Murder mysteries are killing it, according to recent book sales and TV ratings. The genre is one of America’s most popular and the so-called sub-category of “cozy mystery” has especially “seen a boom in recent years,” according to USA Today, in that it “combines crime with comfort.” Leaning into that appeal, MASTERPIECE has two new cozy titles on its fall schedule.
So, bone up now on the conventions of the cozy mystery, its storied history, splinter themes, and more. For sport, download our Cozy Mystery Bingo Card and flag cozy tropes while watching Moonflower Murders Sunday nights through October 20th and The Marlow Murder Club, premiering October 27th, both at 9/8c.
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What is a Cozy Mystery?
There’s no strict definition for the cozy mystery, though the main rule of thumb seems to be that the story contains no graphic violence and generally, no swearing or sex. These are more lighthearted crime narratives—you won’t be so disturbed that you need to sleep with lights on. A focus on plot and character development ensures a predictable and reassuring experience offering escapism without being too heavy.
Importantly, the cozy mystery’s protagonist is an amateur sleuth who uses intellect and life experience to solve a case. Think Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple. These affable amateur detectives typically have an emotional investment behind their probing. They also know their neighbor’s quirks and habits, elicit confidences, and ultimately work out the solution before law enforcement does.
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What are the Characteristics of a Cozy Mystery?
Besides a crime-solving amateur sleuth, cozy mysteries enjoy other appealing conventions. The stories have humor, idiosyncratic secondary characters, and closeknit communities where everyone knows each other. The victim is generally unlikeable. While the amateur detective may have some “in” on the police force, officers find them meddlesome. And there’s often a quaint or charming element—an animal sidekick, for example. Cozies are usually fast-paced and involve at least one unexpected turn of events and red herrings to distract us. And we can count on things being put right again by story’s end.
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How did Cozy Mysteries Evolve?
Cozies harken back to a literary era between World Wars known as the Golden Age of Detective Fiction when writers (often British) like Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, G.K. Chesterton, and Ellery Queen published classic “whodunnit” detective novels. Their work playfully misleads readers while simultaneously encouraging them to solve the crime alongside the protagonist. Remote settings like an English country house or an abandoned island were featured, as well as a short-list of suspects from distinctive upper-class professions, and bodies discovered in unlikely places.
Agatha Christie is now considered the ‘Mother of Cozy Mysteries,’ though the cozy term wasn’t coined until the late 20th century. National Cozy Mystery Day is observed on her September 15 birthday.
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What are Some Cozy Mystery Themes?
The cozy sub-category of crime stories runs wide and deep, from historical cozy mysteries to romance and paranormal cozies. Cozy book series feature professions ranging from beauticians and bookstore owners to teachers; share themes like pets, cooking, and holidays; and showcase hobbies such as genealogy, knitting, and travel. There’s sure to be a niche cozy mystery series that includes whatever you’re interested in—besides murder, of course.
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Stream Cozy Mysteries with PBS Passport
An on-demand library of cozy MASTERPIECE Mystery! favorites is available with PBS Passport, an added benefit to local station members. Check out these titles (in alphabetical order):
Arthur & George stars Matin Clunes (Doc Martin) as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in a three-part miniseries telling the true tale of the famous author’s pursuit of a miscarriage of justice at the turn of the 19th century.
Death Comes to Pemberley picks up with Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice characters six years later in a whodunnit based on P.D. James’ bestseller. Matthew Rhys (Perry Mason, The Americans) and Anna Maxwell Martin (Philomena, The Bletchley Circle) lead the cast.
Elizabeth is Missing stars two-time Academy Award®–winner Glenda Jackson as an older woman determined to find her missing friend before her own dementia erases all clues. Jackson earned both 2020’s International Emmy Award and 2020’s British Academy of Film and Television Arts Award for her performance in this adaptation of Emma Healey’s acclaimed novel.
Grantchester is a beloved period crime drama with nine seasons already under its belt. In this seemingly quiet 1950s Cambridgeshire village, police detective Geordie Keating (Robson Green) and the resident vicar-turned-sleuth (James Norton, Tom Brittney, and Rishi Nair, respectively) are always on the case.
Magpie Murders offers a beguiling mystery-within-a-mystery and novelist Anthony Horowitz adapted his bestseller for the small screen himself. The miniseries stars Lesley Manville (World on Fire, Phantom Thread, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris) as editor turned amateur sleuth Susan Ryeland and Tim McMullan (Patrick Melrose, Foyle’s War) as world-famous fictional detective Atticus Pünd. (The upcoming Moonflower Murders is a sequel.)
