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There’s a reason they call these things “cozy mysteries,” the literary fluff that has consumed an awful lot of my non-working hours this awful, awful year. Epitomized by Agatha Christie, these are low-stakes stories, light on the violence, heavy on atmosphere and just simply pleasant distractions. Most 21st-century efforts aren’t as clever as Christie, are easier to figure out, but still provide the kind of escape 2020 has demanded. They make me just want to settle in with a cup of cocoa (or tea, if I’m going to get really into the thing) and live in a world that probably never ever existed, but feels so much better than this one.
The ones that really suck me in are the ones set in the first half of the last century—up to and sometimes including World War II—and in the U.K. Because I’m an unrepentant Anglophile. And because I can fantasize about what it would be like to have staff, like a sturdy butler and an intrepidly loyal ladies’ maid—because all of our (mostly) heroine amateur sleuths have staff. Mind you, I’m the kind of person who would clean the house before the house cleaners got there because I’m so uncomfortable with the thought of someone cleaning up after me. I’m even a little bit chagrined that I have people grocery shop for me these days, trying to keep the vulnerable in my household safe. But, damn, having someone else run the household, deal with the broken stuff, cook, clean: I could at least try it for a while. The other thing that’s great about these is that most are part of a series. If you find an author you like, you have a well of entertainment there to keep drawing from.
Here are some of my favorites. If this is your kind of thing, please do share in the comments—they’re really fast reads, so I’m always looking for the next book! And if there’s some other genre that scratches that itch, please share. We’re all going to be needing some escapes for a while longer.
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