Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library

I love a mystery!
Mon, 09/19/2022 - 10:30am

This question came up at our recent Mystery Book Club meeting: How do you know that a book is a mystery?

There are a variety of themes used in writing a mystery story. The early novels were straight “Whodunnits?” Later the stories evolved into what are now called thrillers and suspense. So how do we define the genre of a mystery novel? I always use the acronym MTS: mystery, thriller, suspense.

A mystery is defined as a piece of fiction usually dealing with the solutions of a mysterious crime or murder. A thriller is defined as a work of fiction or drama designed to hold the interest by the use of a high degree of intrigue, adventure, or suspense. A suspense novel creates a level of anxiety or apprehension for what's next, resulting from a mysterious situation. Suspense can be present in any genre.

Let me simplify all that for you: Mystery: it's about the puzzle. Thriller: the push/pull between the protagonist and villain. Suspense: the tension and what might happen.

Using the above descriptions here is a list of examples.

Mysteries: “Rule Against Murder” by Louise Penny. “And Then There Were None” by Agatha Christie. “Red Door” by Charles Todd. “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn. “Tell No One” by Harlan Coben.

Thrillers: “State of Terror” by Louise Penny and Hillary Clinton. “Then She Was Gone” by Lisa Jewell. “Mercy” by David Baldacci. “Flicker in the Dark” by Stacy Willingham. “Shutter Island” by Dennis Lahane.

Suspense: “Couple Next Door” by Shari Lapena. “Girl On the Train” by Paula Hawkins. “The Dry” by Jane Harper. “Silent Patient” by Alex Michaelides. “Apples May Fall” by Liane Moriaty.

Happy reading mystery lovers!

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