Not So Cozy

I just finished reading Stalking The Angel by Robert Crais. Great book. Even more, great second book. There appears to be no Sophomore Slump here. The pacing, characters, dialogue, plot and humor of The Monkey's Raincoat did not fade.

At the Pirate meeting on Monday, I talked about the book. That I really enjoyed it. And I talked about finding a series of cozies called the Home Improvement Can Be Murder series. That's right. A series of mysteries centered around a woman who is renovating a Victorian house. I have to admit being taken aback. But Shane said, "Write yours better." Then Jenny said, "Yours isn't really cozy anyway. And you can go less cozy."

Good points. My protagonist is a man who does this as a job. It is a cozy, by broad definition. But it certainly isn't what most people think of when you say cozy. Surprise, right? That someone with my personality isn't writing about a wooly-headed old woman who busybodies her way into solving a murder?

I think that this revelation will help with my own renovations of my book. That's the great thing about the Pirates.

Evans Above and Rambling

I finished Evans Above by Rhys Bowen yesterday. I could not find fault with it. The characters are well-drawn and believable. The setting, rural Wales, is unusual and vivid. It had a good plot and the pacing was what a mystery should be.

It's not exactly a cozy, because the protagonist, Evan Evans, is a town constable. But the laid back setting feels like a cozy. One of the reviewers called it Hamish MacBeth in Wales. I would agree.

This is a series I will continue with. There are about 10 Constable Evans mysteries in the series. She (Rhys Bowen is a pseudonym) also has two other series that I might check out.

It gives me hope for the genre. Nancy Atherton, Monica Ferris, Martha Grimes and now Rhys Bowen are all relatively current writers I enjoy. Although Ferris was on the edge with hers. We'll see how the second in the series goes for her.

I typed another 12 pages yesterday, including a new scene. I also have hope for finishing by the next PPWC. Then I may have to try my hand at pitching. I'm not looking forward to that.