The Reading Vent & Rant Thread

[ownedbycats]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

How can so many people be murdered in such a small town/village/area? And how can one person come across so many murders (aka Jessica Fletcher, Miss Marple, Father Brown)?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder%2C_She_Wrote

Murder occurred with such regularity in her vicinity that the term "Cabot Cove syndrome" was coined to describe the constant appearance of dead bodies in remote locations. Indeed, if Cabot Cove existed in real life, it would top the FBI's national crime statistics in numerous categories, with some analysis suggesting that the homicide rate in Cabot Cove exceeds even that of the real-life murder capital of the world.[13]

[issybird]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

How can so many people be murdered in such a small town/village/area? And how can one person come across so many murders (aka Jessica Fletcher, Miss Marple, Father Brown)?

This is a television vent and rant, not a reading vent and rant. Jessica Fletcher was a creature of television. As for the fictional characters, not only did Father Brown got around a lot, he solved an average of about two crimes per year, not all of them murders, over the course of Chesterton’s oeuvre. Miss Marple’s murder rate was even lower, at about 1½ per year, but then she stuck closer to St. Mary Meade.

The television Father Brown has nothing in common with the original, other than name, vocation, saturno and umbrella. I’ve not seen Miss Marple on tv.

[ownedbycats]

Originally Posted by issybird

This is a television vent and rant, not a reading vent and rant.

One of the common cliches of cozies is taking place in a small town, so it's a valid point. I wonder if there's any cozies that take place in large cities (and not just 'a small community inside a larger one').

EDIT: A precursory search brought up this: https://crimereads.com/cozy-mysterie...in-big-cities/

[issybird]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

One of the common cliches of cozies is taking place in a small town, so it's a valid point.

It could have been a valid point, except that none of the three examples applied. That kind of argument tends to disprove the point, if that’s the best you can do. I think the OP watches too much tv, myself.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by issybird

This is a television vent and rant, not a reading vent and rant. Jessica Fletcher was a creature of television. As for the fictional characters, not only did Father Brown got around a lot, he solved an average of about two crimes per year, not all of them murders, over the course of Chesterton’s oeuvre. Miss Marple’s murder rate was even lower, at about 1½ per year, but then she stuck closer to St. Mary Meade.

The television Father Brown has nothing in common with the original, other than name, vocation, saturno and umbrella. I’ve not seen Miss Marple on tv.

There are books for both Jessica Fletcher and Father Brown. Most cozy mystery series take place in a small town where the murders happen frequently.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by issybird

It could have been a valid point, except that none of the three examples applied. That kind of argument tends to disprove the point, if that’s the best you can do. I think the OP watches too much tv, myself.

What about Miss Marple? She's books and the TV/Film are from the books.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by issybird

It could have been a valid point, except that none of the three examples applied. That kind of argument tends to disprove the point, if that’s the best you can do. I think the OP watches too much tv, myself.

I do watch a lot of mysteries that come form book series.

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

There are books for both Jessica Fletcher and Father Brown. Most cozy mystery series take place in a small town where the murders happen frequently.

You are ignoring the main point that in the books there were about two crimes solved per year, not all of which were murders.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

There are books for both Jessica Fletcher and Father Brown. Most cozy mystery series take place in a small town where the murders happen frequently.

The Fletcher books are based on a television character. And reread my post; Father Brown wasn’t limited to a small town. Far from it. He wasn’t even limited to England or Europe. I have read all the Chesterton short stories; have you? Again, the tv Father Brown is just a borrowed name and a few characteristics.

Originally Posted by JSWolf

What about Miss Marple? She's books and the TV/Film are from the books.

And again, I have no knowledge of the tv Miss Marple, but this is a reading thread and the print Miss Marple wasn’t inundated with murders in St. Mary Meade, which was your original point.

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I do watch a lot of mysteries that come form book series.

As I said, a television rant, not a reading rant.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by issybird

The Fletcher books are based on a television character. And reread my post; Father Brown wasn’t limited to a small town. Far from it. He wasn’t even limited to England or Europe. I have read all the Chesterton short stories; have you? Again, the tv Father Brown is just a borrowed name and a few characteristics.


And again, I have no knowledge of the tv Miss Marple, but this is a reading thread and the print Miss Marple wasn’t inundated with murders in St. Mary Meade, which was your original point.



As I said, a television rant, not a reading rant.

I did mention one person coming across so many murders and Miss Marple is a perfect example of that. When she goes away from home, she finds a murder even if it's not near her home.

[DNSB]

To quote Samuel Taylor Coleridge: "that willing suspension of disbelief for the moment".

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

I wonder if there's any cozies that take place in large cities (and not just 'a small community inside a larger one').

How about Monk? It takes place in San Francisco. I'm not a big mystery fan, so maybe Monk doesn't count as cozy. But it feels that way to me.

[Freeshadow]

Monk counts as crazy. Honestly if I had to endure a person like him I would have beaten him to death with a dirty pipe within three days.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by Freeshadow

Monk counts as crazy. Honestly if I had to endure a person like him I would have beaten him to death with a dirty pipe within three days.

This goes for many characters I've enjoyed in fiction, but would avoid in real life like the plague.

Personally I don't need or want my fiction to reflect my real-life preferences. I read books to escape real life.

[ownedbycats]

Also I wonder just how a lot of the small businesses in cozy mysteries stay afloat when the owner is always out poking their nose into murders instead of actually running it.