Why do we love crime fiction so much? The crime/thriller genre made up 36% of total book sales in Britain in 2017 and for the first time crime fiction exceeded literary/general fiction.
A range of explanations have been suggested for this trend, perhaps I will discuss these in another post. For now, I will just feature some recent reads and highlight what I look for in crime fiction, or more particularly, in mysteries.
1. The Plot
Most mysteries follow a well-defined structure, with a crime or discovery of a crime early in the story and the remaining part focusing on the gradual discovery of facts – possibly with a good many red herrings – ultimately leading towards the climatic revelation and finishing with a short epilogue.
My ideal mystery features relatable characters, but at its best, a strong plot can stand alone. A prime example of a strong plot is Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, which I read as a child. It was my first Christie and it shook my world. I have been an avid fan of Christie (and crime) ever since.
I recently read Smallbone Deceased by Michael Gilbert on recommendation from FictionFan. This is one of British Library’s Crime Classics and another example of a clever plot. The action is centred around a solicitor’s office, where the body of Mr. Smallbone is found. The suspects are a charming bunch, but Gilbert didn’t engage much in character studies, which meant only a few of them stood out to me. Occasionally, I had to go back to remind myself about one of the characters. However, the plot combined with excessively charming writing made up for that and I enjoyed it very much.
2. The Characters
A plot has to be unique to stand on its own. A good plot can keep me entertained, but the stories I remember afterwards typically include a gallery of interesting characters. Ann Cleeves is in my opinion a master in this respect. Her characters are real, complex and nuanced. Like in real life, nothing is black or white. Inevitably, you will sometimes feel deep empathy with the ‘bad’ guys or be utterly frustrated with the ‘good’ guys.
P. D. James also excels in depicting interesting characters. Last month, I listened to The Murder Room, which revolves around the Dupayne, a small crime-focused London museum. The air is filled with tension, because a member of the Dupayne family wants to close down the museum.
This is a slow burner and not the strongest plot seen from P. D. James. It breaks with the usual plot structure; the first incident happens quite late in the story. It did not matter to me. I had a blast delving into the lives of the characters.
3. The Escapism Factor
Sometimes, depth and nuances are of less importance. Instead, fast-paced entertainment, which will induce you to frantically flip the pages, is required.
Before I got my Kindle, I often picked up such books in the airport from the bestseller shelf. The right book can keep my attention fixed even in a noisy airport and (almost) make me forget my annoyance about the plane being two hours delayed. Airport reading has introduced me to authors like Lee Child and David Baldacci, which I doubt, I would have picked up otherwise.
Recently, I read Mel Sherrat’s Hush Hush, which fits perfectly in this category.
DS Grace Allendale is a sympathetic heroine, who like all modern detectives has moved to a new city for a new start. Also, like any modern detective with respect for herself, she has a seriously dark and messed-up past, which she escaped from. True to form her past catches up with her and she has to face her ghosts.
Besides from Grace, the other characters are one-dimensional, or in best case two-dimensional. The plot is not particularly original. But I spent some happy hours completely immersed in this mystery and I don’t regret it for a minute.
🤔
Good writing and an interesting setting can contribute to my enjoyment of a mystery, but these attributes cannot stand alone.
Do you enjoy crime fiction? Which books got you hooked? And what does it take to create the perfect mystery for you?
Don’t forget the upcoming Capital Crime Festival which will take place in London 26th – 28th September.
Fantastic post! I read many genres but this is my go-to category. When I’m at a loss as to what I want to read next, I’ll grab a mystery. I started with the Nancy Drew books as a child, watched The Alfred Hitchcock Hour and started reading his anthologies before I read my first Agatha Christie. While I love police procedurals, my appreciation for the genre was formed from all those wry twists and endings Hitchcock seemed to lean towards.
Thanks Jonetta! 😀 This is my go-to genre as well. When I started blogging earlier this year, the first blogs I signed up to had lots of crime fiction reviews. I thought, I couldn’t go completely wrong with that! I am not familiar with Nancy Drew, I believe my first gentle introduction to mysteries was The Famous Five.
