The cozy is a subgenre of the mystery category. You'll probably find murder, but you won't find graphic violence, language, or explicit sex, although you may touch upon some romance. Most cozies have a theme, or sub subgenre as I call them. These include paranormal, historical, animal, craft, culinary, and more. These sub subgenres can also be narrowed down to very specific themes, like tea! Therefore, a tea cozy is a cozy mystery that revolves around the world of tea.
It appears that lots of mystery writers and readers love tea. so you may find tea playing a part in books that aren't strictly tea cozies, or even culinary ones. After all, lots of tea drinkers enjoy a cup without ever stumbling across a dead body-so book characters may enjoy tea without owning tea shops.
If you're interested in tea and murder here are some great tea cozies you may enjoy. This list is by no means inclusive as new cozies are popping up each month. I'm also discovering older releases that are new to me.
The Tea Shop Mystery series by Laura Childs. This series is the Grand Dame of tea cozies. It's one of the earliest tea series to be published and is still going strong. The series features Theodosia Browning, owner of the Indigo Tea Shop in Charleston, South Carolina. The first book in the series is Death by Darjeeling which was published in 2001. We're now on the 17th book in the series, Devonshire Scream, which was released just this week, March 1, 2016. Each book is infused with information about tea as well as providing recipes, tea tips, and a guide to more publications to read even more about tea.
The Teapot Collector Mystery series by Amanda Cooper. When Sophie Taylor's restaurant fails in NYC, she returns to the Finger Lakes region of New York and her grandma. Her grandma owns a tea house, with a competing tea house next door. She also collects teapots. Now Sophie's cooking at Auntie Rose's Victorian Tea House and solving murders! Tea tips and recipes are included in each book. Tempest in a Teapot is the first in the series. The Grim Steeper is the third, and most recent addition, having been released just last month.
The Oxford Tearoom Mystery series by H. Y. Hanna. This is a new series, first published in January of this year. Gemma Rose has returned to Oxfordshire to open her own tearoom. She also happens to find murder! A Scone to Die For is the first in the series followed by Tea with Milk and Murder. The third in the series will be released later this month!
The Chintz 'n China Mystery series by Yasmine Galenorn. Emerald O'Brien owns of the Chintz 'n China Tea Room in Chiqetaw, Washington. She also happens to be able to talk to the dead. Ghost of a Chance is the first book in the series published in August 2003.The series ended with the fifth book, One Hex of a Wedding, released in 2006. This series is not really a cozy, but a paranormal mystery...with tea.
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For more information about cozies and the different subgenres of mysteries, you can read my article Who-Dun-It.
For even more about cozies (with and without tea) please check out my blog, Cozy Up With Kathy, as well as Karen. M. Owen's blog, A Cup of Tea and a Cozy Mystery.
well, perhaps books and tea go together.
ReplyDeleteI don't often go for the mystery genre and maybe I should.
Give a cozy mystery a try. I think you'll make a pleasurable discovery.
DeleteI think "Cozies" go with any drink of your choice. I also think tea goes with everything! Put them together and you have a winner!!
ReplyDeleteMost definitely!
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