mystery
DEFINITION:
Detective and mystery novels are stories in which a crime, usually but not always a murder, has been committed, and the means, motive, and criminal are in doubt or unknown. This problem is presented to an amateur or professional detective who accepts the puzzle and its clues and who then solves it. Contemporary authors in this genre are stressing the why—the psychology behind the crime—above the who, when, and how that have been the hallmarks of the classic detective and mystery novel. Specialists abound in today’s mysteries, whether forensic experts in a police procedural or amateur detectives whose interest in rare books, horse racing, or cosmetology is as important to the story as the solving of the crime. Recent trends are the use of paranormal creatures such as vampires and ghosts in the stories and the emphasis on the reader's emotional involvement with the character.
CHARACTERISTICS:
Mysteries present a challenge to the reader who must use the clues to solve the crime.The stories are usually intricately plotted but can be either fast paced and suspenseful or slower paced with lots of detail and description. The protagonist can be an amateur detective who just happens to find a dead body, a police detective, or a private eye. The stories can be very realistic and recreate the real world of the police or crime with gritty language, violence, and sex. Amateur detective mysteries can by light hearted with the violence off stage, but even these now have a love interest and some sex. Most mysteries feature a series character that readers get to know and identify with through the books. Authors delve into the psychology of the characters while the crimes often reflect the problems of society including drugs, greed, corruption, runaways, child abuse, and more. The end of the story must tie up all loose ends and solve the crime.
APPEAL:
Mysteries appeal to readers on many levels—as puzzles that are a battle of wits between the reader and the sleuth, as a morality play where the hero slays evil and saves mankind, as entertainment that tells a good story with a satisfying resolution, as an acceptable way to channel aggressive thoughts and act out aggressive fantasies, as a way to learn about special subjects or problems, and as stories with characters that have strong emotional appeal.
READERS:
Mystery readers come in all ages from pre-teen to seniors. These are people who like their stories based in the real world and want to see good defeat evil. Traditionally women have read the amateur detective and cozy subgenres while men like the hard hitting and more realistic police procedural, private eye, and crime subgenres. Today women are also reading these subgenres as women authors have created women police detectives and women private eyes. Many men may not read women writers although this too is changing.
TRENDS:
Genre crossovers are popular. Watch for blends with westerns, fantasy, horror, and romantic suspense, thrillers and suspense, science fiction, and literary fiction.
In historical mysteries, eras dominated by war -- especially World War I, World War II, and the American Civil War -- account for a large proportion of historical titles, but mystery writers are also taking readers to other times and places.
Internationally set mysteries are currently among the most popular types and make perfect companions for both vacationers and armchair travelers.
AUTHORS:
Classic - M.C. Beaton, Raymond Chandler, Agatha Christie, Wilkie Collins, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Dick Francis, Sue Grafton, Dashiell Hammett, P.D. James, Ed McBain, Robert B. Parker, Elizabeth Peters, Ellis Peters, Edgar Allan Poe, Mickey Spillane, Jim Thompson
Amateur Detective - Nevada Barr, Elly Griffiths, Jonathan Kellerman, Margaret Maron, Barbara Neely, Julia Spencer-Fleming, Stuart Woods
Cozy - Lillian Jackson Braun, Mary Daheim, Monica Ferris, Joanne Fluke, Carolyn Hart, Alexander McCall-Smith, Katherine Hall Page
Crime/Caper - Lawrence Block, Ken Bruen, Tim Dorsey, Chris Ewan, Carl Hiaasen, Elmore Leonard, Peter Mayle, Donald E. Westlake
Historical - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Alan C. Bradley, Lindsey Davis, P.C. Doherty, Charles Finch, Barbara Hambly, Philip Kerr, Laurie R. King, S. J. Paris, Anne Perry, Amy Stewart, Will Thomas, Charles Todd, Jacqueline Winspear
Humorous - Donna Andrews, Rita Mae Brown, Julia Chapman, Janet Evanovich, Caroline Haines, Joan Hess, Lisa Lutz, Max Wirestone
International - Cara Black (France), Tana French (Ireland), Kerry Greenwood (Australia), Keigo Higashino (Japan), Roderic Jeffries (Majorca), Stieg Larsson (Sweden), Donna Leon (Italy), Henning Mankell (Sweden), Antonio Manzini (Italy), Jo Nesbo (Norway), Louise Penny (Canada), Fred Vargas (France)
Police - Ann Cleeves, Michael Connelly, Deborah Crombie, Elizabeth George, Martha Grimes, Tony Hillerman, J.A. Jance, Criag Johnson, Faye Kellerman, William Kent Krueger, Stuart McBride, Michael McGarrity, Ian Rankin, Peter Robinson
Private Investigator - James Lee Burke, Robert Crais, Robert Galbraith, Steve Hamilton, Joe Ide, Laura Lippman, Walter Mosley, Marcia Muller, Sara Paretsky,
Detective and mystery novels are stories in which a crime, usually but not always a murder, has been committed, and the means, motive, and criminal are in doubt or unknown. This problem is presented to an amateur or professional detective who accepts the puzzle and its clues and who then solves it. Contemporary authors in this genre are stressing the why—the psychology behind the crime—above the who, when, and how that have been the hallmarks of the classic detective and mystery novel. Specialists abound in today’s mysteries, whether forensic experts in a police procedural or amateur detectives whose interest in rare books, horse racing, or cosmetology is as important to the story as the solving of the crime. Recent trends are the use of paranormal creatures such as vampires and ghosts in the stories and the emphasis on the reader's emotional involvement with the character.
