I didn’t set out to write a cozy mystery, I had a story to tell. When it came time to label the story, cozy mystery seemed the best description.  Usually, a cozy mystery is a small town story featuring an amateur sleuth. Very often the sleuth is a woman who happens to be a keen observer and who has her wits about her—a Miss Marple, for example. The sleuth is able to fly in under the radar because she isn’t seen as particularly threatening.

Like other cozy mysteries, THE HOUE AT 190 MOUNT TABOR WAY is a wholesome story that deals with unwholesome motives and events without getting overly explicit about sex and violence.  But, caution to the reader: upon entering into the languid description of Ocean Grove and the house at 190, it isn’t a good idea to gear down with Carrie and her daughter Elizabeth.  Things aren’t going to be as uncomplicated and comfortable as they seem. There are details to be noticed along the way. Carrie and Elizabeth aren’t noticing them at first, to their regret and almost to their peril. But forewarned, the reader may notice them.

In a cozy mystery, there’s a puzzle that has to be solved.  One of the things I enjoy in a good mystery is trying to solve the puzzle first, before the author tells all! Maybe even before the sleuth. To get herself and Elizabeth out of harm’s way, Carrie has to grapple with two unrelated but interlocking puzzles. In the final chapter, Elizabeth tells her that in the ancient genera of the Chinese mystery, there are three unrelated plots that the detective must untangle. Carrie has untangled two. Elizabeth offers her opinion about the third, but I wouldn’t want to spoil your fun. Hopefully, you’ll have a chance to read the whole story. I am actively seeking a publisher. For now, I’m posting the first three chapters. I’ve also included links about the very real context, Ocean Grove, New Jersey.