About half of the books I’ve read and the TV shows I’ve watched in the past decade could be described as cozy historical series mysteries. It’s comforting to revisit familiar characters over and over. Often inserted into the chapters are descriptions of clothing ensembles and shoes, jewelry and guns inlaid with mother-of-pearl.
I love the style of Geraldine McEwan’s Marple as much as that of the more flashy Miss Fisher and Lady Gold. I also love the settings and will often make a map of the story’s locations in London or rural England, Melbourne, Boston, or New York.
Another cozy series I like that has a more contemporary setting is the Secondhand Sleuth series (no connection to my blog). The protagonist is always scouring resale shops and auctions, and the author features an essay on relevant collectibles after each story.
I am also re-reading the V.I. Warshawski mysteries by my favorite local author, Sara Paretsky. This is a series I’ve collected in hardcover and I’ve been to several readings of Sara’s over the years. V.I. is a hard-boiled detective—the stories are not cozy and often tackle social issues. I enjoy tracing her path through the Chicago neighborhoods and suburbs, those I know well and those that are new and fascinating to me.
One of my favorite recent spins on the female detective story (or maybe detective couple) in a sci-fi context is Mary Robinette Kowal’s The Spare Man, complete with a cocktail recipe for each chapter. I also really enjoyed her Regency fantasy series, The Glamourist Histories.
Speaking of detective couples, I could write a whole other post on that genre but for now I will just mention my love of The Thin Man movies, based on the writings of Dashiell Hammett, our New Year’s viewing tradition.
I’d welcome your recommendations for more novels, series and movies in these and related genres.
