Date
7-21-2026
Department
College of Arts and Sciences
Degree
Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (MFA)
Chair
Jennifer Bell
Keywords
cozy mystery, mystery, plot, detective novels, Golden Age of the detective novel, sub-genre
Disciplines
Creative Writing
Recommended Citation
Reed, Debra Sue, "Detecting the Plot: Sleuthing from the Golden Age to Contemporary Cozy Mysteries" (2026). Masters Theses. 1523.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/masters/1523
Abstract
Genres may come and go, but one has remained consistently popular for over two hundred years. Since the early 1920s, authors such as Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers have pioneered the way for cozy mysteries to thrive. The popularity of this mystery sub-genre has endured for decades, as authors such as Joanne Fluke and Amanda Flower have kept the rules and traditions of cozy mysteries going strong, even today. Following the traditions from the Golden Age of Detective Novels, I intend to show the importance of rules when it comes to writing clean novels. There will be no vulgarity or gore in the novel used for my thesis. Sincerely, Carla Stone will attempt to merge the traditional mystery plot along with the important rules of the cozy mystery in this genre-driven novel. My hope is to entertain readers with this story while providing a wholesome, Christian worldview.
