I don’t exactly know when I first fell in love with mysteries, but I think it started when I read my first Agatha Christie novel. I believe the book was The Murder of Roger Akroyd. There is a reason that Agatha Christie is referred to as the Queen of the Cozy Mystery. If you haven’t read any of her books, I highly recommend you check out these two: The Murder of Roger Akroyd and And Then There Were None.
What makes mysteries so appealing to me is the puzzle. Pitting my wits against that of the author and solving the crime before I turn to the last chapter, is a tremendous high. Mysteries are written puzzles full of clues and red herrings (false clues). The reader has to determine which clues are important and which clues are meant to deflect the reader from the true answer. Is the fact that the butler’s shoes have mud on the soles relevant? You’ll find out when you get to the end of the book.
There are lots of different types or sub-genres of mysteries: Cozy, Noir, Hard boiled, police procedural, etc. And lots of new sub-genres are turning up every day. If you like the idea of solving a crime, but don’t want to see a lot of blood, guts and gore, then cozy mysteries might be for you. Cozies typically feature an amateur sleuth, there is a minimal amount of blood and gore and justice prevails in the end. Justice may not always mean that the killer hangs for their crime, but the reader should feel that justice has prevailed. Like your crimes dark and your murders messy? Noir, hard boiled, police procedural, or forensic mysteries might be more to your taste. Regardless of your taste, there is probably a mystery that will appeal.
For me, the cozy mystery is just my speed. If you’re interested in getting your feet wet, here are a few of my favorite cozy mystery writers: Agatha Christie, Emily Brightwell, Victoria Thompson, Rex Stout and Patricia Wentworth.