The literary genre cozy mystery is defined in this way:
The cozy
mystery usually takes place in a small town or village. The small size of the
setting makes it believable that all the suspects know each other. The amateur
sleuth is usually a very likeable person—most often a female of “a certain
age”—who is able to get the community members to talk freely (i.e. gossip)
about each other. There may be law enforcement involved, but it’s the amateur sleuth
who solves the mystery. Also, there are no gory descriptions of violence or
explicit sex scenes. And if the mysteries appear as a series, it’s important to
have engaging and interesting characters that the reader cares about and wants
to know more about the lives of these people.
From the
beginning, I’ve been breaking some of these rules, since Augusta is a somewhat
prominent resident of the city of Cincinnati. And while Augusta has some
sleuthing skills, which she expands over the course of the series, the mystery
is actually solved by Cincinnati Homicide Detective Malcolm Mitchell—though
with Augusta’s assistance in various ways. Not the least of which is the
romantic interest which appears quickly after a somewhat confrontational first
meeting.
Instead of
community gossip, Augusta’s musical community is often involved in one way or
another, since many of the victims (and sometimes the perpetrator) are also
musicians. Unique to this series, I believe, is the inclusion of music in every
book.
Other elements we
find in Augusta’s mysteries include social issues; for instance, organized
crime is important to the plot in three of the books. International espionage
pops up in one. My current w.i.p. (The Case of the Casanova Cantor) begins
during the “long, hot summer” of 1967. The plot includes Augusta championing
racial diversity in casting opera productions at the fictional school, The
Conservatory. The KKK comes into the picture.
While Augusta
and Malcolm are wild about each other, I close the door and turn off the lights
when things begin to get heated. And I’ve managed to sidestep gory details
about the murder victims, other than some clinical observations by the coroner—who
also happens to be a musician. A friend of Augusta’s, he plays the organ
sometimes at a church where she sometimes is a guest soloist.
From comments
I’ve received, I believe the people who most enjoy the series have become good
friends with my protagonists. For me, that is one of the most enjoyable experiences
in writing these books. To learn new things about my characters and share them
with the readers.
The first book
takes place in the spring of 1963, and about six months pass between the events
in each subsequent book, and the same length of time between publication. There
has been a bit of a hiatus in the series following book eight, The Case of
the Bogus Beatle, set in the late summer of 1966. 1967 was a
turbulent year in this country, and I hesitated to move into that time period.
But since these books are more mystery than cozy, I decided to
forge ahead, and the result will be in readers’ hands sometime this coming
spring.
Here's the Prologue:
The “long, hot summer” of racial
unrest in the United States during the summer of 1967 exploded in Cincinnati’s Avondale neighborhood on
the evening of June 12. Tension had been building in the city over several years.
and it came to a head after the arrest and conviction of a Black man, Posteal Laskey,
for several brutal murders. Many felt Laskey had been railroaded, and following
a tense but peaceful protest meeting a rock was thrown, smashing through a
window.
Chaos quickly
ensued. Avondale was a changing neighborhood, where for many years a majority
of its residents had been members of the Jewish community. At the majestic Rockdale
Temple, a showcase of Reform Judaism in the city, confirmation rehearsal had been
completed. The young people had just begun to exit the building and found
themselves caught up in the disturbance.
Eugene Geller,
Cantor for the Temple, along with several other adults—and with no little
difficulty—managed to get the young people to safety. Once assured his charges
were out of harm’s way, Gene attempted to return to the Temple to pick up his
car.
By then, violent
street fighting ensued. Noise, objects, and smoke filled the air as members of
the Cincinnati Police Department squared off against the rioters.
Gene did his best to avoid being caught up in the fray.
In the confusion of the melee, he kept in the shadows, dashing toward a corner,
rounding a building…and disappearing without a trace.
Rockdale Temple, c. 1967
All of the "Augusta McKee Mysteries" can be found on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KBCWS24?ref_=dbs_p_mng_rwt_ser_shvlr&storeType=ebooks
