COMMENTARY, THE NEW COZIES, by CeeViews.

The proliferation of supernatural series astonishes me.I'm now up to fourteen series. What happened to the super-woman independent PI's of only a generation ago? Of course the immense popularity of Buffy helped, but there was also INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE, and the ANN RICE series. Today, although supernatural tales must, by standard definitions, have horrifying moments, the terror is quite dialed down. The Gail Carriger ALEXIA TARABOTTI (MACCON) series is not a great deal scarier than AMELIA PEABODY EMERSON. Indeed, there is more apprehension and dread when Ramses, Amelia's son, spies for England in WWI Egypt.

These last two series have many cozy features. Simon Canderous is an investigator, but for a government agency, and he fears his paperwork more than the living dead. Alexis lives with a werewolf and has no soul, but her Victorian observations are a huge send up much funnier than Amelia's. She has dreary and wittering relatives who must marry for position, not dissimilar to the JANE AUSTEN ladies. The supernatural and predatory has become often funny and by familiarity has devolved into a nearly cozy style. And I like cozies, and heroines refreshed by a good cup of tea.