CHARACTERISTICS:
Mysteries present a challenge to the reader who must use the clues to solve the crime.The stories are usually intricately plotted but can be either fast paced and suspenseful or slower paced with lots of detail and description. The protagonist can be an amateur detective who just happens to find a dead body, a police detective, or a private eye. The stories can be very realistic and recreate the real world of the police or crime with gritty language, violence, and sex. Amateur detective mysteries can by light hearted with the violence off stage, but even these now have a love interest and some sex. Most mysteries feature a series character that readers get to know and identify with through the books. Authors delve into the psychology of the characters while the crimes often reflect the problems of society including drugs, greed, corruption, runaways, child abuse, and more. The end of the story must tie up all loose ends and solve the crime.
APPEAL:
Mysteries appeal to readers on many levels—as puzzles that are a battle of wits between the reader and the sleuth, as a morality play where the hero slays evil and saves mankind, as entertainment that tells a good story with a satisfying resolution, as an acceptable way to channel aggressive thoughts and act out aggressive fantasies, as a way to learn about special subjects or problems, and as stories with characters that have strong emotional appeal.
READERS:
Mystery readers come in all ages from pre-teen to seniors. These are people who like their stories based in the real world and want to see good defeat evil. Traditionally women have read the amateur detective and cozy subgenres while men like the hard hitting and more realistic police procedural, private eye, and crime subgenres. Today women are also reading these subgenres as women authors have created women police detectives and women private eyes. Many men may not read women writers although this too is changing.
TRENDS:
Genre crossovers are popular. Watch for blends with westerns, fantasy, horror, and romantic suspense, thrillers and suspense, science fiction, and literary fiction.
In historical mysteries, eras dominated by war -- especially World War I, World War II, and the American Civil War -- account for a large proportion of historical titles, but mystery writers are also taking readers to other times and places.
Internationally set mysteries are currently among the most popular types and make perfect companions for both vacationers and armchair travelers.
AUTHORS:
Classic - M.C. Beaton, Raymond Chandler, Agatha Christie, Wilkie Collins, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Dick Francis, Sue Grafton, Dashiell Hammett, P.D. James, Ed McBain, Robert B. Parker, Elizabeth Peters, Ellis Peters, Edgar Allan Poe, Mickey Spillane, Jim Thompson
Amateur Detective - Nevada Barr, Elly Griffiths, Jonathan Kellerman, Margaret Maron, Barbara Neely, Julia Spencer-Fleming, Stuart Woods
Cozy - Lillian Jackson Braun, Mary Daheim, Monica Ferris, Joanne Fluke, Carolyn Hart, Alexander McCall-Smith, Katherine Hall Page
Crime/Caper - Lawrence Block, Ken Bruen, Tim Dorsey, Chris Ewan, Carl Hiaasen, Elmore Leonard, Peter Mayle, Donald E. Westlake
Historical - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Alan C. Bradley, Lindsey Davis, P.C. Doherty, Charles Finch, Barbara Hambly, Philip Kerr, Laurie R. King, S. J. Paris, Anne Perry, Amy Stewart, Will Thomas, Charles Todd, Jacqueline Winspear
Humorous - Donna Andrews, Rita Mae Brown, Julia Chapman, Janet Evanovich, Caroline Haines, Joan Hess, Lisa Lutz, Max Wirestone
International - Cara Black (France), Tana French (Ireland), Kerry Greenwood (Australia), Keigo Higashino (Japan), Roderic Jeffries (Majorca), Stieg Larsson (Sweden), Donna Leon (Italy), Henning Mankell (Sweden), Antonio Manzini (Italy), Jo Nesbo (Norway), Louise Penny (Canada), Fred Vargas (France)
Police - Ann Cleeves, Michael Connelly, Deborah Crombie, Elizabeth George, Martha Grimes, Tony Hillerman, J.A. Jance, Criag Johnson, Faye Kellerman, William Kent Krueger, Stuart McBride, Michael McGarrity, Ian Rankin, Peter Robinson
Private Investigator - James Lee Burke, Robert Crais, Robert Galbraith, Steve Hamilton, Joe Ide, Laura Lippman, Walter Mosley, Marcia Muller, Sara Paretsky,