Mysteries

Lesson 1: Introduction

Subgenres of Detective Fiction - Part Two

In this section, you will learn about the Urban hero, amateur sleuths, comic detective stories, historical crime, and noir.

The Urban Hero

In Writing Crime and Suspense Fiction and Getting Published by Lesley Grant-Adamson, "[the] hardboiled detective story is fundamentally an urban one. