Editor’s Note: Asiago and the Accomplice (Whine & Cheese Cozy Mystery Series) by Judy Volhart is now available. Click here to order your copy.

The cozy mystery genre is one that almost everyone is familiar with in some fashion, but doesn’t realize it. Among the first cozies were Agatha Christie’s books and television’s famous Murder She Wrote.

Cozies, in general, are written for a broad audience, appealing to females aged twenty to sixty and over, although most readers are in their thirties and forties.

Sex, violence and profanity have historically been kept to a minimum, though newer authors have been slightly pushing the boundaries (myself included). The most common element in cozies is humor and solving a mystery.

Many of today’s cozies involve a food or drink element or other hobbies such as antiquing, decorating and knitting, just to name a few. These topics tend to be the main character’s hobby or line of work, which is then incorporated into the books by way of offering recipes or “how to” tips and advice.

The stories are often set in a small, intimate community and cozies tend to be a series of books ranging from three to twenty something, such as Jessica Beck Donut Mysteries. The main characters, for the most part, remain the same throughout the series and readers tend to bond with them and enjoy reading about the progress of their lives from one book to another. Check out some of today’s top cozy authors:

1. Joanne Fluke: Double Fudge Brownie Murder (Hannah Swenson Mysteries)

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2. Cleo Coyle: Roast Mortem (Coffee House Mysteries)

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3. Jessica Beck: Vanilla Vices (Donut Mysteries)

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4. Krista Davis: The Diva Frosts a Cupcake (Domestic Diva Mysteries)

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5. Ellery Adams: Lemon Pies and Little White Lies (Charmed Pie Shoppe Mysteries)

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6. Jenn McKinlay: Dark Chocolate Demise (Cupcake Bakery Mysteries)

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