Mysteries

Lesson 1: Introduction

Subgenres of Detective Fiction - Part One

Did you know that there are different types of Detective Fiction stories? You will learn about the following categories: Classic Detective Stories, Modern Crime Novels, Detective Novels, Police Procedurals, Private Detectives, Hardboiled Detective Fiction, Urban Hero, The Amateur Sleuth, Comic Detective Stories, Historical Crime, and Noir.

Questions For You To Think About

(1) What is the difference between Classic Detective Stories and Modern Crime Novels?

(2) What is the difference between Detective Novels, Police Procedurals, Private Detectives, and Hardboiled Detective Fiction?

Lesley Grant-Adamson discusses the different categories mentioned above in her book Writing Crime and Suspense Fiction and Getting Published. However, the book is no longer available unless you can find a copy in a used book store or out of print books site.

In Part One, you will learn about Classic Detective Stories, Modern Crime Novels, Detective Novels, Police Procedurals, Private Detectives, and Hardboiled Detective Fiction.

In Part Two, you will learn about Urban Hero, The Amateur Sleuth, Comic Detective Stories, Historical Crime, and Noir.

Part Three will cover the duties of detectives, uniform police officers, and crime-scene officers. These are described in Writing Crime and Suspense Fiction and Getting Published by Lesley Grant-Adamson.

Classic Detective Fiction

Lesley Grant-Adamson in her book, Writing Crime and Suspense Fiction and Getting Published describes Classic Detective Stories as "a short, taut account of a murder investigation. The writer observes certain conventions in telling, most importantly providing the reader with every clue the detective uses to solve the case. Favorite settings are fictional villages or provinical towns, although there's a current vogue for using real ones. Detective may be either amateur sleuths, private detectives or police officers." (pg. 30) In detective fiction, the protagonist can be detectives, uniform police officers, or amateur sleuths.

At the end of her discussion of this section, she lists a few books that are examples of Classic Detective Stories. They are Agatha Christie's book The Mysterious Affair at Styles and Arthur Conan Doyle's story The Speckled Band. This last story is one that we will be reading later on.

The Modern English Crime Novels

The Modern English Crime Novel refers "to a whole spectrum of novels. At one end are those whose origins in the classic detective story are obvious. At the other extreme are novels that involve no detective whatsoever, and are distinguished from mainstream fiction purely by the fact that they centre on a crime. Social issues and the quest for justice are the usual concerns of the modern crime novel. Detective stories continue to reassure, although less confidently than once upon a time." (pg. 32) Sometimes detective fiction doesn't involve crime. They are known as modern English crime novels.

Detective Novels

Detective novels are "[the] whodunit, as it reappears under the heading of modern crime fiction, is justifiably called the detective novel. Rules are relaxed although the basic principles of a murder plus a successful investigation apply. It is a more spacious and profound book that allows the author to study predicaments and personalities." (pg. 33). Detective novels involve a detective and a case they are investigating and solving.

American-Inspired Police Procedurals

These novels focus on the relationship of the people at the police station. If you are interested in a series of books, then these types of novels are for you. They usually involve series characters.

Private Detectives

Private detectives are also protagonists in detective fiction short stories or novels. If you are interested in reading stories where the protagonist is a private detective, Lesley Grant-Adamson explains that "you need to learn how the real ones operate in the country you are writing about. In Britain, they are no more allowed to run around waving firearms than you and I are. Much of their work lacks drama: they keep watch for shoplifters; check up on errant husbands and wifes; hunt for people who have gone missing; and track down any information their clients can't find out for themselves." (pg. 37).

Hardboiled Detective Fiction

Hardboiled detective fiction is the next term Lesley Grant-Adamson mentions in her book. Hardboiled detective fiction "has long been applied to American stories about macho characters who make their living as private detectives." (pg. 38)

The "hardboiled detective story is akin to writng a thriller. Pace is frenetic, narration is staccato, and your average hero is a man in a hurry, not one to wait upon events. He is a memorable character with a taste in cars or clothes that make him stand out from the herd." (pg. 39) These two passages have given you a description of the protagonist. The main character is a private detective who is a strong, tough guy and have specific tastes in clothes and the type of cars he drives. He wants people to notice him. Also, the style of writing the author uses in hardboiled detective fiction is related to the style of writing in thrillers.

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