Crime fiction and mysteries have only recently found their way into my reading orbit (almost entirely through the blogging community). Apart from Christie, which I read as a teen, I doubt that I picked up anything featuring murder for decades. So it’s rather nice to be discovering them at this later point in life 😊 I am loving Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache series and I am keen to read Ann Cleeves. (They are great friends I believe.) She has helpfully started a new series which makes it much easier to begin.
Interesting that you only started reading mysteries recently. I would have guessed many people start reading crime fiction when they are very young (or perhaps it is YA fantasy these days) and spread out to other genres as they get older. Louise Penny is not an author I am familiar with. Is she meant to have similarities to Ann Cleeves? I will definitely check her out.
Crime reading when starting out…. yes I’m sure that’s true for a lot of people. I went down the other route and settled on romance! 😁
I’m not sure that they have similarities beyond writing crime fiction. Penny’s books are set in Canada and are almost ‘cosy’. But they have a psychology behind them which appeals to me, and the chaaracters build book by book. I love them but I can’t recommend them to you – just because I suspect that your taste is a little more edgy, and because I’ve read no Cleeves I can’t make a comparison there. But check them out. They’re hugely popular!
Haha, I have never really got started on the romance genre, but seeing how you recently ‘discovered’ crime, I guess it isn’t too late yet.
Diana just mentioned The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny as a favourite. Is that one of the books you’ve read? I like edgy, but I also like cosy (Agatha Christie!!) so I wouldn’t rule out that Penny’s books could be a good fit.
I’m reading them in order and haven’t reached that one yet but yes. it’s the same series. (I think she has only written this one series and is still writing them.) Worth giving them a try if you like modern cosy and find yourself short on material! They can be read as standalones but are much better in order. And they get better as they go along – or they have so far!
I just had a look at Goodreads. You are right, they are very popular with extremely high ratings. And there are 14 of them! I downloaded the first one to my Kindle, which normally means I will read it sooner or later. Not sure I will make it through all 14 of them though.
You might get hooked as I have! (I’m about to read no. 5 I think.) The first one is certainly not the best of what I’ve read so far but it will give a flavour. May not be to your liking at all 😁
This is such a great post! It’s definitely the escapism factor and the pacy quality of crime that draws me in. I don’t reach for the genre that often, but when the mood strikes you can’t beat a good, satisfying thriller.
No, I have noticed you seem to have a more refined taste in literature than me 😉. I am glad you enjoy a good thriller from time to time though. Most often I find crime and thrillers a great way to relax. It is probably due to the escapism factor – you forget everything else whilst you are reading.
Haha, I’ll try a bit of everything when it comes to books. There’s certainly nothing wrong with a good thriller! 😊
I also enjoy crime fiction and I also read Agatha Christie as a child. Since my starting point was Agatha Christie, I believe my high standard for this type of fiction was set from the beginning and now I am difficult to please when it comes to a crime thriller 🙂 Frankly, most that I pick up now disappoint me. For example, I have recently read two Inspector Bordelli detective stories by Italian Marco Vichi and they both disappointed me. However, Sandra above mentioned Louise Penny and I loved one murder mystery that I read by her – “The Beautiful Mystery” (I also did a review). I am also planning to read some of the crime stories by Andrea Camilleri this and next month.
Completely with you on this one! I have had lots of disappointments with crime fiction, which is why I have periods where I read very little of this – even if it is my favourite genre. Don’t even think, I am that difficult to please. But due to the popularity, there is just way too many crime thrillers being published and the overall quality is therefore lowered. Since both you and Sandra mention Louise Penny, I guess I have to try her out 😀. And now you mention it, I have Andrea Camilleri’s The Shape of Water lingering on my Kindle. Will keep an eye out for any Camilleri reviews you post.
