The crime and mystery novel is a genre that is liked by many readers and this can be seen in the thousands of titles that are published throughout the year. However, and although it is usual for these types of stories to be full of blood and horrible crimes, it does not always have to be that way. In recent times, a subgenre of crime novel called Cozy Mystery or Cozy Crime has gained strength, which can be translated as ‘cozy crime’, that is, mysterious stories or stories about a murder that are resolved in a friendly way and in which the elements The darkest and most violent aspects of a crime scene do not appear or are mentioned superficially. The stories are full of intrigue, sarcasm and even humor and are usually located in small towns or very quiet places. The following Cozy Mystery books tell detective stories for adults and young people that put the action of how to solve a crime at the center with a single objective: to make the reader smile and be entertained.
The Mysteries of the Kamogawa Tavern
A novel that has achieved enormous success in Japan and that will excite both lovers of Japanese culture and cuisine. Hidden among the alleys of Kyoto is the Kamogawa tavern, which also houses an unusual “gastronomic research agency.” It is a place so discreet that it almost seems invisible, but it gives off appetizing aromas of rice, stews, sautéed vegetables and seasoned with tasty sauces and dressings, and where, in addition to succulent homemade meals, the former police officer Nagare Kamogawa and his clever daughter Koishi offer their diners the unusual opportunity to recreate a stew that they remember, but whose recipe they do not know or have forgotten. And they do it like all detectives, listening to the confidences of the person in question and launching into investigating their story: where they lived, where they tried that dish, where the ingredients were obtained and, above all, what turned that taste into such a profound experience. to change their lives forever. Through their hands pass a widower who wants to relive the emotion that his wife’s ‘nabeyaki-udon’ aroused in him, a woman who shared a beef stew with her first love or a girl who dreams of some spaghetti she tried on a trip with his grandfather at the age of five, and Nagare and Koishi Kamogawa must achieve the miracle of once again tasting dishes that allow them to dream of new beginnings.
- Author: Hisashi Kashiwai
- Editorial: Salamander
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A classy crime
Beatrice Steele is a young woman who lives in the small town of Swampshire, in the English countryside, and has never fit the definition of a true lady according to the strict code of conduct of the place: she does not know how to sew nor has a talent for music. She lives without problems with her mother, whose only obsession is to get a good match for her daughters; her father, a hopeless joker; and her two younger sisters. However, Beatrice hides a secret: she dreams of solving real crime cases like the ones she reads about in the newspaper and has even corresponded with a London inspector. But if anyone found out about her strange hobby, she would be considered a freak and she would be forever expelled from her respectable social circle. A novel with overtones similar to ‘The Bridgertons’ and that seems written by four hands between Jane Austen and Agatha Christie.
- Author: Julia Seales
- Editorial: Lumen
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Elementary, dear reader
Gemma Doyle runs, together with her cat Moriarty, the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop, a bookstore specializing in the famous detective and located at 222 Baker Street in Cape Cod (Massachusetts, United States). After a visit from a group of bridge players, Gemma finds a rare and very valuable magazine containing the first Sherlock Holmes story. A transcendent discovery that stops seeming random when one of the women who visited the store appears dead. From the beginning, Gemma will be the main suspect, but, with the help of her friend Jayne, who runs Mrs. Hudson’s Tea Room, they will get to work to investigate and clear her name following the clues of an attractive expert in rare books.
- Author: Vicki Delany
- Editorial: Soul
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The last to die
In the fourth installment of the ‘Thursday Crime Club’ series, it’s Christmas at the Cooper’s Chase residential complex and everyone hopes to enjoy a few days of rest in good company. But for the members of this club there is never a moment of calm. When they receive news that an old friend has been murdered while guarding a dangerous package, the quartet of amateur detectives set out to solve the mystery. Their search takes them to an antique store, where they soon discover that the secrets hidden in this craft are as old as the objects themselves. As they encounter art forgers, drug dealers and con artists, Elisabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim don’t know who they can trust. With the body count rapidly rising, time running out and danger close at their heels, have our intrepid investigators run out of luck? The saga of the detective grandparents has already captivated more than 10 million readers around the world.
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Murder in the cucumber garden
Flavia de Luce is a young woman who lives in a dark mansion and has an unusual family: two sisters who hate her and a father who is more interested in philately than what happens in his own house. Fortunately she has two allies: her Gladys’s bicycle and the chemistry laboratory in which she enjoys her curious hobby for poisons while she plans revenge against her sisters. When Flavia finds a dead bird at the door of her house and a man about to die, she will not hesitate to immerse herself in the investigation, proving that an eleven-year-old girl can also solve mysteries that others would like to bury. This title is recommended for young readers ages nine and up.
- Author: Alan Bradley
- Editorial: Soul
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Everyone in my family has killed someone
Ernie Cunningham has never liked family gatherings. Although it has something to do with the fact that three years ago he saw his brother, Michael, kill someone and reported it to the police, something the family has never forgiven him for. Now they have decided to meet for a special occasion: they will spend a weekend in a hotel in the mountains to celebrate their reunion with Michael. But the Cunninghams are not a family that enjoys under the blanket while taking in the scenery. The day Michael arrives, they find the body of a man near the hotel. When the police are unable to solve the crime, it will be up to Ernie to figure out if the culprit is one of his relatives… before it’s too late.
- Author: Benjamin Stevenson
- Editorial: Planet
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Cultural journalist with great interest in education and technological innovation in classrooms. The future is through technology and it is already here. I tell you?
