Cozy...crime?
October 27, 2023 10:27 PM Subscribe
I've really enjoyed the Thursday Murder Club books because of the not always just a murder plots (there's sometimes other stuff going on), the cozy-ish but not as trope-y as cozy mysteries (I like less trope-y), and the four different detectives/protagonists. Is there anything similar out there?
I got this understanding that the books are "crime" rather than mysteries so I'm looking for gateways into crime or thrillers that are cozier than normal. Or just any book you think is similar.
I got this understanding that the books are "crime" rather than mysteries so I'm looking for gateways into crime or thrillers that are cozier than normal. Or just any book you think is similar.
The Mrs. Pollifax series! It's about an older woman who wakes up one day and decides to apply to be a spy. She hates most of the typical cozy mystery protagonist hobbies, but does enjoy karate. It's VERY charming.
posted by acidic at 12:14 AM on October 28, 2023 [9 favorites]
posted by acidic at 12:14 AM on October 28, 2023 [9 favorites]
How about the Mrs Murphy series by Rita Mae Brown? I don't know the most recent books, but enjoyed the first twenty or so. There are a few recurring characters, so reading a new book feels like meeting old friends again. (You have to be ok with animals talking to each other, though.)
posted by amf at 1:08 AM on October 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by amf at 1:08 AM on October 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
Anthony Horowitz would fit the bill. Two titles, Moonflower Murders and Magpie Murders, make up a sort of series. The Hawthorne series is also very good.
posted by Morpeth at 3:40 AM on October 28, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by Morpeth at 3:40 AM on October 28, 2023 [4 favorites]
Came here to recommend exactly what hurdy gurdy girl recommended, especially the Harbinder Kaur books.
posted by cupcakeninja at 6:38 AM on October 28, 2023
posted by cupcakeninja at 6:38 AM on October 28, 2023
Mia P. Manansala's books may be of interest.
posted by wicked_sassy at 7:20 AM on October 28, 2023
posted by wicked_sassy at 7:20 AM on October 28, 2023
Maybe Liane Moriarty's books would fit? Big Little Lies, Nine Perfect Strangers, and -in particular - Apples Never Fall.
posted by hovey at 7:30 AM on October 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by hovey at 7:30 AM on October 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
(Mysteries are in my view a subset of crime fiction, though I can't say that everyone in the world agrees with me.)
Some of the usual suggestions are Alexander McCall Smith, Agatha Christie (especially Miss Marple), MC Beaton's Agatha Raisin series, and Ann Cleeves' George and Molly Palmer-Jones series, but all of these are pretty mystery-ish.
You might like Dorothy Gilman's Mrs. Pollifax books.
Maybe Andrea Camilleri's Inspector Montalbano books? Not quite as cozy, but not as trope-ym either.
Here's a BBC article you might appreciate, or not.
posted by box at 7:59 AM on October 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
Some of the usual suggestions are Alexander McCall Smith, Agatha Christie (especially Miss Marple), MC Beaton's Agatha Raisin series, and Ann Cleeves' George and Molly Palmer-Jones series, but all of these are pretty mystery-ish.
You might like Dorothy Gilman's Mrs. Pollifax books.
Maybe Andrea Camilleri's Inspector Montalbano books? Not quite as cozy, but not as trope-ym either.
Here's a BBC article you might appreciate, or not.
posted by box at 7:59 AM on October 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks for the suggestions so far! I’m especially interested in books that would be labeled crime as opposed to cozy. Especially ones that might be classics I haven’t read yet or newer twists on the crime genre.
posted by azalea_chant at 8:16 AM on October 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by azalea_chant at 8:16 AM on October 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
I'm about to start Leonie Swann's Three Bags Full: "A witty philosophical murder mystery with a charming twist: the crack detectives are sheep determined to discover who killed their beloved shepherd."
posted by MonkeyToes at 8:47 AM on October 28, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by MonkeyToes at 8:47 AM on October 28, 2023 [3 favorites]
The Marlow Murder Club books by Robert Thorogood are similar - I actually liked them better than the Thursday Murder Club books!
posted by bCat at 9:29 AM on October 28, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by bCat at 9:29 AM on October 28, 2023 [2 favorites]
Came here to say exactly what bCat said. Marlow Murder Club is very similar but a little bit better imho.
posted by icebergs at 11:18 AM on October 28, 2023
posted by icebergs at 11:18 AM on October 28, 2023
I just checked out of the library Leonie Swann's newest book: The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp. I haven't read it yet so I can't recommend it but I'm mentioning it so you're aware it's out there.