Great choices, especially Smallbone Deceased, of course! 😉 Thanks for the mention and the link! Hmm, what do I look for? I think it could summed up by saying I want it to be entertaining. So much of it is grim and gritty these days, commenting on social problems and so on, and that hardly ever works for me – I turn to lit-fic for that kind of thing. In crime, I like a good mystery, some enjoyable characters – either likeable, that I care about, or ones that are intriguing in some way, or even quirky ones if they’re fun to spend time with – and maybe an interesting setting – somewhere I haven’t been that I can learn about, or somewhere I know so I can feel that sense of recognition and familiarity. And the detective has to be morally good and preferably angst-free. Not much swearing, minimal graphic descriptions of sex and violence, no autopsy scenes, and great pacing. See! I’m easy to please, really I am… 😀
You are welcome! It was a good recommendation. Other commenters have recommended Louise Penny. Are you familiar with her? From what you say, I see very clearly why you get on so well with classic crime. I too enjoy the classics and plan to read more of these. Don’t know if the quality was generally higher back then (in the good old days 😉), but they do have a certain charm which is rarely found in modern crime. Having said that, I don’t mind grim and gritty (I grew up with Scandi Noir after all…) but there was a time when the troubled detective, with a complex personal life, work addiction and mild depression who drank whisky and listened to opera almost became a cliche. Anyway, I have had lots of disappointments with crime fiction, which fails to entertain, so I am excessively pleased when I find a new author, who I enjoy consistently.
I haven’t read any Louise Penny, but I’ve had the first book in the series on my TBR for ages. I can’t quite make up my mind if they appeal – sometimes they sound as if they have a sort of quirky side, almost as if the setting isn’t quite real. You should read some and tell me if I’d like them! 😉 I do think books were often better written back in the day, probably because only people who went to posh schools aspired to write novels. There’s much greater need for editors now, I think, but they don’t seem to be tough enough – part of the never criticise, always praise culture, I suppose. I also used to enjoy grim and gritty crime fiction, and still do occasionally, but I’m finding it’s going to extremes these days. Rebus was gritty but it wasn’t full of graphic sex, swearing and gruesome autopsies…
Well, I downloaded the first Louise Penny to my Kindle, so I guess we will have to see, who gets to it first. If I am the lucky one, I will of course give you my honest opinion! 🙂 Very true about editors, but I think part of the problem is, that even a mediocre crime novel might sell in decent numbers these days. The grittiness level in Rebus was fine for me. I can cope with worse, probably I have become pretty immune, but there has to be a purpose with the gritty scenes. Swearing always annoys me.
Such a smart and insightful post! I discovered recently that I wasn’t much of a mystery reader when I was younger, and while I enjoy them now and definitely read my share, I’m still not certain they are my favorites- unless – to borrow some ideas from you above – the storytelling and escapism are on point. Then they fit just right.
From what I have seen on your blog, you do have quite a diverse taste, which is nice. I like to read different genres as well – I love crime fiction, but it would be boring to read about crime all the time. The escapism factor is certainly part of the attraction. Even at times when I find it difficult to concentrate, a good crime thriller can keep my attention fixed.
Crime is such a good genre when I want to be swept up in a plot and the lives of the characters. I devoured crime shows when I was younger but have been pretty cautious with the crime books I read but people love it and there’s a reason for that. I recently enjoyed The Lost Man by Jane Harper which was great on the character front, so I’ll look into Ann Cleeves as characters are really central to my enjoyment of something 🙂
Ah, I haven’t read The Lost Man, but I enjoyed Jane Harper’s The Dry and agree she is good at drawing interesting characters (not quite Ann Cleeves’ standard though 😉). I devoured crime shows when I was younger as well, but nowadays I mostly get my crime dose through books. For Ann Cleeves I would recommend the Vera series, book 2 or later instalments. Hope you will enjoy it of you decide to go ahead with one of her books.
I liked The Lost Man but am undecided on whether I liked Jane Harper enough to give her other books a try. I’ll definitely give Ann Cleeves a shot, especially if her character standards are high. Thanks for the recommendation, with established crime authors with a significant backlog it can be hard to know where to start. 🙂
I completely understand, if you don’t want to read more Jane Harper after not being that enthusiastic about The Lost Man. Life is just too short and there are so many great authors out there!
I don’t read crime fiction as much as other genres but I have to agree the plot has to be self-sufficient in a way that it can weave the story without us having to pace-out frequently and going back just to be reminded of what the fuck is actually going on! Also, the characters point is true. But then I think it’s true in any genre. A well-rounded character give the story a life but with crime fiction, if the plot is perfectly executed the writer can get away with somewhat flat characters as well, don’t you agree? This is true in those fast-paced thrillers specifically.
A GREAT POST!
