The classical form of the cozy mystery began in England in the 1920s and 1930s. Time and distance have wrought changes in the genre. Many modern American cozies depart in some respects from the classical formulation. For example, many modern writers may describe murders in some detail and the detective may encounter violence. An intermediary genre between mostly pleasant cozy mystery and gloomy “hard-boiled” mystery of the sort written by Raymond Chandler has come to be known as the “soft-boiled” mystery.
| ELEMENT | CLASSIC COZY | SOFT-BOILED | HARD-BOILED |
| Setting | small town/hotel | limited environment | big city |
| Crime | can be bloodless | murder | murder |
| Murder | not graphic/offstage | can be graphic | grisly |
| Victim | disagreeable | may be mourned | anyone |
| Sleuth | often amateur | often detective | PI or cop |
| Violence | none | a little | lots |
| Diction | informal but refined | some vulgarity | anything goes |
| Tone | light/humorous | light to dark | mostly dark |
| Threat | very little | moderate | high |
| Characters | mostly same class | more demographics
represented |
all classes |
| Plot | intellectual puzzle | character-driven | action-packed |
| Sex | hinted at only | nothing graphic | anything possible |
| Modern Additions | animal actors
occupational themes historical settings fantasy worlds social issues |
