It ignores gore. Murders take place out of sight, and details are few.
Cozy murder mysteries have been around a long time. They tend to
focus on the puzzle of how the murder was executed and by whom. We all remember Nancy Drews, Dorothy L. Sayers and Miss Marples of older pre-war detective fiction. The darker edge crept into crime fiction in
the 1940s and ’50s. It has grown and grown ever since until now we have two extremes - gentle cozy mysteries and hard-edged gory crime.
The modern popularity
of cozies is a bit of a surprise in this decade and they may be an antidote to the harsh conditions of the world today. They appeal to readers who may well understand that life can be harsh, but choose
to avoid the gore and pain in their reading. They want to enjoy crime fiction without worrying
that they will have nightmares about sadistic scenes and horrific murders and if they are accused of
looking away from the violence of real
crime, then so be it.
The cozy detectives don’t work late into the night or indulge in plain-speaking conversations with the forensic
experts. I've read that it isn’t unknown for a cozy sleuth to invite a suspect over for
supper, but I have not read that one. Readers of the harder crime fiction claim they seek reality.
They want news stories and documentaries that give the hard facts and want the same hard edge in their fiction; they say they
test their feelings against the harsh reality of crime.
.JPG)
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