Author Spotlight: Katherine Reay

Katherine Reay is a national bestselling and award-winning author who writes character-driven mysteries, historical fiction, and women's fiction. One of her latest novels, The Undercover Bookshop, was inspired by classic British mysteries. The amateur sleuth in this book is Gemma Brown, a resident in a small Cotswold village who believes that the local baker may be one of the Cold War’s greatest female spies.

Cozy Crime Reads Interview with Katherine Reay

What attracted you to the cozy mystery genre?

My last few books revolved around Cold War spies and I loved every aspect of the research and the writing. But when first pondering this next book, I instinctively reached for a story with a lighter touch, a more winsome heroine, and a mystery to solve that took us back in time. I was drawn to the golden age of mystery novels and started a delicious deep dive into the works of Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Josephine Tey and more. There is something dynamic about this genre and thrilling, yet reassuring too. Right prevails in all the stories. Perhaps not everyone ends up with a happy ending tied neatly in a bow, but — oftentimes — there is a sense of “right” in that too.

What are a few of the essential elements that make a cozy stand out to you as a reader?

The setting and time period are very important to me — as a reader and a writer. I wanted something close-knit, both in geography and in the community. An amateur sleuth is an important element as well. She’s sharp and observant, and she could almost be any of us. I also wanted to dip into the hobbies and life richly popular during that time. Those aspects of the story fill it out and invite us into community with it.

When writing The Undercover Bookshop, I had little say about about time and place, as the spy in my story was a real person and the Cotswold village of Great Rollright is an actual place. But I was delighted to find that the facts so perfectly fit my fiction and the cozy moment I hoped to create. It inherently held the golden-glow I sought to create and Gemma Brown, the heroine, fit in perfectly. The resulting novel is as much a love story and a coming-of-age story as it is a mystery and spy tale.

Do you have a favorite amateur sleuth?

Hmmm… I must confess to developing a bit of a crush on Dorothy L. Sayers’s Lord Peter Wimsey during my “research." His intelligence, panache, and his nonchalance in some situations that turns on a dime into a deep intensity in others, delighted me. I was also enthralled by his deep love and respect for Harriet Vane.

What inspired your first cozy mystery?

To be honest, the story started with the spy. That said, I knew right away she could not be the main character. She could not be the heroine because that is a very different type of story and I truly wanted this novel to be more of a delicious escape. And right then and there, within seconds of stumbling upon the idea, I knew the story had to center around classic British mysteries and curl up within the cozy genre.

How do you research and create the "cozy" elements in your books, like the settings and community?

It was easy for this story as the time and place were fixed and they were perfect! An English village in the Cotswold’s with a population of only 247 in the winter of 1950. It was an ideal starting point. The real-life spy also provided the perfect amount of tension and suspense as I explored all the other cozy elements — 1950s Christian Dior fashion, the mystery books of the time, trains, bicycles, town squares, the community and shops on the High Street, and more. Every detail was researched for accuracy and walks through Woodstock, Great Rollright, and throughout London on my spectacular research trip gave me all the sensorial details I needed as well. A good research trip is always such a boon!