Cozy Mysteries Make Great Beach Reads

The independent publisher, Midnight Ink has developed somewhat of a reputation for the high number of cozy mystery writers it features in its catalog. Diehard cozy fans might enjoy visiting the Inkspot blog, where several Midnight Ink authors regularly post about writing, their books, and topics of general interest to book lovers.

The hallmark of a cozy is that it's fun. From the novels of Agatha Christie to Murder, She Wrote, cozy mysteries have won over generations of readers with their amateur sleuths, humor, and enjoyable plots. A cozy is a light mystery without significant blood or gore. A body is found but we don't witness the actual murder. The sleuth is often an amateur caught up by circumstances into solving the crime. The important thing is that at the end justice should be seen to be done and balance is returned to the world. Readers often take pleasure in the puzzle to be solved and the intriguing or eccentric characters and setting.

Despite their name, cozy mysteries do not need to be read in front of a roaring fire, but also make great beach reads.

Here are some recent cozies in Harford County Public Library for you this summer:
Handbags and homicide / Dorothy Howell
The anteater of death : a Gunn Zoo mystery / Betty Webb
Paper, scissors, death : a Kiki Lowenstein scrap-n-craft mystery / Joanna Campbell Slan
Murder walks the plank : a death on demand mystery / Carolyn Hart