Why Mysteries and Crime Fiction Have A Lasting Impact

A guest post by Justin Murphy

Why do mysteries and crime fiction have a lasting impact? 

This can mean different things to different people. Such a story may be one thing from a reader's viewpoint and a whole separate matter from that of writer. This article aims to cover some shred of both. Outside of Romance, any genre tied to mystery, crime, or detective fiction have enjoyed the most enduring appeal with the widest audience. The most obvious answer is the fact everyone loves a puzzle. Going back to such investigators as Sherlock Holmes, Miss Marple, and Hercule Poirot. Some enthusiasts love to figure out who committed the crime either alongside the detective or feel they can beat the sleuth and solve it beforehand. Sure enough, it may be fun for writers to plot these out. Even in visual media with such characters as Jessica Fletcher going through the motions on an episode of Murder, She Wrote. Whether it be from the viewpoint of the scribe who hammered out the story, or the viewer watching it.

Such things happen in everyday life, while perhaps not in our own, they do exist in someone’s. Such as how real-life detectives or cops investigate a case with criminals and victims involved. Much like true crime, its fictional counterparts still have people reading novels and short stories, watching weekly series made for TV Movies, and listening to podcasts. All because either there is something for the audience to relate to, or characters they identify with.

As mentioned above, the three main points of the genre’s triangle are criminals, investigators, and victims. The average reader knows the former always does harm (or something illegal) to the latter with the middle figure probing into it. Of course, there have been many variations where the detective doesn’t have a clue to the very end. Or may figure things out from the beginning with the audience following the chase until the perp is caught. Such as in one of the many TV Movies featuring Lieutenant Columbo. Others may involve the victim turning out to the criminal, or the police officer being the one who did it all along.

Of course, there are also such stories as heist capers or prison breaks, offering a more sympathetic view of the criminal’s exploits. Whether this subgenre is accurate is subject to debate, even though most find these entertaining and have brought in an audience. Such films as The Sting, The Ocean’s Eleven franchise, and Escape From Alcatraz have also proven this to be correct. In addition, there are mystery and detective tales veering into suspense thrillers. Possibly the most notable example is the Hannibal Lecter franchise with such entries as Red Dragon and The Silence of The Lambs. Showing the viewpoints of protagonists Will Graham and Clarice Starling. As well as those of Francis Dolarhyde, Buffalo Bill, and of course, The Cannibal himself. The motive with this latter story approach involves showcasing the viewpoints of both heroes and villains, if not more characters beyond this.

Though one can also differentiate between suspense and thriller as well. The goal for a suspense story is revealed above with the Hannibal Lecter series example. Yet they are also good demonstrations of thrillers, which is more exemplified with a story’s pacing. A pulse pounding story moving very fast, keeping audiences on the edge of their seats. But again, everything comes back to the triangle of the criminal, detective, and victim. Possibly the true bedrock of any crime or mystery tale.

Of course, there can be even deeper connections between these three archetypes. Two or more of them can be related. Such as how an investigator harkens back to a childhood where one parent harms or kills the other and it impacts their lives and the future path they take. Of course, there have also been stories where family members are on opposite sides of the law. Such as one member being a cop and forced to confront or turn in someone connected to their Mafia related brethren. These are only the tip of iceberg, but showcase how far inward crime, mystery, and detective stories may go. TV Series of this genre were always labeled, ’’case of the week’’, but such relationships beneath these tried and true dynamics show there can be a lot more than surface level pap.

Even further, is first person or third person the preferred viewpoint in a crime, mystery, or detective tale? Some readers and writers alike love the intimacy of how or why these characters are motivated, a short story or novel length confession allowing readers into their head, if not their heart and soul. The first-person approach is explored deeply in the works of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. The former fictionalized his ordeals as a Pinkerton Detective and gave enthusiasts his worldview through creations such as The Continental Op and Sam Spade, some felt he brought a certain darkness to the murder cases he penned. Restoring it to the back alleys and showing them for the cynical and violent acts they were.

Raymond Chandler did this, but his background lined up more with poetry and newspaper reporting. He didn’t have Hammett’s background as an actual detective, but more than made up for it in the skills of writing and language. Some consider his command of such to be superior to the former, culminating in the novels he wrote depicting the character Phillip Marlowe. Despite being a tad derivative and never being an actual investigator himself, his reputation somewhat now stands above that of Dashiell Hammett, both of their works were adapted for film, television, and radio. The biggest exception to this is the latter’s final published novel, Playback. One still not adapted to any visual medium, despite originally written for Universal Pictures in 1949 as a screenplay.

