Whether to Write a Noir Mystery or a Cozy

While roaming the mystery stacks late this afternoon I wondered what type of mystery I'd want to write—if I was desirous of writing a mystery. And if I could do so.

The question that presented itself was whether I'd want to write a cozy mystery where the murder happens on page three and is almost a throw away line or one that was a thriller and had all manner of twists and turns.

Of course if I opted for the thriller I'd need to learn a great deal—all of which I am blessedly ignorant. If I opted for the cozy I'd need a protagonist who was ensconced in some fascinating occupation or hobby.

Deciding against the Scandinavian type thrillers and the political assassination thrillers, I began to seriously look at cozies. I don't knit and that's been done. I found coffee, tea, baked goods and chocolate mysteries. In fact I think that food mysteries run the gamut of tastes. I found a Funeral Food mystery and books with titles celebrating different types of cakes —Strawberry Shortcake, Pineapple Upsidedown cake. There are chefs who solve cases and cooking queens and food journalists. All seem to have time to unravel cases that fall into their lap.

Since I'm not entranced with cooking I'd probably be unable to pull off a series where I needed to worry about ingredients as well as solving a case. Then there are all those hobbists solving crimes: amateur musicians, antique collectors. bridge players, doll house enthusiasts, walkers, golfers, quilters—even stamp collectors and bird watchers solve mysteries.

Nurses, medical professionals ,both those who deal with humans and those whose practice is relegated to animals, find enough time to solve cases—as do muscians and lawyers. But the lawyers rarely appear in cozys.

Teachers appear as sleuths in cozys, but I haven't found anyone who is presently writing a series where the person solving the crime is a Special Education teacher.

Of course I could delve into an historical era—too much time. Research requires time, money, and lots of index cards.

My choices narrow down and I am left with an area of familiarity. I can write a series where the primary person solving the crime is a Special Ediucation teacher.

But when I look back at years of experience the only crime I came across was when a large bag of hard candy disappeared from my bottom desk drawer.