AUTHOR JUSTIN MURPHY DISCUSSES MYSTERY VS. SUSPENSE/THRILLERS

Today we welcome back Justin Murphy. In both his fiction and nonfiction, Justin explores many themes in his work, including probing into the darkness of pure evil and exploring obscure figures often forgotten in entertainment. Learn more about Justin and his books at his Facebook Author Page.   

Do Readers Prefer Mystery or Suspense?

These are two forms of crime and detective fiction presenting an endless debate. Writing this, I know I’m not the first to discuss nor will this prove me the last. Yet both have their pros and cons with the subjectivity of readers allowing this argument to persist until the end of time. Genre fans and enthusiasts know mystery happens when they uncover the truth of the story alongside the fictional investigator they’re reading about. Whereas suspense enables them to discover such things before the main character. 

 

The pros of a mystery are how everything remains shrouded in secret until the very end. It keeps the story moving at a neat pace without getting too rushed. Depending on one’s tastes, an old school detective tale can be a well-told one. Yet there are those who don’t agree with this assessment, detractors who see the drawbacks of mystery for what they sometimes are. This brings us the genre or subgenre’s hang ups. Ones younger readers would be happy to point out. They may also be right, despite their dependence on the Internet and social media in the last two decades or so.

 

There are those who feel the cons of mystery are how such stories come off slow paced and pedestrian. Almost a digital era person’s response to an old black and white film or TV episode from the 1950’s or before. Even though detective and noir work from this era and before were often of excellent quality. Younger generations are used to things at a much faster pace and want instant gratification most of the time. 

 

This now brings us to the other side of the spectrum, one dealing with suspense, and possibly thrillers. A side of the genre which may provide the opposite tastes and drawbacks.

 

With suspense, readers and/or viewers are exposed to the criminal goings on of the case long before the detective uncovers the truth. Often, this leads to seesaw or cat and mouse like dynamics in such stories, exploring both the hero and the villain’s viewpoints. As with mystery, there are positives and negatives of this form. In the case of either form, it depends on what said enthusiast is interested in. While suspense may seem harder on the surface than mystery, there are those who remain intrigued once they go down the rabbit hole.

 

The pros of suspense are the lack of secrets from the audience, who may prefer the push and pull between these two sides of the ordeal. A story that may result in something fast paced and exciting for those who love it. Book sales and box office returns of suspense and thrillers have long surpassed those of mystery in recent decades. Almost to the point where the latter has often been relegated to made-for-TV status and even parodied as cliché. Such might be most true in the 1970’s, when Columbo star Peter Falk played the title role in two comedies, Murder by Death and The Cheap Detective.

 

However, the cons of this latter genre or subgenre is how older readers and viewers criticize suspense and thrillers as going too fast, emphasizing more sexuality and violence over the detective figuring out the puzzle. While such might be implied or hinted at with a mystery, this could be interpreted as a crybaby statement, or being nostalgic for earlier stories. Yet the question of, “When Does Sexuality and Violence In Media Go Too Far?’’ tends to be a valid one. It should also be noted the works of Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, and James M. Cain were of an adult nature along these lines. As were pre-Code detective films of the 1930s.

 

Whether you are an older or younger enthusiast of these genres, and no matter which one you prefer, taste (or distaste) is subjective. Same goes for book vs. film and television equivalents. Everyone has a different opinion of what they prefer and why, whether another person agrees with this or not. 

 

Maybe it’s the reason mystery and suspense are so great, there doesn’t have to be a right or wrong answer amongst readers. One reader could like a hardboiled mystery, suspense or thrillers. Another could prefer a cozy amateur sleuth story, but I’ve never heard of a cozy suspense or thriller. Since this latter subgenre only implies sexuality or violence. Maybe after reading this article, one can clarify in the comments section over the existence of cozy suspense or thrillers.