List of cozy mystery novel tropes

Written By Becker

What are tropes?

Tropes are common themes, plot devices or motifs. In other words, they are common scenarios and patterns that take place in your novel.

For example, a common trope in cozy mystery novels the amateur sleuth. This means the protagonist isn't a trained detective but instead relies on their past experiences and intuition to help solve the crime. This allows them to investigate the crime with a fresh perspective and sometimes they even team up with the police detective later on in the novel.

If you’d like to add the element of fun to perusing this list, why don’t you check out my random cozy mystery trope generator?

List of cozy mystery tropes

Protagonist and side characters tropes

  • Amateur sleuth

  • The old lady investigates

  • The "crazy" cat lady investigates – bonus points if the cats help solve the crime

  • Budding writer

  • Detective is accompanied by a loyal, clue-solving animal

  • Quirky protagonists

  • The protagonist is underestimated

  • Retired adventurer

  • The town busybody

  • Found family – by solving the crime, the protagonist finds new friends along the way

  • The nosy neighbour

  • Quirky, and sometimes suspicious, characters

  • Amateur sleuth is framed for the crime

Crime tropes

  • Red herrings

  • Murder

  • Robbery

  • Missing people

  • Everyone hated the murder victim

  • The police are useless

  • Police uses a psychic

  • No one (apart from the disliked murder victim(s)) is harmed

  • Everyone has something to hide

  • Clues hidden in a recipe book

  • The crime is committed at the town's annual festival

  • The town only has one cop, and they have no experience solving a murder!

  • Secret societies that go back generations

  • Generational grudges between townsfolk

Setting tropes

  • Colleges, universities or boarding schools

  • Small towns

  • Antique dealers

  • Bed and breakfasts

  • Bookshops

  • Taverns

  • Libraries

  • Cafes

  • Restaurants

  • Close-knit community

  • Picturesque towns, such as surrounded by mountains

  • Seasonal festivities

Arts and crafts tropes (often hobbies for the characters)

  • Knitting and crochet

  • Woodworking

  • Glassblowing

  • Recipes – real recipes are included for the readers to try

  • Baking

  • Needlework

  • Gardening – a perfect way to hide a body!

  • Crosswords

  • Riddles

  • Journaling

  • Painting

Supernatural tropes

  • Friendly ghost

  • Magical realism

I hope this list has been useful!

All the best with your writing endeavours. If you're not ready to go back to writing and feel you need more procrastination – I mean, planning – time, why don't you look at my developmental editing services or free writing advice?

Becker
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