I recently discovered the term “geriatric millennial.” That’s apparently a catch all for millennials who were born between the years 1980-1985.
Damn whoever invented in.
I know I’m far out of the target audience for BRANDZ these days but I’m far from geriatric. Yeah I got a bad back and student loans and can’t afford a house and don’t have the energy to stuff…
BUT!
Anyway, I was thinking about that term recently because this is one of the first cozy mysteries I’ve read. I usually don’t do that genre because it’s not for me; a bunch of old biddies in a sewing circle who find one of their own randomly dead and Maude has to play Jessica Fletcher to deduce the killer while sharing recipes at the beginning of each chapter. No thank you.
However, cozies have risen in popularity lately, probably coinciding with millennials like me reaching our geriatric stage and being prepared to be put out to pasture. So I figured a New York-based one set in a bookstore bar would be a good start.
It’s fine for what it is. I like all the references to IPAs, the gaudiness of post-industrial Williamsburg, and being a small town person trying to navigate a big city. But I’m not sure Olivia Blacke threads the needle effectively enough at integrating the cozy aspects with a real life mystery. There were too many tangents, too many spots where scenes are overwritten, etc. Props to her for not giving Odessa a real love angle but the story didn’t draw me in like I wanted it to.
Still, it’s an easy read and enjoyable, or at least as enjoyable as one can enjoy a murder mystery. It made me want to try more millennial cozies so I guess I’ll get my sweater, find my rocking chair and cuddle up next to another one.
