Unlock the Secrets: Delving into Mystery and Thriller Book Genres
Why is it so important to know the fundamentals of your book’s genre?
Understanding your book's genre is essential for communicating with readers, agents, and publishers. For agents and publishers, genre immediately signals where your book fits in the market—a key factor in deciding if they want to represent or publish your work. For readers, genre sets expectations, helping them decide if your book is the type of book they are in the mood to read. A clear genre also keeps readers engaged, minimizing confusion about pacing, tone, and themes. The genre and subgenre of your book dictate its pacing and the obligatory scenes. In a future post, I'll dive deeper into the importance of genres and how to identify yours.
What is the difference between mystery, suspense, and thriller?
Mystery is the easiest of the three to pinpoint. In mystery, there is always a crime, typically a murder. When we think of mystery, we often think of a “whodunit”. In a mystery, both the reader and protagonist are unaware who the killer is, and the mystery is solved by the end of the novel. These stories are analytical and focus more on solving puzzles than on action.
Thriller and suspense stories are more closely linked and can be a bit trickier to distinguish. The protagonist in a thriller is often in danger and the story is typically action driven. The reader usually knows the villain’s identity early on, and sometimes the protagonist knows, as well. The hero’s goal is to stop the villain before it’s too late.
Suspense stories are similar in that the protagonist faces danger, but the key difference lies in how the reader experiences the story. In suspense, the reader has more information than the protagonist, which builds tension and anxiety as the plot unfolds. The protagonist will be forced to make hard choices and will lose a lot before they win.
Digging Deeper into Mystery
When a reader picks up a mystery, they expect to see a motivated investigator, an unknown killer, a cover-up, the discovery and elimination of suspects, evaluation of the clues, and, ultimately, the identification and apprehension of the killer.
Subgenres of mystery include:
Cozy mystery: Example - Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple. Cozy mysteries take place in a tranquil environment and justice always triumphs in the end.
Hard-boiled: Example - The Big Sleep. Hard-boiled mysteries portray crime realistically, including criminal methods and investigative techniques. The resolution is often bittersweet, but justice still triumphs. The protagonist is usually cynical but not mean, and the story pacing is fast.
Police Procedural: Example - Silence of the Lambs. Closely related to hard-boiled mysteries but with a larger cast of characters that make up the police precinct. The focus is on police tactics.
Medical, Scientific, or Forensic: Example - Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs (the book series that the show Bones was based on). These stories feature medical examiners, doctors, or forensic experts, and solving the mystery hinges on their expertise.
Legal or Courtroom Drama: Example – The Firm by John Girsham. The mystery is The mystery is viewed from the perspective of defense or prosecution lawyers, with a focus on courtroom procedures.
Digging Deeper into Thrillers and Suspense
There are a lot of thriller and suspense subgenres including, but not limited to, serial killer, psychological, spy, military, political, woman in jeopardy, child in jeopardy, and legal. Due to the sheer number of subgenres, I won’t dive into each of them here. Instead, I will dive deeper into the similarities and differences of thrillers and suspense.
I have playfully referred to suspense books as anxiety books because the anticipation is continually heightened throughout the story and the answers are delayed as long as possible. Suspense stories build steadily, while thrillers race. The Girl on the Train is a great example of a suspense novel.
Thrillers, on the other hand, are action packed and fast paced. There are often direct conflict scenes, and the story focuses on the push and pull between the protagonist and antagonist. Thrillers focus on the external events while suspense focuses on the internal story. Gone Girl is a well-known psychological thriller.
Final Thoughts
It is okay to mix up thrillers and suspense since they are closely related and often blend elements of both. However, it is important to distinguish between a mystery and a thriller/suspense so that readers know what to expect, and agents and publishers know where your book fits in the market. I hope you found this helpful! If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out!