So she sticks with old reliable favorites like the classic mysteries of Agatha Christie. She prefers a subgenre of mystery which is known as the “cozy mystery.” Originally these books featured protagonists who were women of a certain age. These amateur sleuths were sweet, harmless, yet quite proficient at solving crimes.

These books usually open with a murder. Readers then sit back and try to solve the crime with the same clues that the sleuth is turning up. Modern variants of the cozy style are expanded a bit. There’s even a little sex in them. Heaven forbid.

One of our leading contemporary practitioners of the cozy mystery is Jacqueline Winspear. Her series which features Maisie Dobbs, a private investigator who also is a psychologist, has been attracting more new fans with each installment.

Winspear’s most recent book, “Among the Mad,” begins in late 1931 as England is beset by the Great Depression. Maisie Dobbs served as a nurse in World War I.

As “Among the Mad” begins, Maisie is walking down a London street with her assistant, Billy Beale. She sees a wounded veteran sitting by the curb. As she approaches him to give him some money, he detonates a bomb.

This explosive opening hints at a larger plot. Terrifying notes are being sent to high government officials. Scotland Yard asks Maisie for her assistance in tracking down an individual who is threatening to carry out terrorist attacks.

Maisie works closely with a pair of dashing detectives. Both men offer clues that their interest in Maisie is more than platonic. But nothing happens in that regard. One detective holds her hand for a second longer than might be proper. They drink lots of tea.

That’s the classic cozy mystery. Many clues to solve. Minimal sex. No gratuitous violence. The only truly graphic moment is when a character commits suicide. The way it is described in the book is explicit. It also was physically impossible unless the man possessed three arms.

Maisie methodically examines clues and follows hunches and her splendid intuition. The men of Scotland Yard keep sending special cars to pick her up to pick her brain for answers. She is often one step ahead of them.

This genre is popular because these books are light reads. They stimulate the mind of the reader.