Much as I love Jim Parsons, as a cozy mystery writer I have to say the definition wasn't complete. There is no overt violence or sex in a cozy. That's pretty much it.
Who in their right mind would ever classify Lawrence Block a "cozy" writer? Someone who only read the Burglar books, I guess. Whoever included him at that "cozy" website has never read Grifter's Game (aka Mona) or any of the Scudder books. I'm over the whole "cozy" label anyway. Can we please just bury it forever?
John, I'm reminded of how James' A Taste for Death has that long passage describing the slashed throats of the murder victims. How on earth that is "cozy" I don't see.
Still, it was to see PD James and Agatha Christie being discussed on a late-night chat show.
Thanks for posting this - amazing to hear people discussing any type of mystery, much less a cozy. I'm not done with the word description, although like the other commenters, I didn't think he was even close to defining it, except that they do seem to take place in small communities.
There is a tremendous range in "cozies" and I have been a fan for decades. I think that attempting to hammer mysteries into a static mold is just not fair to some stories that fall in between genres. Some of the "borderline" mysteries that merge cozy with police procedural, or otherwise, don't fit the mold, are entertaining to me.
I love the Tim Dorsey series with Serge Storms which has some graphic descriptions of murders, but the people who get it are so richly DESERVING of what happens to them, that I cheer for Serge. The associate characters are so sympathetic and funny that I laugh out loud many times. To me these fall into the near-cozy category because they are fun to read.
I t ink the "Cozy" Lawrence Block mystery JP describes is "Small Town" which actually takes place in Manhattan. The title's actually kind of ironic, because while all the characters do know one another, it's, you know, Manhattan.
I for one am a fan of cozy mysteries, though I have to confess that I have somewhat modified the definition of this genre according to my taste and preference. For my comprehensive version of the definition, please check out the INTRODUCTION of my blog: A COZY MURDER IS ANNOUNCED. http://acozymurderisannounced.blogspot.de/2015/01/introduction.html?m=1 Thanks...!
I'm all for scrapping the term "cozy" forever if it means never having to read reviews by adults that complain if a mystery isn't "cozy" enough and then go on to use the term "potty mouth". Writers shouldn't have to worry about such inane criticisms unless they're writing Christian or children's literature. Would agree that cozies are generally (though not always) less violent, certainly less explicitly so. It might be better to use the term "puzzle mystery" to describe Christie-style books - i.e. mysteries not too bogged down in forensics and with a stronger emphasis on the psychology/motive for the murder.
The cozier the mystery the better. Cozies are what I mostly read, but I do enjoy historical ones, especially if cozy. You can't bury the cozy term! We love our cozies, especially with animals and crafts. I would call Agatha Christie cozy or you can use the term traditional mystery.
I'm with Craig. Who makes the rules that certain mysteries are cozies, anyway? I certainly don't consider PD James a cozy writer!
ReplyDeleteThat was a great definition of a cozy. Love that Ferguson has authors on so often.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cozy-mystery.com/Definition-of-a-Cozy-Mystery.html
http://www.cozy-mystery.com/blog/if-youve-run-out-of-agatha-christie-mysteries.html
http://cozy-mysteries-unlimited.com/
Much as I love Jim Parsons, as a cozy mystery writer I have to say the definition wasn't complete. There is no overt violence or sex in a cozy. That's pretty much it.
ReplyDeleteI don't consider P. D. James a cozy writer either, but then I wouldn't call a lot of stuff Christie wrote "cozy" exactly.
ReplyDeleteFunny exchange between these two, however.
Who in their right mind would ever classify Lawrence Block a "cozy" writer? Someone who only read the Burglar books, I guess. Whoever included him at that "cozy" website has never read Grifter's Game (aka Mona) or any of the Scudder books. I'm over the whole "cozy" label anyway. Can we please just bury it forever?
ReplyDeleteJohn, I'm reminded of how James' A Taste for Death has that long passage describing the slashed throats of the murder victims. How on earth that is "cozy" I don't see.
ReplyDeleteStill, it was to see PD James and Agatha Christie being discussed on a late-night chat show.
I'm with John, can we please just bury the word cozy? Sasscer Hill
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this - amazing to hear people discussing any type of mystery, much less a cozy. I'm not done with the word description, although like the other commenters, I didn't think he was even close to defining it, except that they do seem to take place in small communities.
ReplyDeleteThere is a tremendous range in "cozies" and I have been a fan for decades.
ReplyDeleteI think that attempting to hammer mysteries into a static mold is just not fair to some stories that fall in between genres.
Some of the "borderline" mysteries that merge cozy with police procedural, or otherwise, don't fit the mold, are entertaining to me.
I love the Tim Dorsey series with Serge Storms which has some graphic descriptions of murders, but the people who get it are so richly DESERVING of what happens to them, that I cheer for Serge. The associate characters are so sympathetic and funny that I laugh out loud many times.
To me these fall into the near-cozy category because they are fun to read.
I t ink the "Cozy" Lawrence Block mystery JP describes is "Small Town" which actually takes place in Manhattan. The title's actually kind of ironic, because while all the characters do know one another, it's, you know, Manhattan.
ReplyDeleteIf P.D. James is a cozy writer than so is Sasscer Hill!
ReplyDeleteI for one am a fan of cozy mysteries, though I have to confess that I have somewhat modified the definition of this genre according to my taste and preference. For my comprehensive version of the definition, please check out the INTRODUCTION of my blog: A COZY MURDER IS ANNOUNCED.
ReplyDeletehttp://acozymurderisannounced.blogspot.de/2015/01/introduction.html?m=1
Thanks...!
I'm all for scrapping the term "cozy" forever if it means never having to read reviews by adults that complain if a mystery isn't "cozy" enough and then go on to use the term "potty mouth". Writers shouldn't have to worry about such inane criticisms unless they're writing Christian or children's literature. Would agree that cozies are generally (though not always) less violent, certainly less explicitly so. It might be better to use the term "puzzle mystery" to describe Christie-style books - i.e. mysteries not too bogged down in forensics and with a stronger emphasis on the psychology/motive for the murder.
ReplyDeleteLoving this blog. Anyone who loves Agatha Christie and Jim Rockford is A-OK in my book!
ReplyDeleteThe cozier the mystery the better. Cozies are what I mostly read, but I do enjoy historical ones, especially if cozy. You can't bury the cozy term! We love our cozies, especially with animals and crafts. I would call Agatha Christie cozy or you can use the term traditional mystery.
ReplyDelete