When it comes to reading fiction, a wide range of books keep me entertained. I am particularly drawn to suspense and murder mysteries, and look forward to new releases by favorite authors. With their 2007 releases, these are Susan Wittig Albert (“Spanish Dagger”), Lisa Gardner (“Hide”), James Patterson (“The 6th Target), Richard North Patterson (“Exile”), John Grisham (“The Innocent Man”) and Carolyn Hart (“Set Sail for Murder”). It had been far too long since the last Henri O novel by Ms. Hart, so I was delighted with the arrival of “Set Sail for Murder.” I particularly identify with Henri O, being of similar age, independence, and nosiness. Thank goodness I haven’t had the same problems with stumbling upon dead bodies.
I recently discovered that a type of story I enjoy is called the Cozy Mystery, featuring an amateur detective, in a picturesque town or village, with characters I could envision having as neighbors or friends. Our heroine gets embroiled in solving the occasional murder, while she runs a tea shop (Laura Childs), herb shop (Susan Wittig Albert), bakery shop (Joanne Fluke), needlecraft shop (Monica Ferris), bookstore (Carolyn Hart), coffeeshop (Cleo Coyle), a catering service (Diane Mott Davidson), trains and shows dogs (Laurien Berenson), inherits a business (Katie Fforde), reports the news in Maine (Leslie Meier), or an antique picker (Sharon Fiffer, Lea Wait). There’s even a PR whiz who is ably assisted by her feline sleuth Midnight Louie (Carol Nelson Douglas). Match up with an interest of your own, and you’re hooked.
LibraryThing describes cozies as mysteries for those who don't mind finding a body in the library as long as the blood doesn't get on the carpet.
CozyLibrary.com says: Picture an overstuffed chair, comfortable enough to sit in for hours. Imagine a cup of tea or cocoa steaming on a nearby table. You might even hear gentle rain making music on your windows. It’s the perfect afternoon to be indoors. Now put a book in your hand, but not just any book, a Cozy Book, one chock-full of kind-hearted characters, with a terrific story masterfully told, and a satisfying, generally happy, ending. No explicit sex or violence, no wall-to-wall profanity. You’re now in the Cozy Library.
A chaise lounge on my shady deck, palm trees rustling nearby, works well also, with a cooling breeze off the Bay. Add a glass of iced green tea and it feels downright decadent.
A paperback donation to the library I manage brought Sue Henry’s Alaska-based mysteries to my attention. She has quickly moved to the top of my favorite-author list. She writes two series, both based in Alaska. One character is an Iditarod dog-sled racer, and the other is a Murder She Wrote-type senior citizen who roams wherever she pleases in an RV with her dachshund Stretch. Both are a nice change of pace from entrepreneurs, and both become involved in solving murder mysteries. Along the way the reader gets a delightful travelogue guaranteed to set you plotting a trip to the United State’s most northwestern state.
My first cozy love, as it turns out, is Lilian Jackson Braun’s “The Cat Who...” books, who are in a cozy category of their own. Series hero Jim Qwilleran is a columnist for his small town newspaper and has two extremely interesting Siamese cats, who manage to help him solve mysteries. You find yourself so thoroughly immersed in the community activities of this village “400 miles north of everywhere” you would swear you’ve lived there most of your life.
When you find yourself maxing out with hardcore murder mysteries or you need a break from nonstop suspense, seek out a cozy. I find I can handle a Stephen King or a Dean Koontz much better if I sandwich a couple of cozies in now and then. Happy reading!