Top 10 Reasons Why Murder Mysteries Are Like Pizza
10. It’s complicated. You’ve got layers, you’ve got toppings, you’ve got suspects galore. Or . . .
9. It’s simple. Sometimes you’re served a basic cheese pie, simple and straightforward, and the butler did it! Both options are equally yummy.
8. Each and every piece is important. Otherwise, you just don’t have a complete pie. Sometimes, if it’s a simple case, you can pull all the pieces apart and put them back together and still have a recognizable trail to follow. But what if you’ve got something more complex going on? Maybe you’re facing a half pepperoni/half veggie situation? In that case, a competent sleuth needs to proceed with caution to avoid missing an important clue and confusing her fellow “diners.”
Which brings us to . . .
7. It’s a group effort. We’ve all been there: ordering pizza over the phone, with everyone shouting instructions and requests in the background. And when the doorbell finally rings? Prepare yourself for a stampede of eager participants. Everyone knows a good detective needs her posse to help her crack the case—and maybe escape certain death. The group thing is also why mysteries make the very best book club reads!
6. Things can get a little scary. Ever think you were biting into a mushroom and discovered it was an ANCHOVY?!? Something every mystery lover knows is that, once the killer has taken that first life, the second one is so much easier. Catching a murderer is not for the faint of heart.
5. You can go hot and spicy, or choose to keep it sweet and savory. Personally, I like my mysteries with some kick: give me a little romance, maybe a car chase or a fist fight, definitely some crime scene details. Luckily, there are plenty of stories out there that fall all along the spectrum. If you want kittens and recipes in your cozy mysteries, it’s on the menu.
4. Everyone has their own way of digging in. The knife and fork approach works well, but so does the classic “foldover” method of consumption. My sleuth, Charley Carpenter, likes to list clues and suspects on a white board before she heads into the field to question suspects. However, the Miss Marples and Hercule Poirots of the world do most of their detecting from the comfort of an armchair, putting their little grey cells to work on the current thorny problem. And still others seem to stumble from one clue to the next, almost by accident, literally falling over a dead body and headlong into the investigation. Which works best? Each reader must decide for themselves.
3. Ever hear the expression: Revenge is a dish best served cold? So is leftover pizza. In college, we called it the “breakfast of champions.” Sometimes you just have to sleep on a good mystery before you dig back in and figure out “Who Dun It.”
2. Regional favorites are different and distinctive. Chicago has their deep dish; New Yorkers love their wide, thin, crispy slices. Mysteries come in regional flavors, too. Southern fried mysteries often involve sordid family secrets. Big city mysteries deliver plenty of gritty atmosphere and sleek, stylish villains. And who doesn’t love a handsome, rugged Western detective?
And the Number One reason?
1. A good one is oh, so satisfying. When you devour that final solution and push back from the table, replete with the thrill of discovery? I think that’s just about the best feeling in the world.
10. It’s complicated. You’ve got layers, you’ve got toppings, you’ve got suspects galore. Or . . .
9. It’s simple. Sometimes you’re served a basic cheese pie, simple and straightforward, and the butler did it! Both options are equally yummy.
8. Each and every piece is important. Otherwise, you just don’t have a complete pie. Sometimes, if it’s a simple case, you can pull all the pieces apart and put them back together and still have a recognizable trail to follow. But what if you’ve got something more complex going on? Maybe you’re facing a half pepperoni/half veggie situation? In that case, a competent sleuth needs to proceed with caution to avoid missing an important clue and confusing her fellow “diners.”
Which brings us to . . .
7. It’s a group effort. We’ve all been there: ordering pizza over the phone, with everyone shouting instructions and requests in the background. And when the doorbell finally rings? Prepare yourself for a stampede of eager participants. Everyone knows a good detective needs her posse to help her crack the case—and maybe escape certain death. The group thing is also why mysteries make the very best book club reads!
6. Things can get a little scary. Ever think you were biting into a mushroom and discovered it was an ANCHOVY?!? Something every mystery lover knows is that, once the killer has taken that first life, the second one is so much easier. Catching a murderer is not for the faint of heart.
5. You can go hot and spicy, or choose to keep it sweet and savory. Personally, I like my mysteries with some kick: give me a little romance, maybe a car chase or a fist fight, definitely some crime scene details. Luckily, there are plenty of stories out there that fall all along the spectrum. If you want kittens and recipes in your cozy mysteries, it’s on the menu.
4. Everyone has their own way of digging in. The knife and fork approach works well, but so does the classic “foldover” method of consumption. My sleuth, Charley Carpenter, likes to list clues and suspects on a white board before she heads into the field to question suspects. However, the Miss Marples and Hercule Poirots of the world do most of their detecting from the comfort of an armchair, putting their little grey cells to work on the current thorny problem. And still others seem to stumble from one clue to the next, almost by accident, literally falling over a dead body and headlong into the investigation. Which works best? Each reader must decide for themselves.
3. Ever hear the expression: Revenge is a dish best served cold? So is leftover pizza. In college, we called it the “breakfast of champions.” Sometimes you just have to sleep on a good mystery before you dig back in and figure out “Who Dun It.”
2. Regional favorites are different and distinctive. Chicago has their deep dish; New Yorkers love their wide, thin, crispy slices. Mysteries come in regional flavors, too. Southern fried mysteries often involve sordid family secrets. Big city mysteries deliver plenty of gritty atmosphere and sleek, stylish villains. And who doesn’t love a handsome, rugged Western detective?
And the Number One reason?
1. A good one is oh, so satisfying. When you devour that final solution and push back from the table, replete with the thrill of discovery? I think that’s just about the best feeling in the world.