6 Tips for Writing Wartime Cozy Crime Novels

Novels set during the first and second world war are always a popular read. There are books in this setting to appeal to every kind of reader. There are children’s books e.g War Horse, romances, sagas, spy thrillers, dystopian reimagining’s and factual tomes. Increasingly popular are cozy crimes set against the backdrop of war.

(How to Write a Cunning but Cozy Novel.)

So, how to keep a book cozy with all the traditional elements of a mystery but also to bring in the added interest and excitement of a wartime period. Here are some of the top tips I gathered while writing my new World War 2 cozy crime series, The Secret Detective Agency.

Make sure you know your setting and time period really well. Conditions at the start, middle and end of the war differed. Rules on rationing, and all kinds of other matters which affected daily life changed over time. Life in a city or large town could be a different experience to life in the countryside. Remember too that many readers have their own experiences of this time, either their own childhood memories or those passed on in family stories.

If something was possible then you can use it so long as it is plausible within that world. If it definitely could not have happened then you can’t. Well, not without receiving a shedload of angry emails from knowledgeable readers. A few details go a long way to painting a picture without leaving a reader bogged down in minutia instead of getting caught up in the mystery. Research should only show like the very tip of a concealed iceberg. You may need to know all the components of a particular tank or how to assemble an anti-aircraft gun, but your reader doesn’t.

Yes, there is a war and yes it affects your character’s lives but you still need a good setting. A small village, a country house, even a munitions factory perhaps with recognizable characters. You still need that feeling of community, something that was very much around during wartime.

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You still need amateur sleuths that your reader can relate to. A policeman, someone who people automatically might defer to, this could be the local doctor or vicar or an ARP warden. Writing a wartime set cozy means you can play around a little with your cast. In this setting there are more rules, observing black outs, rationing etc. Are all your characters law abiding citizens full of the blitz spirit? Or will you have a few shady ones, black marketers, evacuated children, illicit romance? People are still people albeit living in extraordinary circumstances. Your reader needs to be able to empathise with their plights to understand their motives.

Murder is still murder, a burglary or theft is still going to be investigated and although the period has drama on the fighting fronts, a murder at home is still shocking. The motive for the crime may be connected to the war or it may simply have provided an opportunity to commit the deed.

Petrol is rationed, trains were steam locomotives and crowded with troops. The blackout affected how people moved around at night and where they might go. Bicycles were highly prized but were not the lightweight speed machines of today. Think about how your characters travel from place to place and how long it may take them to do so. A similar consideration should be given to the use of technology. Telephone calls could be overheard, and not everywhere had them. Not every home had electric lighting or indoor plumbing. Many did, but not all, depending where in the country you lived.

I enjoy the challenges of writing the Secret Detective Agency books and hope the cozy crimes are enhanced by the setting.

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