I can’t get enough of cosy murder mysteries

I go through phases in my reading habits and at the moment I’m deeply immersed in the world of cosy English murders.

I like nothing more than to walk around the lake near my home, or vacuum the house, while trying to solve the puzzle of who killed the unwitting antiques dealer or ageing spy.

Lately I’ve started listening to books by Richard Osman and the comedian takes cosy murder to a whole new level in his series set in a retirement village.

A group of friends decide that rather than fading out, they’re going to spend their twilight years solving murders that happen in their town.

I understand that not everyone loves the idea of a celebrity writing a novel, and so I approached Osman’s books warily. However, the comedian’s very English charm and sense of humour are irresistible. The characters are so likeable, from the intimidating and clever ex-spy Elizabeth, to the endlessly optimistic and hilarious Joyce.

I’ve also been enjoying reading Anthony Horowitz’s Hawthorne and Horowitz mysteries, where the writer injects himself into the story as a sidekick to his private investigator.

Again, there is a particularly English brand of humour in these books that make them strangely comforting, despite the crimes at the centre of the stories. But perhaps the point is actually that the crime isn’t at the centre of the stories – these books are all about character and place, rather than about a murder (which is as tame as murder can be, never grisly or graphic).

Does it matter that the crimes verge on the ridiculous? I don’t think so. The plot, crime, isn’t the point. Most the time I don’t even try too hard to guess the identity of the murder – I’m just there for the ride.

I have quite recently discovered Ann Cleeves’ novels, with their evocative landscapes, where Detective Stanhope or Inspector Ramsey comb windswept plains for clues about the culprit. For many years I steered clear of reading series as, knowing how many great books exist and how little time I have to read them, I didn’t want to confine myself to one author or theme. Yet, here I am, waiting impatiently until her next instalment is available on the library’s audiobook app, BorrowBox.

I find these books are particularly well-suited to an audio format, as they are easy to follow and engaging enough to distract me from any exercise, housework or long, boring drive.

In an article in Time Magazine titled ‘Why are mystery books so satisfying’, Tana French writes that mysteries can offer a sense of order and justice.

“Truth in these stories is an objective thing, and answers are solid and definitive. By the end of the book, every baffling clue connects up to the others, and the killer’s motive is clear; good is separated from evil, the guilty are locked up, dead, or at least identified, and the innocent are free to move on with their lives.

“These books sometimes get dismissed as formulaic or simplistic, but they’re a lot more than that. In a world that can often be chaotic and reasonless, we need these stories.”

In an article in the BBC, the genre was described as:

“Police are generally baffled, suspects are bountiful, and murders are imaginative. Denouements are satisfying and leave the reader with the sense that crime does not pay and ultimately, all is well with the world.”

It sums up why I love to listen to cozy mysteries, or watch shows like Midsomer Murders or Father Brown. They are engrossing stories that are comfortingly tied up by the end. It’s even better when some memorable characters, a laugh or two and a cup of tea are thrown in the mix.

I’ve confined myself to listening to cosy stories, rather than reading them, as I fear that otherwise my entire reading repertoire would consist of murder in a small English town. As enjoyable as that might be, I know that I read for many reasons, not just comfort.

I also like to read books that challenge and unsettle me, that show me the reality of pain and heartache, and the heights of joy, love and understanding. Just not when I’m doing the vacuuming.

So, here’s to the joy of a murder in a picturesque place, investigated by a charming bunch of sleuths happening upon the solution to an unlikely mystery over a cup of tea.