Mystery/suspense categories include (but are certainly not limited to) cozies, procedurals, gothic, romantic suspense, spy, hard-boiled, and historical.
Cozies are the traditional type of mystery. The action is usually set in a small town or village. The protagonist of the story is usually an amateur detective. Violence is subdued and not explicit. The emphasis is on solving the crime. Agatha Christie's Jane Marple, Susan Wittig Albert's China Bayles, Joan Hess' Claire Malloy, and Elizabeth Peters' Jacqueline Kirby mysteries are examples of cozy-type mysteries.
Procedurals concentrate on the howdunit aspect of the crime and the use of professional practices to solve the crime. Police procedurals feature a professional detective using police practices to solve the crime, while a courtroom procedural emphasizes the professional lawyer trying to prove the suspect as guilty or innocent. Tony Hillerman's Joe Leaphorn & Jim Chee, James Patterson's Alex Cross, Sharyn McCrumb's Spencer Arrowood, P.D. James' Adam Dalgliesh, and Martha Grimes' Richard Jury are examples of police procedurals.
Gothic novels have a supernatural element and tend to be more suspense than mystery. Barbara Michaels' books are a good example of gothic.
Romantic suspense is a close relative of the gothic. A romantic interest between the protagonist and victim or suspect is the added element. The setting may or may not be gothic-like. Dorothy Eden, Mary Stewart, and Phyllis Whitney are examples of this category.
Spy books are centered on country or business espionage. John Gardner, Len Deighton, and John Le Carre immediately come to mind.
Hard-boiled are the mysteries with a street-wise and cynical private investigator. The atmosphere tends to be downbeat. This category has evolved to include female PI's although the classic definition restricts it to male PI's. Robert B. Parker's Philip Marlowe and Spenser fit the classic definition while Sara Paretsky's V.I. Warshawski seems to be a female fit to the definition.
Historical mysteries are set in the historical past. Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody, Stephanie Barron's Jane Austen, and Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael are examples of historical mysteries.
Other types of mystery/suspense books are capers & heists, humorous, malice domestic, psychological suspense, thriller, and detective. Many of these types overlap with other types. For example, Dorothy Cannell's books are humorous and cozy. Agatha Christie's books are detective and cozy and sometimes have a romantic aspect to them.
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