[Anonyma'am]

Can anyone recommend a cozy or cozyish(stand alone or series) in which the heroine does *not* fall in love with the sheriff/policeman? Cozies seem to have a female main character.

Or recommend a cozy or cozyish with a male main character?

[foxrampant]

Hi, I might be able to recommend something but first let me ask you, what is your definition of a 'cozy' mystery? Something cutesy - pink-glazed muffins, vanilla-scented candles, knitting and cats? Or simply something that is not gory/graphic? In the latter case a bunch of the Golden Age mysteries would fit the bill, if you don't mind older books. A lot of male protagonists there. And even if the main lead happens to be female, the love interest is rarely of the law enforcement type. Personally I would not call them 'cozies' though. Just to give an example, I would not classify Agatha Christie's books as 'cozy mysteries', for me they are 'classic mysteries'. However, a lot of people think of her novels as 'cozy'. So, what's your idea of a cozy mystery?

[Dendra]

What about Lilian Jackson Braun's The Cat Who...... series? Main character is a male journalist, so no female lead tropes.

[Anonyma'am]

So, what's your idea of a cozy mystery?

Frankly, I put the current off-screen violence, rom-com, helpful critters mysteries under "cozy". I do love a good bloody case with enough swearing to make a gangsta faint, but I don't always have the time or inclination to read one at the moment. So I tried cozies. Pleasant even if the characters are unreal. But I got tired real fast of the cute, female amateur sleuth having the broad-shouldered lawman shake his finger at her then smile, thus shrinking her panties by two sizes.

I guess, for now, the pink-glazed cats and vanilla-scented knitting is what I'm looking for.

One that *does* fit my request is the Old Age Private Eye by Blakely, if that's any help.

[Anonyma'am]

What about Lilian Jackson Braun's The Cat Who...... series? Main character is a male journalist, so no female lead tropes.

Yes! I've got those and book one is on my Kindle. Thank you!

[foxrampant]

Frankly, I put the current off-screen violence, rom-com, helpful critters mysteries under "cozy". I do love a good bloody case with enough swearing to make a gangsta faint, but I don't always have the time or inclination to read one at the moment. So I tried cozies. Pleasant even if the characters are unreal. But I got tired real fast of the cute, female amateur sleuth having the broad-shouldered lawman shake his finger at her then smile, thus shrinking her panties by two sizes.

I guess, for now, the pink-glazed cats and vanilla-scented knitting is what I'm looking for.

I'm afraid I can't recommend anything cozy in the sense of 'cute and frothy'. Not that there's anything wrong with frothy reads. (I've been known to read Jilly Cooper and Fiona Walker, so there! Don't tell anyone, I will deny everything. ) However, with mysteries I kind of gravitate towards the country house variety. Butlers, tea with arsenic, bodies in the library and such. Very cozy (i.e. 'no violence, no graphic sex, no foul language') and comforting, but in a different way than pink knitted cats, you know

Anyhow, here's a few suggestions:

The Grantchester Mysteries by James Runcie. Male protagonist. Not gory. Not sweary. But not fast-paced, either, so that's something to keep in mind.

Inspector Wilkins series (aka Burford Family series) by James Anderson. These are wacky, humorous pastiches of typical Golden Age country house mysteries.

Flavia de Luce series by Alan Bradley. No romance in these novels, because the main heroine is an 11-year old girl. Despite this fact, they are not children's books. Just intelligent, well-written mysteries.

And something a little different: Wells and Wong Mysteries by Robin Stevens. These actually are children's books (or, perhaps, young adult), but they are not overly simplistic and can be enjoyed by adults as well. No romance there either, obviously.

[Anonyma'am]

Thank you! I will look them up! Too bad there aren't any vanilla-scented, pink-glazed knitting cats. I mean, cats with thumbs? C'mon. Be real.

[Dendra]

Too bad there aren't any vanilla-scented, pink-glazed knitting cats. I mean, cats with thumbs? C'mon. Be real.

Hey, the only reasons cats tolerate humans is so we can use our opposable thumbs to open the cans of cat food. If they got thumbs we'd be SOL.

[Anonyma'am]

Too bad there aren't any vanilla-scented, pink-glazed knitting cats. I mean, cats with thumbs? C'mon. Be real.

Hey, the only reasons cats tolerate humans is so we can use our opposable thumbs to open the cans of cat food. If they got thumbs we'd be SOL.

Instead of people breeding cats for short legs or no noses, someone should breed for intelligence and thumbs.

...and now I'm getting off topic...

[foxrampant]

Thank you! I will look them up! Too bad there aren't any vanilla-scented, pink-glazed knitting cats. I mean, cats with thumbs? C'mon. Be real.

Perhaps there are! It wouldn't surprise me in the least. Maybe somebody somewhere has already written a series about Puss Marple, an elderly knitting cat sleuth
There certainly are cozies with talking critters (e.g. Rita Mae Brown), and a mystery where all the sleuthing is done by a flock of sheep who investigate the murder of their shepherd (Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Story.)
Cat-scented pink knitting wouldn't be out of the ordinary, really. Nothing to write home about.

[Anonyma'am]

Three Bags Full: found it, got it.

Cat-scented pink vanilla-glazed knitting...sheep?

[Dendra]

Cat-scented pink vanilla-glazed knitting...sheep?

It doesn't get weird unless they knit booties for baby wolves.

And to keep this kind of on topic, try Elizabeth Peter's Amelia Peabody series. Female lead, but NOT the type to let a man solve her problems.

[Anonyma'am]

Amelia Peabody sounds interesting so I got them.

Thank you!