"A quirky group of seniors attempts to solve one murder while covering up another—with the help of an enterprising tortoise—in this twisty, darkly funny mystery from the author of Three Bags Full."
posted by Constance Mirabella at 4:14 PM on October 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
"A quirky group of seniors attempts to solve one murder while covering up another—with the help of an enterprising tortoise—in this twisty, darkly funny mystery from the author of Three Bags Full."
posted by Constance Mirabella at 4:14 PM on October 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
The Miss Fortune mysteries by Jana DeLeon have a group of old ladies helping solve mysteries. A fun and very funny series. Start with Louisiana Longshot.
posted by Enid Lareg at 9:22 AM on October 29, 2023
posted by Enid Lareg at 9:22 AM on October 29, 2023
Response by poster: Ok one last clarifying comment - by "I like the Thursday Murder club" I didn't necessarily mean "I am only looking for elderly protagonists" I meant "I like that it has spies and crime and friendship but is also sometimes lighthearted". Older protagonists is fine but I'm looking for those other things most of all so rec things with younger protagonists too!
posted by azalea_chant at 9:39 AM on October 29, 2023
posted by azalea_chant at 9:39 AM on October 29, 2023
I agree with Elly Griffith's Harbinder Kaur books, and I'm also going to put in a plug for her Stephens and Mephisto series, with a caveat. The caveat is that the actual crimes are not particularly cosy. In particular, in one of the books the victims are pre-teenaged kids, and in another one of the victims is a teenager. But the tone isn't grim, and the books definitely have interesting other things going on.
The series is set in Brighton, England. The first few take place in the early '50s, and then there's a time jump and the subsequent ones are in the mid-60s. One of the two initial main detectives (I say initial because the team expands in later books), Edgar Stephens, is a police officer who served in World War II as the token non-theater person in a special unit of stage magicians and illusionists who used their skills at misdirection to come up with ways to confuse the enemy. In the first book, there's a murderer whose crimes seem to refer to famous magic tricks, and Stephens calls upon one of his friends from the army unit to help him solve the murders. That's the other main detective, a magician whose stage name is Max Mephisto. Max was a super popular performer on the variety circuit before the war, but it's clear to him that variety is going to be superseded by other forms of entertainment, and a lot of the series follows his efforts to figure out how he fits in a new entertainment landscape. Most of the crimes in some way involve the entertainment industry, because that's necessary to get Max involved, but it's mostly the less-glamorous, workaday side of the entertainment industry. Griffiths says that the series was inspired by her grandfather, who was a variety performer. Some of the mysteries are better as mysteries than others, but I really enjoyed the characters and the setting. This is definitely one where you want to start at the beginning and read them in order.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 10:42 AM on October 29, 2023 [1 favorite]
The series is set in Brighton, England. The first few take place in the early '50s, and then there's a time jump and the subsequent ones are in the mid-60s. One of the two initial main detectives (I say initial because the team expands in later books), Edgar Stephens, is a police officer who served in World War II as the token non-theater person in a special unit of stage magicians and illusionists who used their skills at misdirection to come up with ways to confuse the enemy. In the first book, there's a murderer whose crimes seem to refer to famous magic tricks, and Stephens calls upon one of his friends from the army unit to help him solve the murders. That's the other main detective, a magician whose stage name is Max Mephisto. Max was a super popular performer on the variety circuit before the war, but it's clear to him that variety is going to be superseded by other forms of entertainment, and a lot of the series follows his efforts to figure out how he fits in a new entertainment landscape. Most of the crimes in some way involve the entertainment industry, because that's necessary to get Max involved, but it's mostly the less-glamorous, workaday side of the entertainment industry. Griffiths says that the series was inspired by her grandfather, who was a variety performer. Some of the mysteries are better as mysteries than others, but I really enjoyed the characters and the setting. This is definitely one where you want to start at the beginning and read them in order.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 10:42 AM on October 29, 2023 [1 favorite]
Mod note: [btw, this post has been added to the sidebar and the Best Of blog]
posted by taz (staff) at 3:00 AM on October 30, 2023
posted by taz (staff) at 3:00 AM on October 30, 2023
Another vote for Elly Griffiths. Me, I like her Ruth Galloway series best. It's set mostly in Norfolk. The main protagonist is a middle-aged archaeologist who lives in a cottage on the coastal marshes; she has a network of friends drawn mostly from academia and the police, plus one druid. History, prehistory and an assortment of local legends and folk tales provide a very atmospheric backdrop for the solving of a variety of murders, and the series is complete at 15 books. Book 1 is The Crossing Places.
You might also like Alan Bradley's Flavia de Luce series, starting with The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. The protagonist is a young girl with a strong interest in chemistry; they're set in post-WWII England, with one exception. There are ten books in the series, which may or may not be complete (the last one came out in 2019, but one can hope!). Flavia is sharp-witted and engaging company; do at least give them a go.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 9:13 AM on November 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
You might also like Alan Bradley's Flavia de Luce series, starting with The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. The protagonist is a young girl with a strong interest in chemistry; they're set in post-WWII England, with one exception. There are ten books in the series, which may or may not be complete (the last one came out in 2019, but one can hope!). Flavia is sharp-witted and engaging company; do at least give them a go.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 9:13 AM on November 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
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You could also try the Harbinder Kaur series by Elly Griffiths. The focus is on friendship but there are mysteries/crimes involved. The first is The Stranger Diaries, then The Postscript Murders and the most recent is Bleeding Heart Yard.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 10:33 PM on October 27, 2023 [9 favorites]