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Roughly 90 percent of the detection in a cozy mystery occurs during interviews/conversations with other characters. And byother characters, I do not mean a law enforcement significant other. Certainly,someinformation can come that route, but having a cop boyfriend or brother-in-law or father cannot be how your sleuth solves all her cases.

Also, though cozy mystery protagonists are frequently intuitive, the solution to the mystery cannot come simply through a flash of intuition (let alone, a dream). It’s fine for the intuition to come once a ton of information has been gathered and analyzed, but the deduction still has to arise from logic and reason. It has to be able to hold up in a court of law.

Which is to say, your detective cannot have a flash of intuition and confront the main suspect, who immediately breaks down and conveniently confesses all—even though there’s zero proof and a first-year public defender could surely get him off.

A sleuth has to sleuth.

Four Mandatory Plot Elements in a Cozy Mystery Novel

1. The Hook

Pirate’s treasure, a body in a snowman, a lost manuscript by Lord Byron, a stolen mummy, a murder in a locked room, someone vanished twenty years ago, an onstage murder, a long-lost heir returns… Basically, something exciting, unusual, and interesting has occurred. This intriguing inciting incident will ultimately, even if tangentially, tie into the murder investigation.

2. The Crime

Almost always murder. Even if murder is not the original crime, at some point, a violent or mysterious death should occur. SOMEONE HAS TO DIE. No, it’s not absolutely mandatory, but the gentle readers of the cozy mystery subgenre are a blood-thirsty lot. Defy their expectations at your peril.

Oh, and two murders are better than one. But you can’t just dispatch characters willy-nilly. There must be valid, understandable reasons for all the murder and mayhem. Typically, the second murder occurs in order to cover up the first murder. Although sometimes the second murder victim was the intended target all along.

3. Suspects

Ideally, two to three characters should have strong reasons for getting rid of your victim. In fact, those reasons should be strong enough that, were you to change your mind about the culprit late in the book, the story would still hang together. Fewer than three suspects isn’t going to be much of a challenge for your readers. More than five strong suspects would probably just be confusing. One of the suspects cannot always be the protagonist, though sometimes it can be (especially in the first book of the series). One of the suspects is ideally someone we really don’t want to be guilty.

Sometimes the murderer will be someone from our regular extended cast of characters, someone readers feel they know but don’t think a lot about. This adds tension and suspense to future installments. However, avoid the tiresome cliché of the lifelong friend or family member suddenly and without warning turning into a complete lunatic.

I cannot stress enough:your murderer must have a valid motive. Meaning, a reason for committing murder that your reader can recognize though, obviously, not agree with. Being “crazy,” on its own, will not cut it.

4. Clues and Red Herrings

In a cozy mystery, a red herring is an intentionally misleading clue or a piece of information that leads the protagonist (and the reader) astray, diverting attention from the true culprit or the actual solution to the mystery. Red herrings are designed to make the investigation more challenging by introducing clues and suspects that usually end up being unrelated to the crime. It’s a classic misdirection technique used by mystery writers to add complexity to the plot and keep readers engaged and guessing until the very end.

In real life, detectives follow the clues of evidence, both direct and circumstantial. In cozy mysteries, sleuths follow cluesandred herrings—the more colorful, weird, and mysterious, the better.

Red herringsare a huge part of the fun in cozy mysteries, but they needn’t always be dusty footprints beside an empty mummy case or the fingerprints of someone who disappeared in 1908. A red herring could be an intriguing character with a mysterious past who seems to have a motive for the crime but turns out to be completely unrelated to it.

The use of red herrings adds depth to the story, allowing for twists and turns that keep the narrative interesting. They also can fill up a lot of page time if your mystery is fairly slight. And they enhance the satisfaction for readers when they (or the protagonist) finally unravel the true mystery, having navigated through the maze of distractions and misleads.

Clues, on the other hand, do, in fact, lead the reader and the protagonist to the correct conclusion and the identity of the villain. Professionals and amateurs alike pay attention to the following clues:

Physical Evidence:This includes items found at the crime scene or in the victim’s possession that can be directly linked to the murderer or the motive, such as a unique piece of jewelry, a handwritten note, or a distinctive weapon. It’s the kind of clue that’s hard to ignore but might need some puzzle-solving to understand its significance. Typically, your protagonist has access to these because they found the body or the victim has sent them this item for safekeeping.

Alibis and Timelines:Statements from characters that establish their whereabouts at the time of the crime. An obvious clue could be a seemingly solid alibi that, upon closer inspection, has holes or relies on unverified information, hinting at a suspect’s possible guilt.

Overheard Conversations:Eavesdropped dialogues that hint at motives, secrets, or conflicts. These can provide direct insights into the relationships and tensions between characters, sometimes revealing more than intended by the speakers.

Behavioral Changes:A character acting out of character or showing unusual nervousness, hostility, guilt, or evasiveness can be an obvious clue, signaling their involvement in the mystery or knowledge of crucial information.

Forensic Results:While cozy mysteries often focus less on the technical aspects of crime-solving, simple forensic clues such as fingerprints, footprints, or the absence/presence of certain substances can provide clear pointers toward solving the case.

Motive-Revealing Clues:Discoveries that unveil possible motives for the crime, such as financial difficulties, romantic entanglements, rivalries, or revenge plots. These clues often come from digging into the victim’s background or the relationships between characters.

Inconsistencies:Contradictions in stories or evidence that don’t add up. This could be something as simple as a character claiming to have been somewhere they couldn’t possibly have been or facts about the crime scene that don’t match the supposed sequence of events.

Symbolic or Thematic Clues:Sometimes, clues can be more symbolic, tied to the theme of the book or the victim’s personality. For example, a clue might be hidden within a piece of art or a book that was significant to the victim, offering insights into the nature of the crime or the identity of the murderer.

Cozy mysteries have their own unique flavor, and while they follow the basic plot structure of all mysteries, there are a few adjustments and nuances worth noting:

Introduction/Exposition:We know cozies often take place in a small, tightly knit community or a charming setting. The introduction is key in establishing this sense of place and the close-knit group of characters, often including a likable amateur sleuth with a personal stake in the mystery.