This immediately appears to be an oxymoron. How can crime be cosy? A contradiction in terms surely but actually this has long been a recognised moniker in the publishing world. As so often happens it is fairly easy to identify but rather tricky to actually explain. Sometimes this is written with a z as Cozy Crime. An Americanism? I’m not sure but I find it annoying so I will continue to use an s! Possibly this new genre is a version of the ‘Golden Age’ of crime that is associated with the 1920s and 30s; the between the wars writing of authors like Margery Allingham, Dorothy L Sayers, Ngaio Marsh and the redoubtable Agatha Christie, who gave us the memorable amateur detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. There are many similarities: imposing manor houses, pleasant country village locations and many totally unqualified sleuths, sometimes working with the police detective and sometimes working distinctly without their approval. Also, quite importantly, there is a distinct lack of graphic violence and gore.
There are a growing number of writers who today are jumping on the cosy crime bandwagon, probably the best known is Richard Osman, already famous for several television programmes and now amazingly popular with ‘The Thursday Murder Club.’ This book was published in 2020, as it so happened, just ready for lockdown reading! There are now four more books with ‘The Impossible Fortune’ coming out very recently. I have read the first story and watched the film. For those who are unfamiliar with the setting (does that apply to anyone I wonder?!) all the stories take place in a peaceful, very posh, retirement village. Among the various activities available, Elizabeth runs a Thursday Murder Club, where with Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron they aim to solve cold case murders. When a brutal killing actually takes place on their doorstep, they are obviously well placed to get involved and find the culprit. I have to say the police detective is written as a rather slow character, played well in the inevitable film by Daniel Mays. I quite enjoyed the book and the film but do not feel inclined to explore further.
Another Richard, Richard Coles, has found writing cosy crime a good fit after his time working as a Church of England priest. I won’t comment directly on that statement! As I opened ‘Murder Before Evensong’ I found myself laughing out loud on the first page. Should a toilet be put into the Vicar’s church with some pews being removed to make room? Should a contactless card machine be put in, etc etc. Richard Coles has lived and worked within the Church of England for most of his life so that he is well acquainted with all its foibles. I wonder how many PCC meetings he presided over in his time, coping with different views and opinions and particularly with the painful business of change. Thus, I was quite liking this before any murder plot entered the scene.
This is really a whodunnit with added humour. The book explores village secrets and the concept of community, where divisions and factions can quickly happen and need a spirit of generosity in order to heal. A TV series is on its way.
The third book is Robert Thorogood’s ‘The Marlow Murder Club.’ This is the first in a quite extensive series by the writer of the television programmes ‘Death in Paradise.’ It is very strange to read in the first chapter that somebody was being taken to the Minor Injuries Unit in High Wycombe. This rather prolific writer obviously lives by the Thames in Marlow and confidently makes use of his immediate locality. The mood of the story is light and the reader is definitely expected to smile. However, I did find some of the characters to be rather stereotypical and the humour a little contrived. We all have different tastes and these books are extremely popular, so I suspect it is me who is out of step. It is often the case.
So, I have enjoyed my foray into cosy crime. I have been interested and I have laughed. If, though, in the future I want to read crime and quite frequently I do, I find I would head towards Susan Hill, Elly Griffiths or if I feel up for something a little darker, then Ian Rankin, (I know, I know, the last is certainly not cosy.)
It has been fun and if I had to read more of one of the three writers then it would be Richard Coles but this would be nothing to do with the murder plot, far more to do with his wry, observant commentary on the Church of England. Make your choice. Take your pick.
Happy reading