This month #InkRipples is focusing on genre, and today I will be taking a look at mystery.
To me, mystery is one of the easier genres to identify. Does your main story line center around answering "Who done it?" Then you've got yourself a mystery.
Like romance, mystery has several sub genres including:
- Cozy
- Police Procedural
- Suspense
- Noir
- Legal Thriller
- Medical Thriller
There can be romance in a mystery, but it isn't the driving plot of the story. Take cozy mysteries for example. The ones I've read have been a series where the heroine has a normal day job (baker, teacher, librarian, etc.) and stumbles across a murder that she helps the hero, usually a detective, solve. The heroine usually belongs to some kind of club (knitting, book, etc.) that is involved in helping to solve the mystery. During the course of the books, the heroine and hero develop a relationship. So, while there is romance, the main point of the story is to solve the murder, making this a mystery and not a romance.
All that being said, it doesn't mean a reader of romance wouldn't enjoy a cozy mystery (or any other mystery for that matter), but you don't want to mislead your reader into thinking they are getting a romance when, to them, it might not be.
What are your favorite types of mysteries? Who are some of your favorite mystery authors? Share in the comments below!
Next week we'll wrap things up with a look at Fantasy.
#InkRipples is a themed meme hosted by Katie L. Carroll, Kai Strand, and me, Mary Waibel. We post on the first Monday of every month. If you would like to participate compose your own post regarding the theme of the month, include any of the images displayed on the #InkRipples tab above, and link back to our three blogs. Feel free to post whenever you want during the month, but be sure to include #InkRipples when you promote so readers can find you. The idea is that we toss a word or idea into the inkwell and each post is a new ripple. There is no wrong interpretation.
This year's topics are:
- February: Genres
- March: Tropes
- April: Revision
- May: Fairy Tales
- June: Blurbs
- July: Heroes/Villains
- August: Author Options in Publishing
- September: World Building
- October: Career vs Hobby
- November: Finishing that Book!
- December: Goals
I don't read a lot of mystery. Not that I don't enjoy the ones that I read, it just isn't what I reach for. Great description though! Thanks, Mary.
ReplyDeleteI have to be in the right mood for a mystery, too, but I do enjoy them (especially when there's romance tucked into the story :-) )
DeleteThanks for stopping by, Kai!!
I actually prefer stories that have elements of mystery in them but aren't straight up who-done-its. I find traditional mysteries to be predictable, though that may just be me...my husband says I always ruin movies for him by figuring out the ending halfway through!
ReplyDeleteI enjoy picking apart movie and tv shows with mystery elements, just to see if I can solve it before the MC. In fact, we're watching Mr. Robot now, and I thought I'd figured something out, then tonight I realized I totally followed a red herring...or maybe not? I'll have to check back in on that!
DeleteLike you, I love me a bit of mystery. And romance. And fantastical creatures/beings. Or traditional settings. With real-life people in real-life situations. I guess I kinda like a little bit of everything ;-)
Mystery isn't a genre I read a lot of. Unless there is something paranormal in it. I'll totally read a mystery with a vampire detective. LOL
ReplyDeleteNow that's something I'd read too, although I can usually handle a good mystery (depending on my mood!)
DeleteThanks for stopping by, Patricia!