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| Drunkard's Path Quilt Block Directions at Egg Money Quilts by Eleanor Burns |
This month, the Quilters' Book Club is reading and discussing A Drunkard's Path by Clare O'Donohue, the second of her Someday Quilts Mystery Series. We'd love to have you join us. Grab the book from your local library and start reading! If you want to read it on your Kindle, click here.
A Drunkard's Path is considered a cozy mystery. This wonderful site http://www.cozy-mystery.com/ defines just what a cozy mystery is:
1. “The crime-solver is usually a woman who is an amateur sleuth.”
2. “Although the cozy mystery sleuth is usually not a medical examiner, detective, or police officer, a lot of times her best friend, husband, or significant other is.”
3. “The local police force doesn’t take the amateur sleuth very seriously.”
4. “Cozy mysteries are considered ‘gentle’ books … no graphic violence, no profanity, and no explicit sex. Most often, the crime takes place ‘off stage’ and death is usually very quick.”
5. “The cozy mystery usually takes place in a small picturesque town or village.”
6. “Cozy mysteries tend to be fast-paced, with several twists and turns throughout each book. There are usually several red herrings to provide distracting clues to the reader.”
7. “The cozy mystery puts an emphasis on plots and character development.”
8. “A cozy mystery is often part of a series.”
Which of these aspects of a cozy mystery is most important to you? Inquiring minds want to know! By commenting, you'll be entering to win a copy of A Time for Peace (Quilts of Lancaster County) by Barbara Cameron. The more posts you comment on, the greater your chances of winning. If you are reading this via email, you must click on the title of my blog post to be able to comment and read the comments of others. The winner will be announced on April 1.
You might also enjoy reading my previous blog post Gold Nuggets Quilt Block and a Song for Sunday.
I was not familiar with the term "cozy" in relation to mysteries. Now I see that most of the mysteries I enjoy fit the criteria of cozy. I'm not sure I could say which aspect I most like but I like the pace and characters without the garbage ... language. sex and otherwise. It takes a good plot to sell me on a story. Considering the very first book I read for pleasure was a Nancy Drew mystery, ... maybe I have just moved to more adult Nancy Drews!
ReplyDeleteLike Julie, I don't like the graphic details - sex, language, blood and guts. But I do like puzzles and jigsaws and mysteries, so I guess my preference is very much along the "cozy" mystery lines. I like subtle plot developments, with devious secondary red herrings. Looking forward to reading this. I have ordered it on an inter-library loan. One of my favourite authors is Elizabeth George, and I am reading one of hers now.
ReplyDeleteI like those definitions of a cozy mysteries. I like the first one where the woman is an amateur sleuth the best. Nancy Drew, Dana Twins, Miss Marple....all of them.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the other comments. I like the puzzle of the mysteries without all the junk.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite characteristics of cozy mysteries are #5 & #7; the picturesque small villages and the character development. Except sometimes a favorite character isn't developed in the way I would like, though that can add interest (I'm thinking of the Louise Penny series right now).
ReplyDeleteI never would have described the mysteries I read as "cozy," but reading this list I realize that it's one of my favorite kind of book. Maybe by knowing it's a cozy mystery I can find more good books. I can't wait for my copy of A Drunkard's Path to arrive at the library.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that the cozy genre seems more a feature of the mystery novels scene in the US than in Australia, where I live, or the UK. We seem to read more mysteries that ficus on relationships and the psychology of the crime if we don't want graphic violence. I'm thinking of people like Minette Waters, Rurh Rendell, Ann Cleeves...
ReplyDeleteThere are so many characteristics that are important to me but probably the most important is number four. I do not care for graphic violence or sex in anything I read. Clare o'Donohoe is one of my favorite authors along with Elizabeth Craig, Monica Ferris and the author of the Lucy Stone series.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite cozy mystery is the Mrs. Pollifax series. NO ONE takes this grandma with wild hats and flyaway hair seriously. As a spy, that is in her favor. She stuns everyone who learns what she is. I also like that there isn't sex, language, or graphic violence. I also love that some of the characters she meets come back in later books sometimes. I love the quilting on your block. I really do need to pull my Egg Money quilt out and finish it.
ReplyDeleteHmmmm, never heard of a cozy mystery. Wondering minds want to know more! I love a mystery, and making a mystery quilt is so fun, so perhaps I will add a cozy mystery to my favorite list!
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ReplyDelete4. “Cozy mysteries are considered ‘gentle’ books … no graphic violence, no profanity, and no explicit sex. Most often, the crime takes place ‘off stage’ and death is usually very quick.”
Is what I like.