Let's Get Cozy

I was in the bookstore yesterday, and of course I couldn't resist this book:

I have never read a book by this author, but putting quilts on the cover was a surefire way to grab my attention.  (and the sweet little corgi dog was a nice touch.)  As I looked at some more of the new paperbacks, I couldn't help but notice lots of other needlecraft themed mysteries.

There was knitting,

Embroidery,

and even Button collecting.

I felt silly taking photos of book covers on my camera phone.  In fact, I think the employees at the store were starting to wonder about me,  but as a dedicated blogger,  I just had to have a record of all these titles.

There was Gardening,

Cooking,

and Wine tasting.

There was also a mystery for the furniture refinisher,

as well as the Ballroom Dance enthusiast,

the gals at the salon,

and their fashionista pals.

The fans of the Psychic Friends Network even had their own mystery,

and since nothing is spared from the latest Vampire trend, there was even a mystery for the "Vampire Chefs".

It seems that all these mystery books fall into the catagory of "Cozy" mysteries.  The main difference between a cozy mystery and your average mystery is that the cozies do not include graphic violence,  profanity or explicit sex.  The protagonist is generally an amateur sleuth who happens to encounter a murder, and is drawn into solving it, taking the reader along for the ride.  Oh, and they all have to have a catchy title involving word play that easily suggests what hobby/activity will be involved.

Quite honestly, I think these mysteries are aimed at women.  Nothing wrong with that, but I couldn't help but notice that there were no football, golf, car racing  or beer enthusiast mysteries in this genre.

Time to grab a cup of tea, put on my Snuggie and cozy up to a good read.  Won't you join me?