole sub-genre of mystery fiction came about in the 1930's and 1940's when mystery authors were writing prolifically.

The coziness refers to the setting of where the cast of suspects is located, and also where the murder takes place. The suspects all know the victim and each other. Either they are all part of one family, or they are a group of friends or co-workers.

Then they all get trapped in basically a secluded spot. This is often someone's country home, a train or a resort. The suspects are typically a small number of people, like 8 to 10. And, of course, every one has a good motive for wanting the victim dead or at least out of the way.

Authors like Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers are popular examples of this kind of sub-genres. Think of novels like Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express. A dozen suspects are trapped on a single section of the train the Orient Express. It's up to the famous fictional detective, Hecule Piorot, to find out why and who killed the victim.

So next time you want to read a fun whodunit-style mystery, consider a cozy mystery. They are fun to read and you get the clues necessary to solve the crime.