A Perfect Day for a "Cozy" Mystery

It is a snowy day here in Duxbury and, as winter often affords us, perhaps a little more time for reading. During the winter months I often reach for books that are "heftier" than the selections I choose for beach reads or lazy summer afternoons. On my winter reading stack I try to catch up with the next in a series by my one of my favorite authors Daniel Silva (author of a spy thriller series) or the latest historical non-fiction by authors Doris Kearns-Goodwin or Erik Larson, who are great at weaving an interesting story around historical events. This season I have found myself browsing the mystery section of our library and intrigued by the "themed" titles and quicker reads of some of the series. Perfect for a wintry evening.

Our Mystery Section 

Browsing through the mysteries in our library you will notice a lot of themed titles such as, "The Body in the..." series by popular author Katherine Hall Page, culinary themed series by Johanne Fluke or Laura Childs, or "The Cat who.." series by Lillian Jackson Braun.  As you browse you will be amused by some of the titles, but don't be mislead. These  mystery genres often called "cozy mysteries" are read by patrons who are looking for something that want to engage them intellectually, but not filled with explicit violence, profanity or the more violent sexual abuse often found in popular thrillers. 

I have especially enjoyed and recommend "The No. 1 Ladies Detective Series" by Alexander McCall Smith set in Botswana.  The first of 18 novels in this series, I was intrigued by the Botswana culture and the main character in this series is full of joy.

Exploring the "cozy mystery" genre I looked up the most popular authors and read "The Cat Who Could Read Backwards by Lillian Jackson Braun . The title makes you think the story is based on a cat, however, the "intelligent" siamese Koko provides just another colorful character in this successful 16 book series with a journalist-detective as the main character. The "cozy  mystery" genre are written with character and setting developments first and then you uncover the "mystery" along with the characters.  This is drastically different from thrillers like "The Good Daughter" by Karen Slaughter (also highly recommended), which immediately begins with heart-pounding, "edge of your seat" action.  Alternatively, the writers of "cozy mysteries" engage you for the long-run involving you in a community of people that are relatable and likable, weaving a story with different themes that attract us through our hobbies, interests or maybe just amusement.  You are drawn to the often small, idyllic village setting and the characters engage you to read more of the series.

One of the most popular series in our Mystery section is Louise Penny's "Chief Inspector Armand Gamache" series. Her 2017 release "Glass Houses" as well as many of her previous releases have been New York Times Bestsellers.  "Still Life" is the first book of the series. I would recommend starting with the first book of any "cozy mystery" series, because the characters often refer to previous cases in the earlier books. In "Still Life" I was engaged by the Canadian setting, the interesting characters and their relationships and friendships. The story was a well crafted mystery and the book was filled with fabulous quotes.

For another well loved classic in this genre and regaining popularity due to the release of the movie "Murder on the Orient Express",  Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple series continue to entertain.  Patrons have enjoyed comparing the books with the TV DVD series found on Hoopla and in our DVD collection.

Looking for your next read on a cozy wintry day?   Come in and browse our mysteries.

Note: The Duxbury Library separates detective mystery books from thrillers and shelves them as Mysteries. All Fiction books are on our main floor that has the circulation desk and are alphabetized by author.  Mysteries are in a separate section found after general Fiction.  Most of the series have been numbered so you can easily identify which book is the first in a series. If you are not sure, ask us at the circulation or reference desk or look up the author in Fantastic Fiction.