Every now and then you meet a writer so sympatico, you feel like you've known them all your life.
I met Jonathan Whitelaw this year, through Crime Writers of Canada. Then, we did a panel together at MOTIVE Crime Festival in Toronto, which was about as much fun as you can have, legally. His brand of humour is my brand, and I'm delighted to bring him to these pages.
Is this real life? Is this just fantasy?
by Jonathan Whitelaw
I had a moment of revelation recently. It wasn't some divine tap on the head or bolt out of the blue. But it was just as important.
Cozy mysteries are rooted in the humdrum of real life.
That's it. That's all it is. Strange how ten little words put in a particular order can offer you so much clarity.
For context - I'm a cozy mystery writer. An award-winning one at that - although saying that out loud still sounds strange. My Bingo Hall Detective series began in 2022, with the most recent - The Village Hall Vendetta - just released here in North America in August.
They follow the misadventures of a mother-in-law/son-in-law amateur detective duo running around the English countryside trying to catch murderers and villains. And I, quite honestly, have an absolute blast when I'm writing them.
I was recently being interviewed for The Times newspaper in the UK and was asked about what cozy mysteries are and why they're so popular. There are a million different answers to this, but that little sentence was the first that came to mind. Cozy crime is rooted in the hum drum of real life.
Now, I can hear protests already. Real life isn't hum drum, Jonathan! It's the most exciting, action-packed thing that can ever happen to a person. And that's true, I agree with that. However, let's be honest, not EVERYTHING in most of our lives is as high-octane as a Fast and Furious movie, is it?
When was the last time any of us got excited waiting in line at the post office? Or when we've scanned our bananas at the self checkout only for the computer to go on the fritz? Orgies of action these moments are not.
And that's where the cozy mystery comes in. Our lead protagonists are rarely if at all law enforcement, instead coming from down the block, at your local library or, in the case of my series, your relatives. They are your friends, coworkers, colleagues and confidants. They are you and I, thrust into a world of murky murder, mischief and mayhem. And that is, for me, what makes the cozy mystery genre so appealing.
Throw in a good dose of humour,
some lavish scenery and a juicy whodunnit and you could be on to a
winner. Scientists and boffins much cleverer than me (they don't use
cleverer for starters) have shown an uptake in sales of the cozy genre
during times of crisis. Local, domestic or international, it's no
wonder that readers, and the public, need some reassurance from time to
time.
The cozy mystery has proven over and over again to at least help with that reassurance. Yes, there are no graphic violence or sex scenes. No, you won't find forensic analysis or ballistic reports on gunshot wounds. What you WILL get, however, is a mystery that, by the end of the 90,000 words, is resolved, the good guys winning, the bad guys getting their just desserts, and hopefully, some laughs along the way.
Who wouldn't want that in these topsy-turvy times? Cozy mystery is an escape from real life...by staying firmly IN real life. Go figure!
Jonathan Whitelaw is an award-winning writer, journalist and
broadcaster. After working on the frontline of Scottish politics, he
moved into journalism, covering everything from sports to music to
radioactive waste – and everything in between. He's also a regular
reviewer, panellist and commentator. His novel - The Bingo Hall
Detectives - won the Lakeland Book of the Year Fiction prize 2022.
Bonus Pix! Jonathan and Melodie on stage at MOTIVE (with Sam Shelstad)
