I love a mystery! Always had and always will. There is something about a good mystery that leaves a sense of accomplishment even if you actually didn’t solve it. Maybe it’s all the twist and turns that keep your head racing to try and keep up or the beauty of the puzzle pieces coming together slowly. Either way, my adoration for this genre extends to movies, tv series, games, and books. I actually already wrote about different types of mysteries I enjoy, but recently I discovered one more. I’ve always been aware of its existence but never understood how good it could be. I’m talking about cosy mysteries.

Even though I enjoy the idea of a “soft” story, I was never fully interested in it. Those types of stories were never for me, I would prefer more action, more blood, more macabre, and scarier. I want to feel my heart race and forget where I am. I want to be completely immersed in the story and only come back to Earth when it’s all over. Probably, the closest I ever got to a cosy mystery was with Agatha Christie. So my knowledge of the genre is pretty thin. Until I discovered the Hallmark mystery movies.

It all started one day when I was looking for a movie to watch while I fall asleep – I know it’s bad for you and I should read instead, blah blah blah. I found one that for some reason made me want to watch it. Later, I become to know it as Garage Sale Mystery, being the first movie that I saw The Novel Murders, the 6th movie in the series. I have to confess I didn’t watch the movie in one go, it took me two or three nights to get to the end, although that’s the best part. Since my point is to get tired, calm down and fall asleep, a quiet movie is perfect. The story starts off smoothly and happy, then a murder occurs and from that moment on the rest of the story continues very calmly. Only when it is closer to the end, it gets more exciting.

My relationship with cosy mysteries started off very sleepy and yet enjoyable. I started to care about the characters and wanting to know more about them. Then I was completely hocked, and I only cared about for that moment before falling asleep to watch a new mystery. Sadly, it reached a point when I started watching them in one go – so they didn’t last for very long – and there weren’t any more to see. Here in Portugal, the Hallmark movies are usually broadcasted by FOX and only from time to time. Just to give you an idea, I’ve watched 5 out of 11 movies from Garage Sale Mystery series since the beginning of the year.

So, what do you do when you don’t have any “new episodes” in a series to watch? You start looking out for new ones. And that’s when I found the Aurora Teagarden series. I have to say that woman sometimes was a bit selfish, spoiled, and reckless for my taste, but I enjoyed every single movie I saw. Then I also found Gourmet Detective and A Fixer Upper Mystery series. Both have gorgeous actresses and are so funny. Overall what I enjoy the most between the series is how different and versatile they are. A detective can come out off everywhere. An antique sale expert, a chef, a librarian or a contractor. Everyone can be a detective in cosy mysteries, and that’s why the stories are so good.

Since the genre praise itself for not being to explicit and bloody, it’s perfect for a relaxed Sunday afternoon or a day at the beach (if you read the book). You get involved in the story, try to solve the crime without any emotionally exhausting moments. Probably you won’t have reasons to cry or want to discuss an important topic. Even though those types of books/stories are important sometimes we just want to break from the routine, step away from the reality and live in a world with only one problem to solve, a murderer on the loose.

The cosy mysteries aren’t for everyone’s taste, and I’m not even sure the books are for mine. What I do know is that the Hallmark mystery movies are one of the best things I discover this year. I’m only going to get a rest when I manage to watch them all, and in the meantime, I may grab a book and test out the waters.