Riley Thorn and the Dead Guy Next Door

Riley Thorn and the Dead Guy Next Door falls under several genre categorizations. It’s both a cozy mystery and a romantic comedy novel. In addition, it incorporates elements of paranormal fiction. Cozy mysteries are a subgenre of the mystery and crime fiction genre, “where sex, violence, and cursing are kept to a minimum, and often happen off stage” (“What Is a Cozy Mystery? The Best Diverse Cozy Mystery Books.” Bookish Brews, 29 Apr. 2021). Traditional cozy mysteries have a “light, comedic, and comforting” tone, while playfully incorporating “lots of fun with plot twists” (What Is a Cozy Mystery?). These lighthearted, fast-paced novels provide all the excitement of traditional mystery novels without all the gore, darkness, and intensity.

Much like contemporary romance novels, cozy mysteries provide “a healthy dose of escapism” and lean heavily into tropes that provide a more predictable narrative scaffolding than traditional mysteries do, while offering familiar narrative touchstones to navigate the novel. Some examples of these tropes are the amateur sleuth protagonist, “a detective animal, a friendly ghost, cuddly pets, love triangles, […] cops who threaten the sleuth for being too nosy,” quirky sidekicks, and a charming, often small-town