Does the way a person is murdered put the story in different mystery camp? E.g. poison in a teacup = cosy mystery?
Ah! very good question! No, the definitions are different. Here goes:
Here are the defs for mystery subgenres
Subgenres:
Classic ( say Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes - all the golden age)
Amateur Sleuth
- Cozy (also called Malice Domestic) - cozy is a sub genre of amateur sleuth. Usually, it takes place in a small town. These days, there is almost always a theme to the series (cats, sewing, bread and breakfast) In these, the violence is offstage.
- Cohort (ie. Poirot) - A Purse to Die For would be considered a cohort. Two women, amateurs, but suspects, set out to solve the murder together, to clear their names and remove themselves from being next in line.
Private Eye - the protagonist is usually the PI.
Police Procedural - many of our fave shows today are police procedurals. Midsommer, Morse (I love all the Brits) Castle, The Glades. You learn about the lives of the police as the series progress.
Historical - nobody better than Maureen Jennings, and the Murdoch series.
Caper (which I write) comes under suspense. Back with that in a bit.