From classic detective solves to cozy riddles cracked by amateurs, the mystery genre offers everything necessary to put away a gloomy mood. My love for reading began with the love of mystery. My very first English novel was Murder on the Orient Express. I read that book in a day. And after that I didn’t stop. Needless to say everyone has a favorite genre but in between all those rom-coms and historical fiction, a light reading of a mind boggling mystery is sure to be enjoyed.
1-Mood Setters.
Usually people read fantasy or romance to cure their blues but sometimes a little bit of mystery can help. When there's always a chance that a snobbish third wheel will ruin your love story, cozy mysteries usually have satisfying endings. Also the final reveal is commonly really twisty and makes the reader gasp in surprise. Such mysteries are my absolute favourite. The person you have thrown out of the equation turns out to be the final piece of the puzzle you never saw coming. This particularly reminds me of Hercule Poirot's first mystery. "A Mysterious Affair at Styles". If you haven’t read it yet, at least add it in your TBR.
Even if your not a regular reader, and pick up a book once in a blue moon, I'm pretty sure you still have a favorite detective. Maybe it's Hercule Poirot or maybe it's Sherlock Holmes. Nancy Drew? Miss Marple? Maybe your fav detective comes from a tv show or a movie? Love Benoit Blanc from Knives out? Detective Jake Peralta from Brooklyn 99? Mystery.Inc from Scooby Doo? Lennie Briscoe from Law & Order? Batman? So many detectives. And the best thing is seeing them in work. Cozy mysteries have their own charm and these quirky detectives have won hearts of millions and continue to do so. There is something infinitely satisfying and intriguing about reading professionals ace at their work. It is said that a mystery is only as good as its sleuth. And of course every Sherlock needs his Watson. Sidekicks only add more charm to the stories with their completely-opposite-to-the-detective personality.
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| BBC Sherlock and Watson played by Benedict Cumberbatch & Martin Freeman |
3- True Crime VS Mystery
It is a common misconception that true crime & mystery are the opposite sides of the same coin. I disagree. Mysteries are fictional tales and are usually not gruesome and can be enjoyed wholeheartedly. True crime includes real tragedy and it commonly depicts the dark psychological nature of human beings. Why’d he do that? What prompted them to do such a heinous act? Did she regret her actions or was she still satisfied with her nefarious deeds? Such questions are usually tackled in true crime while mysteries just figure out who put arsenic in the victim’s cocktail and ninety percent of the time the motive’s money. I have often watched true crime documentaries and television shows but rarely do I read it. For some reason, reading about true crime upsets me. And my purpose of reading is to gain an escape from reality and experience a sense of gratitude and pleasure so true crime is a no go for me.
4- Overrated Trope?
“Edmund Wilson's 1945 New Yorker essay "Who Cares Who Killed Roger Ackroyd?" (the title referred to Agatha Christie's 1926 novel "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd") more or less demolished the "classical" country-house murder mysteries of Christie and her school. The series detective novel took its place, and today it rules the realm of crime fiction. These books provide pleasure to many loyal fans, which is all to the good. What's not so good is the inflated critical reputation of the better writers, and of the genre as a whole. The American detective novel may be commercially viable, but it is devoid of creative or artistic interest.”
This is an excerpt of an article written by Ben Yagoda on The Salon magazine. I do not agree with this opinion but I do respect it. And ben is not alone in this thinking. I have seen many people who do not read mystery or anything related to it.
Many people think that reading too much of this genre can make you kinda paranoid and reading such tales over and over again makes you a sleuth yourself so you begin to understand the pattern and a time comes when no plot twist is enough twist for you. I read over 15 novels of christie before I stopped cherishing the fact that I can now suspect the true culprit. And situation is not exactly great for me now too. ( I swear that if the end of “Never Lie” is what I'm thinking it is I'm going to need to go book shopping for something written by Jojo Myers or Kiera Cass)
This is one of the most exploiting things for readers. That’s why too much mystery needs to be avoided. The hyperbolized frame of the genre is now much more notorious and Christie and Doyle's works have set unrealistic expectations which are most commonly not met by todays writers however advanced their writings may be.
Things are getting repetitious without any further progress in the classics departments. Reading christie’s “And Then There Were None” for the first time seems magical, but the same story is now being told in different fonts. Be it Lucy Folly or Alice Feeney, every other mystery author has written a book inspired by Christie’s isolated island murders and ultimately many of these spin offs have lost their charm. We all know that Karen is secretly alive killing every body else or it could be John hiding in the hut all along. The thing is we no longer care.
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| Hercule Poirot from the movie "Murder on the Orient Express" |
5-Sub Genre
Mystery is another one of those genres that have the ability to poke their edges into every other genres. From classic whodunnits and locked room mysteries to hardboiled and courtroom cases, they interwine themselves with romance, fiction, fantasy and historical fiction, horror and gothic. The element of mystery adds a certain charm to every situation. Be it a wedding or a tropical isle or an old cathedral, mysteries can be found everywhere. Such mix of several genres is an excellent remedy for all gloomy moods.
There is rom-cozy and noir and much more. If you are interested about these genres you can read more about them here:
Mystery Sub-Genres ~ Bookriot
Happy Reading!
(p.s: I just finished Never Lie and I'm so glad that it wasn’t what I thought it was. It was so nice to experience something new. Though I still believe I need a rest from mysteries. I'm gonna read Abby Jimenez. Swoon over something nice and warm.)
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