|
|
What Happened to the Quaint Village or Small Town in Cozy Mysteries?
When cozy mysteries first started out as a sub genre of mysteries, one of the "requirements" was a homey village (or small town) which provided the perfect setting for a tight-knit group of characters to congregate and co-mingle.
Why Is the Small Town No Longer the Cozy Mystery Setting?
As our small hometowns became larger and more congested, the cozy mystery had to either stop existing as a mystery genre or adapt to the changing times. More and more small towns became suburbs due to the massive sprawling-out that has taken place. As cities over-crowd and violence escalates, people who can afford to move to the small towns do so... which in turn changes the make-up of the small towns drastically. They slowly become suburbs of the cities, and neighbors no longer know each other. People are busy working in the cities so that they can afford to commute to the suburbs, not leaving a lot of time to get to know your neighbors!
Small Towns Turn Into Suburbs
Gone are the tight knit groups of people who knew everyone's business. The small "mom and pop" shops are closed down so that room can be made for the national supermarkets and department stores. The shops and businesses in the small towns that used to provide meeting places for friends and acquaintances to chat (and gossip!) about their goings-on (and those of other people!) have been replaced with places with service providers you don't know ringing up your purchases and saying the perfunctory/impersonal "Have a nice day." as you walk out to the huge black-top parking lot.
New Village and/or Small Town Settings in Cozy Mysteries
Rather than let the cozy mystery genre die out, the cozy mystery authors have come up with substitutions which really seem to work! The new "home settings" where everyone knows (and talks about!) everyone else are now businesses and social organizations.
Types of New Settings
Some of the businesses that cater well to the cozy mystery "small location" setting are bed and breakfasts, veterinarian offices, specialty shops (like craft and needlework shops), caterers, restaurants, libraries, and cleaning services.
Some of the social organizations include knitting clubs, church congregations, PTA groups, a gymnasiums, and weight loss groups. The possibilities are endless!
The new settings simply have to be places where the same group of people co-exists and where there is some type of hierarchy. At a catering business, the owner stands in as what used to be the village's or the small town's mayor in the cozy mystery. In a knitting group, the leader takes the place of the old cozy mystery mayor. In a bed and breakfast setting, the owner is the mayor. You can continue on down the list, substituting the leader of any particular group with what used to be the mayor of the village/small town.
As you can see, the cozy mystery's new small town/village setting is alive and well! Any business or social organization can provide the perfect settings for this highly entertaining sub genre of the mystery novel!
About the Author Discover a chronological list of mystery authors' books at the Cozy Mystery Book List. The Cozy Mystery Book List provides books in series order for more than a thousand mystery book authors. Also, don't miss the Cozy Mystery Blog.
|
 |
Please Rate: |
|
Rating: |
 Processing ... |
(Average: Not rated) |
| Views: | 107 | |
|
| More Articles from Book Reviews | | |
| Top Articles in Book Reviews | | |
|
