Picture a charming village where the local café owner solves crimes while serving lattes and freshly baked scones. A calico cat snoozes in the front window (the cat may be a Watson when not napping). Then picture a dark cloud hovering over this charming village. You’ve just crossed the line from cozy mystery to edgy cozy mystery.
What is an edgy cozy? Let’s back up for a minute: what is a cozy?
Nancy J. Cohen, author of cozy mysteries and the how-to guide Writing the Cozy Mystery, offers this definition:
A cozy mystery can be defined as a whodunit featuring an amateur sleuth, a distinctive setting, and a limited number of suspects, most of whom may know each other. These stories contain no explicit sex or violence. While murder is usually the basis for the story, the focus of a traditional whodunit is on the solution rather than on forensic details of the crime scene. The story presents a puzzle that challenges readers to solve the mystery.
I think Nancy sums things up nicely. Now for the “edgy” sort of cozy (“traditional mystery” and “edgy cozy” are often used interchangeably): This term is sometimes used to describe books that maintain the elements of a traditional cozy—amateur sleuth, off-page violence, no explicit sex—but the tone is darker, the mood more realistic, offering more substance, shadow, grittiness, and suspense.
While some cozy mysteries have a light and fluffy tone, edgy cozies may be chilling (although probably not too chilling). Expect the stories to involve social issues and complex family dynamics, while retaining the puzzle-solving experience that readers of traditional cozies appreciate.
I love cozy cozies but prefer to read and write the edgy kind. The tagline for my Hazel Rose Book Group series is “cozy with a hint of noir.” Hazel is an amateur sleuth. And she has cats. There is humor, but it doesn’t alleviate the darkness that permeates the story and doesn’t lift until the killer is led away in handcuffs. I explore a range of issues that concern contemporary society—alcoholism, abortion, stem cell research, sex addiction, suicide, sin, salvation and, of course, murder—all viewed according to the religious and political beliefs of the characters. Any violence happens off-page and is minimally described. In one story, I have the killer picking up a weapon and then . . . I leave the aftermath to the reader’s vivid imagination. No grisly details. Sometimes a well-chosen word here or there will paint a complete picture.
Cozy authors are advised to avoid explicit sex, and many go so far as to pretend that sex doesn’t exist! The sex I write about occurs offstage and is all talk—remembered sex, reported sex, observed sex, hoped-for sex. As with violence, I let my readers’ imagination run wild. As for profanity, cozy authors beware—or your readers will flame you on social media! In edgy cozies, readers will tolerate a touch of salty language, so I may sprinkle a mild expletive—or two—into the dialogue.
This brings to mind a discussion I had with the editor (I’ll call her Nancy) of Murder at the Book Group, #1 in my Hazel Rose Book Group series (later re-released as Death Turns the Page).
Nancy advised me to ditch my swear words. I pointed out that I was trying for realism—people swear, some a little, some a lot, some only when “necessary.” After all, what does one say when stumbling over a dead body . . . “Oh, fudge”?
But Nancy said that my story was a cozy and that cozy readers frown on swearing. I was so new to the publishing world that I didn’t even know my book was a cozy. See, I was always thinking in terms of a traditional, edgy mystery.
All this said, regardless of what I’m reading or writing, what I value most is a good story with compelling characters and an interesting setting. And most readers feel the same way. They tell me they like my stories and they like Hazel Rose, so that’s of the most importance to me.
Selected authors of edgy cozies: Agatha Christie, Dianne Emley (Iris Thorne series), Gillian Roberts, Nancy Cole Silverman (Carol Childs series).
Maggie King is the author of the Hazel Rose Book Group mysteries. Her short stories appear in various anthologies, including Virginia is for Mysteries, 50 Shades of Cabernet, Deadly Southern Charm, Death by Cupcake, Murder by the Glass, First Comes Love, Then Comes Murder, and Crime in the Old Dominion.
Maggie graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and the Short Mystery Fiction Society. She has worked as a software developer, retail sales manager, customer service supervisor, web designer, and nonprofit administrator. She has called New Jersey, Massachusetts, and California home. These days, she lives in Richmond, Virginia, with her husband, Glen, and mischievous cat, Olive. All these jobs, schools, and homes have gifted her with story ideas for years to come.
Website: http://maggieking.com/
