Would you believe that I had never heard the term "cozy mystery" until very very recently?!
According to Wikipedia, a cozy mystery also referred to as a "cozy," belongs to a subgenre of crime fiction in which sex and violence occur off stage, the detective is an amateur sleuth, and the crime and detection take place in a small, socially intimate community.
I worked as a bookseller AND have an English Lit degree, and I had never heard this term?! I just don’t know how this is possible given I love ANYTHING that takes place in a small town (see: my rabid consumption of the entire Virgin River series earlier this year). Plus I love anything where the protagonist runs a bakery/chocolate shop/candy shop/bookstore (see: Jenny Colgan). So Joanne Fluke’s “Murder, She Baked” series featuring professional baker and amateur detective Hannah Swensen was bound to be right up my alley and a great introduction to the cozy mystery genre. I wasn’t disappointed with the first in the series, Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder. I enjoyed meeting the quirky cast of characters living in Lake Eden, Minnesota, and while the murder plot was slightly predictable, its resolution was still satisfying. I love that the author includes recipes for items from Hannah’s bakery, The Cookie Jar, in the book, and I had a go at making Chocolate Chip Crunches - a yummy chocolate chip cookie with cornflakes in it to make it crispy! I think I’ll try to bake something from every book as I go! Lucky friends are going to get all this baking; I don’t want it all in my house or I’ll just keep snacking! OK, OK, maybe I’ll keep a little...just for a taste...