Thursday, December 16, 2021

Top ten cozy crime novels

SJ Bennett holds a Ph. D. in Italian Literature from the University of Cambridge and was a strategy consultant at McKinsey & Company before turning to writing. She has published ten books for teenagers, winning the Times/Chicken House Competition for Threads and the Romantic Novel of the Year award for Love Song. She lives in London.

Bennett's new novel, All the Queen's Men, is the second volume in the Her Majesty the Queen Investigates series.

At the Guardian Bennett tagged her top ten cosy crime novels, including:
Three Pines series by Louise Penny

Can these books be called cosy? Penny explores dark political themes and some of the books read like thrillers, but there is an essential goodness to the community in the fictional Canadian town of the title, and the warm and loving relationships that hold Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, his family and friends together. Her deft touch in capturing those bonds is a balm for any soul battered by the relentless news of what keeps us apart. They also feature good poetry and good food.
Read about another entry on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue