MysteryLady's blog

MYSTERY SERIES

One thing that often distinguishes mysteries from suspense novels is that most mysteries are part of a continuing series.  Suspense novels are usually stand-alones.

Many readers of mysteries (myself included) enjoy following these series.  You get to know the main characters, their family, friends, and co-workers and how their lives and careers change over time.  As soon as you finish the newest title, you look forward to the next book, especially if the latest one ends in a cliff-hanger.

The Cozy Mystery (a.k.a. the traditional British mystery)

Among the many sub-genres of mysteries, one of the most popular is the cozy mystery.  The mystery website cluelass.com defines a cozy as a traditional style of mystery that usually includes an amateur sleuth or eccentric professional solving a crime in a country house or quiet neighborhood, with very little description of violence or sex.  There is a limited roster of suspects, all part of the victim's social circle, and a mildly romantic sub-plot.

Mystery News

Two organizations just presented their 2008 awards for mysteries written in 2007.

Agatha Award - given by Malice Domestic, Ltd., in honor of Agatha Christie.  The Best Novel award went to Fatal Grace by Louise Penny (shelved in Mystery).

Popular Mystery Authors

Ingram Book Group, the vendor from whom we order most of our books, has an author standing order program.  This program allows us to develop a list of the most popular authors here at Westlake Porter Public Library.  When these authors publish a new title, Ingram automatically sends us our designated number of copies just before the release date so we can process the books and have them ready to go.

Mystery Readers' Resources

Where can a mystery reader go to find answers to questions, such as "What title is next in the Maisie Dobbs mystery series?  Who writes the mysteries featuring the character Jack Daniels?  Does my favorite author have a new mystery coming out soon?  What authors write police procedurals?"

There are a number of print and online resources that can answer these questions, as well as many others about the mystery genre.  One of my favorites is Stop, You're Killing Me!   (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com)  This website provides a wealth of information about mysteries, authors, series, and read-alikes.  The main search is by author or character and provides a link to the author's website (if available), a brief description of the series the author writes, and then lists the titles in chronological order.  There are also great links on the left side of the page - mysteries by location, occupation, historical time period, genres, read-alikes, etc.

What Exactly is a Mystery?

The meanings of the terms Mystery, Suspense, and Thriller are often used interchangeably, but can also be confusing.  A helpful explanation comes from the Cluelass website:  http://cluelass.com.

    "There are no hard-and-fast rules, but Mystery and detective fiction emphasizes the puzzle aspect of the plot, with clues and "fair play" for the reader - i.e. the readers should be able to determine the solution at the same time as the protagonist.

A Brief History of the Mystery

Welcome to the first posting of It's a Mystery.  For those of you who share an interest in reading mysteries, I hope to bring you information about the mystery genre, including trends, author information, news about forthcoming books and lots more.

A brief history of the mystery takes us back to ancient times when playwrights Sophocles and Euripides wove mysteries into their dramas.  But the man known as the "father of the mystery story" is Edgar Allan Poe, who introduced the first fiction detective, Auguste C. Dupin, in The Murders in the Rue Morgue in 1841.  Other writers who influenced Poe and the early mystery genre were Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins.  The Leavenworth Case, penned by Anna Katherine Green in 1878, is the first mystery story written by a woman.