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In this multi-post series, we hope to answer some of your questions about different genre fiction. Throughout GENRE FICTION 101, you’ll learn about different genres and their place in the publishing world. We’ll discuss popularity, profits, typical tropes, controversies, and more. Read the intro installment here.

What’s the Secret to Mystery?

Everyone loves a “Whodunnit.” Mystery is a genre of fiction centered around a crime that someone needs to puzzle out. The protagonist is typically the person solving the crime—whether it be a detective, private investigator, cop, or an Average Joe that just got caught up in the middle of things.

Mystery fiction is constantly twisting and turning, and it usually has more than one big twist that keeps the audience guessing as to who the criminal is. It’s typical structure is easy to follow:

  • There is an inciting crime, like a murder, kidnapping, or theft. This is the puzzle.
  • The protagonist takes the reader along on their investigation. We follow along as suspects are vetted and eliminated, danger is alluded, and more evidence is uncovered.
  • A twist! Something turns the investigation around when it all seems like a dead end.
  • The mystery is solved and the story somehow resolved—the criminal is no longer at large.

History of Mystery

The genre originated during the English Renaissance as formal police forces became more of a commonplace institution in society. But mystery literature truly began to gain traction in the 1800s, as some of the most iconic mystery writers began to emerge. Edgar Allan Poe wrote his short story “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” in 1841, securing his place as the “inventor” of mystery with his character Auguste C. Dupin, the world’s first fictional detective. He was followed by more legendary writers, including Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes stories; Edward Stratemeyer, the idea man behind iconic characters like The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew; and Agatha Christie, author of iconic books like Murder on the Orient Express.

The genre continued to gain popularity throughout the 1900s with pulp magazines and dime novels, slowly growing into the popular genre that it is today.

Popular Subgenres

Detective

Think of the clever, hardened detective who probably drinks too much on the job and is never without a cigarette. These classic crime novels take the point of view of that detective during an investigation, usually following a mysterious death or theft. Sherlock Holmes was a popular hit in this subgenre.Hardboiled detectives were huge in pulp fiction, while nowadays we see more amateur detectives taking the spotlight, like Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Caper

These stories don’t hide, taking place from the point of view of the criminal. You get their motives and inner most thoughts, so these books are frequently more focused on humor and the cleverness of the protagonist. Michael Crichton is a popular caper writer, with titles like The Great Train Robbery.

Cozy Mystery

Cozy mysteries are relatively PG—there isn’t violence, sex, or graphic material. In these stories, it’s less about the grueling procedure and more about intelligence and resourcefulness. Because of that, amateur sleuths are common in this subgenre, and frequently women. Aside from Agatha Christie, Charlotte Matilda MacLeod was another prolific “cozies” novelist of the 1900s, publishing over thirty books.

Police Procedural

Also known as “police crime drama,” this subgenre follows the investigative efforts of a character on the police force. As such, the protagonist has more rules to follow than a typical private detective. The reader sees a lot more detail as to the procedure of professional law enforcement, including forensics, interrogation, and legal restrictions. The Three Pines Series by Louise Penny is a great example of this subgenre.

Why Do We Love Mystery?

As the second highest-grossing genre after Romance, we clearly love Mystery as a literary community. But why does mystery do so well, especially since it can get formulaic in nature?

Whether it’s with a bumbling amateur sleuth, a hardboiled cop, or a cunning and suave private eye, mystery allows us to follow the exciting twists and turns alongside an investigation.

These novels allow us to try and puzzle our way to the big reveal on our own, as if we were the one with a ticking clock. Mystery novels also lean on a strong moral code—there’s right and wrong, and the good guy is easily distinguishable from the bad. This is comforting—if you’re reading a mystery novel, more than likely, you will be satisfied with the justice at the end.

Real life is complicated. Perhaps we love mystery so much because no matter what, we know we’ll solve the puzzle.