Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Writing Styles In The Latest Crime Novels

By Leticia Jensen


Over time there have been many different trends in mystery writings. The latest crime novels follow one or more of these trends. Mystery novelists have evolved since the first book was written centuries ago. The cozy read by the fire is no longer the popular seller that it once was. The audience wants and deserves more than a cozy read can be expected to deliver.

The readers of today have much more sophistication than they did even twenty years ago. The movies and television shows available have increased the knowledge available to them and the result is that the writer must provide a far more detailed dialogue for their followers. They want to know what is being done to solve it and how it is being done without feeling like they are reading a text book.

Readers today expect to be able to relate to the hero on a very personal level. If he is a tough character they want to know that his behavior is justified and if he is clever they want to be able to follow his thinking to the ultimate last page. They want to feel like they are a part of his inner circle and perhaps could do what he does.

The heroes of mysteries now must have personal lives that are laid out in books. The personal lives they have must loosely follow the story and involve friends, family and feelings. They need to have become real to the reader so they can relate to their struggles and triumphs throughout the story.

Another trend that is developing is the international high-concept thriller with mass deaths, presidential plots and billionaires creating havoc. These books have various story lines involving assorted characters and their lives that eventually come together at or near the climax of the story. These stories are high in intrigue and tension building suspense. A problem with this type of book is that it is sometimes a one hit wonder and very difficult to do a following best seller for the author.

One popular group of mystery writers use one main character that they write many novels about. The lead person is the detective who is in charge of the investigation as a rule everyone looks to them for all of answers. This trend is very popular and many followers wait in anticipation of the next book in whatever series they are following.

Writers need to stay abreast of current events when devising their stories. Some areas they pay attention to are media based and currently in the public interest arena. The main object is to keep the interest of the reader throughout the book as well as pique the suspense, mystery or puzzle bones of everyone who reads it. That is the goal of every good writer.

The trends that the mystery novels are following are as varied as they have always been. The difference is that they are more technically correct and the characters have more to them than previously required. They have lives and the reader is more involved with their day to day lives than ever before possible.




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