To find out why readers love the mystery genre and its popular "cozy" subgenre, and inspired by Bourdieu and Radway, I conducted interviews, focus groups, and wrote a 54 question survey that received 734 responses.
Chapter One is the history of the traditional mystery (forerunner to the cozy) and establishes the polarization between it and the hardboiled detective novel. In the 1960s and 1970s, publishers and critics believed that readers no longer wanted to read cozies, and it appeared that the subgenre would disappear.
Chapter Two concerns the distributors of mystery novels. I discuss the impact that big box bookstores and chain stores have had on mystery publishing. I analyze how bookstores categorize mysteries and market them to their customers. Unlike big box bookstores, independent mystery bookstores aid both midlist mystery writers and avid mystery readers. Further, I show how libraries are no longer depositories of mystery literature but are weeding out mysteries.
Chapter Three shows how the cozy survived and thrived. Feminist "advocacy groups," particularly Sisters in Crime, the Malice Domestic Conference, and the DorothyL listserv combated bestsellerdom and encouraged support of the cozy.
Chapter Four is the core of the dissertation. I compare results from the NEA' reading study (2002) with the 734 responses to my survey. I explore their reading histories, purchasing habits, library visits, and preferences for particular subgenres. The term "cozy" is valuable and necessary to cozy readers.
Chapter Five uses the business model observed by Chris Anderson in The Long Tail to discuss how technological innovations are altering mystery publishing. A long tail model of business would fulfill readers' desires for niches, while supporting midlist writers. Small presses and independent bookstores fill many needs for readers that larger publishers cannot
In conclusion, I view the cozy from a generic perspective. Categories and branding are necessary. I explore "subsubs" of cozies: historical, niche, chick-lit, and woo-woo and their impact on parameters of the cozy. I show where the cozy appears to be headed, and speculate on how mystery writers could strengthen not only the cozy but the mystery genre.