No doubt readers also felt the same way as these authors, who may have tapped into some dark feelings their audience only knew on a subconscious level. Beneath any exteriors of Middle America or a white picket fence, authors such as Hammett and Chandler may have probed fears and anxieties these readers didn’t know they had. When opening their pulp magazines and detective novels, they couldn’t hide beneath a phony smile or the image of an All-American family, instead realizing such prejudice and apprehensions were real and others felt the same way. By turning each page, these people were safe and took comfort in the fact the outside world proved a dangerous place, if they weren’t in the middle of it. Maybe this is the greatest therapy of all, the unspoken and personal confessions between someone who writes a tale and one who reads it.

In contrast, stories in third person omniscient may be more of a social occurrence. Like the above example of suspense or thrillers offering two or more viewpoints, especially those of hero and villain. This gives the reader a much broader view of a story and invites the world in the way a first-person story can’t. Often, the reader learns of the crime before the detective does. So, the audience is getting a ringside seat to the main event. Not an unspoken personal dialogue between reader and author. Although more recent detective novels have also taken this approach with one of the Rizzoli and Isles novels by Tess Gerritsen, such as The Mephisto Club and The Glass Rainbow from the pen of author James Lee Burke. The former explores the viewpoint of one of the investigators and one belonging to a possible suspect, far away in Rome connected to murders in the Northeastern United States. The latter is seen through the eyes of Louisiana detective Dave Robicheaux and his partner Clete Purcell with the catch his daughter is dating a person of interest in the case while said partner is also thought to be guilty, due to an earlier assault on one of the suspects. Despite not having the more intimate nature of first person, readers may still have dealt with someone far away from their current locale, or a father reading who is reminded of someone his daughter dated and may not approve of. This also applies to the authors writing these works, who derive certain details from their lives. Such as how the author and detective in the latter novel both share a daughter named Alafair. Thomas Harris, who wrote the Hannibal Lecter novels, shares his love of gourmet cuisine with the title character despite not being a cannibal or a serial killer.

On this level, readers can relate to the characters they read about. Most of us may never be engaged in these activities directly, but we still identify with such people and events. There are, no doubt, those of us who did something bad to someone else, allowing ourselves to see things through the eyes of a criminal. Of course, this can be true for people who’ve been on the receiving end of such treatment, enabling them to sympathize with the story’s victim. Indeed, someone always probes into said matters, providing them with commonalities to feel on par with the investigator. While many readers never end up in the same situations as these characters, their own lives sometimes place them on similar wavelengths. Again, it all comes down to the mystery, if not crime, genre’s general triangle.

Even with the impact of visual media, one can’t deny similar identification with characters. Going even deeper into film noir with Phillip Marlowe entering and facing a dark situation in The Maltese Falcon. The same with 1970’s era counterpart, Jake Gittes in the film Chinatown not only facing a reality like that but also watching the girl’s murder in the end. A reversal of the genre’s typical trope of the detective always ending up with the love interest by the time the credits roll. Like readers, moviegoers relate to these on some level. People who step into a situation they would prefer not to be in. There are also those who may have lost someone they love in the most tragic way and couldn’t do anything to prevent it. Whether it be the person causing the ordeal, one investigating or witnessing such, and the individual who fell victim to this. The murder or crime draws them in, but it’s not necessarily what one relates to. It’s the personal connection. Gittes observing the shooting of Evelyn Mulwray can remind them of a romantic breakup, if not the fear of losing a lover, spouse, or even a child.

This is the key ingredient to the success of these stories. Regardless of whether the tale is a simple puzzle the reader yearns to solve before reaching the end. Or a more complex affair with fictional people one can relate to. There proves to be no way around it, authors and their readers come back to it every single time no matter what the variation is. Such has been the case ever since the earliest mysteries or detective yarns told in One Thousand and One Nights, alongside those parallel and contrasting cultures during ancient or medieval eras. These dynamics were, no doubt, also present when Edgar Allan Poe devised the modern detective story. Whether it be a lighthearted cozy or some dark trip into the world of noir embodied by the investigation of a hardboiled detective, these above themes resonate and are eternal. While Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth is more linked to works of science fiction and fantasy with the dynamics of crime, mystery, and detective fiction being triangular, their concepts are circular. Those who write and read all these stories always return, if the fictional accounts are well told. Authors and their audiences are born into this world and, sooner or later, pass away. Repeating the same cycle of the works they either create or enjoy, leaving the legacies and examples for other generations to do the same. No matter what form it takes, maybe this is what makes life and storytelling so beautiful. After all, both share a beginning, middle, and end.

Find Justin on Amazon.