Yes, the character part is certainly true for all genres, but it is also true there is some degree of substitution effect between the different components. A fast-paced thriller typically scores highly on the escapism scale, and – as you suggest – low on the characters. And that is perfectly fine. My ‘ideal’ crime novel though would be strong on plot, characters AND escapism factor.
Thanks so much for stopping by!
A great post. You have very interesting insights on crime fiction; totally nailed it. It was one of the first genres that kept me reading. Whilst they are plotcentric most of the time, I agree that characters make them more interesting, or a recluse detective such as Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot 🙂 I love Agatha Christie’s and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s plot structures. They are rarely formulaic.
Thanks! You are completely right about Agatha Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I suppose that is one of the reasons, they have become classics. Agatha Christie is one of the few crime writers, whose books I occasionally reread. It says a lot about the quality, that they still hold up for a reread.
I’ve read several Agatha Christie books. They’re always great. I loved the Murder of Roger Ackroyd. Couldn’t believe that ending. Loved it! With Christie, you know what you’re getting and she delivers every time.
Yes, I completely agree about Christie. And in my opinion The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is one of her best. I wonder if anyone has managed to guess the plot, before it was revealed.
To read The Lost Man by Jane Harper is putting the cart before the horse. It is her third book – after The Dry and Force of Nature – and, in my humble opinion, indicates a repetitiveness of theme and location. How many times do we need to be old the Australian outback is a different place that can wreak havoc on minds and bodies? I came away with the feeling she was pressured into getting out another book to capitalise on the success of The Dry.
Certainly not a patch on Ann Cleeves who immerses totally believeable characters into locations that play an integral part in the story. Her Shetland stories (which have sadly come to an end) with detective Jimmy Perez are unputdownable.
And now she has moved to another fascinating and atmospheric location on the Devonshire coast. The first in this series has the sense she is still feeling her way with her surroundings but it is a good read nonetheless.
But for intense atmosphere it is hard to go past the Scandi noir novels – a plethora of them, and all deserving a place on one’s bookshelves (real books, not Kindle).
I never got further than The Dry, which I quite liked. Sounds like we agree on Ann Cleeves, I love Shetland and most of the Vera books. Haven’t got started on the new series yet. Grew up with Scandi noir, and it has a special place in my heart. Do you have any Scandi noir favourites? Always open for new suggestions!
Aah … how long is a piece of string?
So many Scandi crime fiction writers are now available in English, going right back to the husband/wife team of Per Wahloo and Maj Sjowall who inspired all those who have followed. Their 10 quite short novels (especially when compared with today’s doorstoppers) are superbly crafted example of the sub-genre of police detective crime.
Of the more modern Scandi writers lasting favourites are Henning Mankell, Hakan Nesser and Jo Nesbo, although he has got a bit brutal of late.
Never a fan of Steig Larsson as I found him quite over-written and tedious from the very beginning. Clearly millions disagree (or have succumbed to the pressure of his PR).
Other faves are Asa Larsson (Sweden), Anne Holt (Norway), Mons Kallentoft (Sweden), Karin Fossum (Norway) and the Icelanders Yrsa Sigurdardottir and Arnaldur Indridason.
The problem of discussing crime fiction is the existence of so many sub-genres – the police procedural, the private eye, the forensic detectives, the espionage world, the clever amateurs, the sparring duos and the OTT world of international terrorism, suicide vests and bomb threats.
And on top of that there are national preferences, which in my case means an inability to enjoy so much that is produced by American writers who so swamp the field. Meanwhile, excellent writers and storytellers from Australia (Peter Temple, Barry Maitland, Peter Corris, Shane Maloney and a host of women crime writers) never seem to get a look in.
But whatever their poison, crime fiction fans will never lack something to read, and so much of it of truly quality writing.
Thanks so much for a very extensive reply. I enjoyed the first of Per Wahloo / Maj Sjowall, but didn’t continue with the series. Perhaps I should, I often find the older books more appealing than modern crime. Mankell and Nesbo are favourites of mine, I can’t recall Nesser. We must agree to disagree on Stieg Larsson. Lisbeth Salander is one of my fictional heroines (not that I generally approve of violence, but still…). After moving to UK, I don’t read that much Scandi crime anymore, but now I feel like starting again!