With their intimate settings, subdued action and likeable characters, cozy mysteries are rarely seen as anything more than light entertainment. The cozy, a subgenre of crime fiction, has been historically misunderstood and often overlooked as the subject of serious study. This anthology brings together a groundbreaking collection of essays that examine the cozy mystery from a range of critical viewpoints. The authors engage with the standard classification of a cozy, the characters who appear in its pages, the environment where the crime occurs and how these elements reveal the cozy story's complexity in surprising ways. Essays analyze cozy mysteries to argue that Agatha Christie is actually not a cozy writer; that Columbo fits the mold of the cozy detective; and that the stories' portrayals of settings like the quaint English village reveal a more complicated society than meets the eye.

With their intimate settings, subdued action and likeable characters, cozy mysteries are rarely seen as anything more than light entertainment. The cozy, a subgenre of crime fiction, has been historically misunderstood and often overlooked as the subject of serious study. This anthology brings together a groundbreaking collection of essays that examine the cozy mystery from a range of critical viewpoints. The authors engage with the standard classification of a cozy, the characters who appear in its pages, the environment where the crime occurs and how these elements reveal the cozy story's complexity in surprising ways. Essays analyze cozy mysteries to argue that Agatha Christie is actually not a cozy writer; that Columbo fits the mold of the cozy detective; and that the stories' portrayals of settings like the quaint English village reveal a more complicated society than meets the eye.

Crafting Cozies is a complete guide to writing cozy mysteries created by an award-winning, bestselling author. Have you always wanted to write a heart-pounding cozy mystery that will leave your readers eager to turn the page? Do you feel stuck on where to start? Let this book be your go-to guide as you gear up to write and publish your book. In order to provide the type of resource you'll reach for repeatedly, I have eliminated all the fluff and stuck only to those areas of writing cozies that I use myself. With practical tips, genre information, and worksheets you can use in your own writing, this book has it all! Within these pages, you will discover an entire arsenal developed to help you succeed in the genre. Starting from character development, to setting creation, going into a full plot breakdown of every beat you will use to outline your novel, and a detailed approach to constructing a page-turning whodunit, this book will make sure you have every base covered. We will even discuss such details as pacing, writing style, series development, and editing for cozies. By the time you're done, you will be an expert in the cozy mystery and will be well on your way to writing your very own novel. Are you ready to start? Let's write a cozy mystery together!

Great reads for busy people. This is a guide to help busy people find great reads in fiction and nonfiction. Filled with recommendations of popular, entertaining reading, this book covers mystery and suspense, romance, women’s fiction and chick lit, Westerns, science fiction, such nonfiction topics as animals, art, biography, memoirs, business, true crime, and more. Plus, each entry includes a summary of the book, its significance, and a critique/observation/comment.

A one-stop resource for all kinds of readers' advisory issues, including: how to advise patrons on all kinds of media, from fiction and nonfiction to audiobooks, graphic novels and even reference materials; how to provide services to senior citizens, teens and even readers who are incarcerated; how to handle author visits and book groups; how to enhance storytelling, even for adults; how to market and promote RA; and much more.

POLITICS. CORRUPTION. MURDER. Harry, too, was anything but trustworthy, a trait his son dutifully carried with a certain amount of pride. When a young lady—Harry called her a ‘gold-digging tart’—accused his son of fatherhood shortly after Halloween two decades prior, only a select few within the Stanton social circle had any idea of such a false atrocity. All rumors and gossip were quashed, of course, by the heavyweight politico no one chose to confront. Not only that, no one had the guts to call Harry Stanton exactly what he was . . . A bald-faced liar. When Colbie takes in upon herself to investigate a case that doesn’t officially exist, its trajectory catapults her into a world of politics, corruption, and murder. While the spirit apparition of her best friend points her in the right direction, it’s up to Colbie to interpret the clues given in sign language. Pressed to honor her friend’s spiritual presence, she sets out to decode the messages, setting in motion an investigation that could change the country forever.

For the mystery book lovers of Ashton Corners, burial plots tell the most intriguing stories. The members of the Ashton Corners Mystery Readers and Cheese Straws Society are all chipping in as Molly Mathews, now owner of the bookstore the Book Nook, prepares the first annual Mystery Book Fair. While gossip circulates about the guest authors, club member Lizzie Turner is unpleasantly surprised to see a certain book publicist make an appearance. It seems Lizzie has a history with Ashley Dixon—a chapter of her life she’d rather leave closed. But when someone gives Ashley a death sentence, Lizzie becomes the prime suspect in a murder mystery she can’t put down. Now Lizzie and her fellow book buffs have to read between the lines of the publicist’s past and catch the real killer before Lizzie is written off for good.

The author of Engaged in Murder returns with her second Perfect Proposals Mystery. This time Pepper Pomeroy discovers that shopping for the dream wedding dress can be a nightmare… Pepper’s new wedding proposal planning business, Perfect Proposals, seems like a perfect fit. If only shopping for her sister Felicity’s bridal gown could be so simple. After a long day of lace, tulle, and tears, Pepper, Felicity, and their mother pull it together to try one last bridal boutique. Maybe they’ll be surprised. And indeed they are—when they enter a deserted shop and soon discover the owner of the boutique slain in the alley out back. Distressed by their proximity to the crime, Pepper vows to unveil the killer. As difficult as it is to draw a pattern from the clues, it’s still easier than finding Felicity’s perfect wedding gown. But as the killer begins to feel hemmed in, Pepper may be the one brought to her knees…

What does a strip club, a dead man and a Dove ice cream bar all have in common? Peaches Donnelly. Peaches Donnelly has a major problem: she's just been fired. Unaccustomed to filling her days with nothingness, she embroils herself in the murder of a childhood friend. However, standing between her and the solving of this heinous crime are two pesky daughters, a selfish opera singer sister, the diet from hell and two sexy men she can't resist. Add to this bubbling pot a hasty decision to go undercover as a stripper and you have a story rife with drama, laughs and a little dash of danger. Follow Peaches and the always funny cast of characters in this first installment of a rollicking series of cozy mysteries.