Elizabeth Craig | Six Reasons to be Addicted to Cozy Mysteries

Who says that an addiction has to be a bad thing? Let’s face it: cozy mysteries definitely have the ability to hook us and pull us in. There’s nothing better at the end of a long day than to wind down with a good book. Or during a lunch break. Or while having a mid- morning snack.

Here are six reasons to be addicted to cozy mysteries:

1. Two words: quirky characters. Whether it’s the sidekick or one of the suspects, it’s fun to spend time with someone who walks to the beat of a different drummer.

2. Discovering another amazing recipe to add to our collection. Is it just me, or does your stomach growl when you read cozy mysteries? I’ve read about picnics, barbeques, and potlucks where the food was so vividly described that I could practically taste it.

3. Wondering whether there will be a second victim and hoping it will be that really irritating character. You know the one. And if the really irritating character isn’t the victim, you hope she’ll end up being the killer. Because there’s got to be some sort of justice.

4. That interactive feeling we get when we feel like we’re investigating alongside the sleuth. I get so immersed in the story that I feel like I need to clock in and clock out because I’m real investigator.

5. Feeling smug when we’ve figured out whodunit. Isn’t that the best feeling? We’ve thought of some clue back on page 27 that now has special significance. We’ve connected the clue to a suspect and we know the perp!

6. That baffled delight when we realize we got the killer completely wrong. And then having all the clues, the motive, and the puzzling bits fall right into place.

What draws you to cozy mysteries?

About Elizabeth Craig

Elizabeth Spann Craig writes the Memphis Barbeque series for Penguin as Riley Adams, the Myrtle Clover series for Midnight Ink (under her own name), and blogs daily at http://mysterywritingismurder.blogspo..., which was named by Writer’s Digest as one of the 101 Best Websites for Writers for 2010.

Delicious and Suspicious released July 6, 2010: When a food scout from a cable cooking channel is murdered, it's only natural for restaurant owner Lulu Taylor to take it personally. After all, her barbeque restaurant served the scout's last meal. But danger lurks as Lulu investigates the crime. Will she clear the restaurant's name, or is she next to be skewered?

As the mother of two, Elizabeth writes on the run as she juggles duties as Brownie leader, referees play dates, drives carpools, and is dragged along as a hostage/chaperone on field trips. Elizabeth Spann Craig (Riley Adams)

ElizabethSpannCraig.com | Twitter | Facebook | Google+

About TYING THE KNOT

Wedding bells are ringing in Dappled Hills, North Carolina. But when the festivities take an unexpected turn, quilter Beatrice Coleman must get crafty and catch a killer wedding crasher....

Everyone loves a wedding, and with the sister of Beatrice's beau, Wyatt, about to say "I do" Beatrice and the Village Quilters are pitching in to help with the nuptial plans. They're hard at work making everything from wool boutonnieres to a quilt-shaped wedding cake. And all the talk of love and marriage has Beatrice thinking about her own budding romance with Wyatt.

But after she stumbles across the body of the original best man at the end of the reception, Beatrice must stop threading her needle and start collecting clues. She, along with the Village Quilters, will need to turn all their attention to solving a murder before another victim gets cut out...