Defining Novel Genres, Part II (Mysteries)

This is the second in a series of three posts intended to help you identify the genre of your manuscript. Today we're going to talk about mysteries.

When most people hear the word "mystery," they think of crime fiction. In fact, the terms "mystery," "crime fiction," and "detective fiction" are often used interchangeably.

This post is one writer's take on the subject. The explanations here owe a great deal to the Sisters in Crime loops, especially the Guppies, who helped to teach me the subtle differences between the genres.

Strictly speaking, a mystery does not have to involve a crime. It merely needs to involve a puzzle. Therefore, we'll identify the broad genre as "mystery."

Within that broad category are other classifications, including crime fiction, thrillers, historicals and romantic suspense. A couple of these terms can be broken down further, and that's the level at which we'll begin: the sub-genres within crime fiction.

Crime fiction involves the commission of a crime, which must be solved by the end of the novel. The stories are usually plot-driven with clues and suspects sprinkled throughout the book. The protagonist--who can be an amateur sleuth or a professional--seeks the answers while the reader follows along on the journey of discovery. Crime fiction is usually a whodunnit, which distinguishes it from a thriller, which is often more of a "how do we stop it?"

As a unifying concept, we're going to use a quote from Gillian Roberts, who writes the Amanda Pepper series. In her book, "You Can Write a Mystery," published in 1999, she says, "Crime fiction subgenres evolved out of various authors' world views (Is the crime an outrage in an orderly world or just another day's slaughter in the human jungle?) and what they wanted to say about them." (Thanks to Thelma S)

This is a terrific approach because it helps to string various sub-genres along a continuum. We'll begin on the safe side of the crime fiction street and gradually move to the wild side.

Cozy: What mood does the word "cozy" conjure? Think of being warm and comfortable. There are no overt descriptions of violence or sex in these novels. That doesn't mean violence and sex don't happen; it just happens off screen. The actual acts don't take place in real time and are not described in detail in a cozy. This blunts the impact and makes the tone more . . . cozy.

The setting is intimate; the suspects are usually limited to a specific group: members of a family, a club, or a small town. The detective is almost always an amateur sleuth, like Agatha Christie's Miss Jane Marple. The world of a cozy is ordered and controlled. A fellow Sister in Crime once said that, in a cozy, things "are out of kilter and [need to be] put right again." (Thanks to Bobbie G)

Soft-Boiled: This is a catch-all category for a group of novels that are a little harder-edged than a cozy, but still far less edgy than those novels called hard-boiled, which usually feature cops or private detectives. There may be violence in this category, but it will be subdued and not terribly threatening.

In this sub-genre, the protagonist moves out of the amateur category and toward a more professional point-of-view. Although amateur sleuths are still seen here, often these mysteries contain a protagonist in a job closely aligned to criminal justice. These include lawyers or insurance company investigators. Some have a humorous tone. Janet Evanovitch's Stephanie Plum, who is an inept bail bondswoman, is a good example.

If your novel is overtly funny, call it a humorous mystery. If you have a sassy, young heroine with an attitude, call it a chick lit mystery. If neither of those apply, try calling it a soft-boiled mystery or a traditional mystery.

Police Procedural or Hard-Boiled Detective: We have now crossed the street to the wilder side. From here on, the violence is overt, and there are often explicit references to sex. Also, at this point on the continuum, the dueling element frequently surfaces where the protagonist is pitted against the antagonist, who might be a bank robber or a serial killer. The identity of the villain is sometimes revealed to the reader early on, and the action can be described from the perpetrator's point-of-view as well as from the protagonist's.

A police procedural describes the activities of one or more cops. These novels illustrate the behind-the-scenes workings of police officers. The cops often have more than one crime to solve--just as they would in real life. Ed McBain's 87th Precinct series is the perfect example. J.D. Robb's mysteries about Lieutenant Eve Dallas could also be called procedurals.

The hard-boiled detective is the civilian equivalent of the police procedural. Instead of a cop, the hero/heroine is a private detective faced with solving one or more crimes. Robert B. Parker's Spenser is an example as is Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe.

Remember Bobbie G's assessment of a cozy, where things are put right again? In a hard-boiled or police procedural, Bobbie claims the detective (whether cop or PI) "fixes one small corner of the world." He solves that specific crime even while more crimes are taking place all around him.

Noir: A noir is the polar opposite of a cozy. There is nothing warm and comfortable about these mysteries. They depict a dark, gritty world in which sex and exploitation are the norm. I'm thinking here of the Carol O'Connell novel where a dog commits suicide on the first page by jumping out a high-rise window. Andrew Vachss' stories of his dark vigilante Burke are also noir novels. Bobbie G says noir describes a world that "totally sucks and nothing sets it right; no matter how hard the detective spins his wheels." The protagonist may solve the mystery, but the overall tone is fatalistic, not upbeat.

This post is much longer than I expected it to be. I'm going to refer you to yesterday's post for a description of romantic suspense. Also, please see my blog of June 28th for a lengthy description of the thriller genre. And, finally, a historical mystery is exactly what it sounds like: one which takes place in the past. Lynda S. Robinson's Lord Meren mysteries, which take place in ancient Egypt, are good examples.

Tomorrow, we'll do paranormals.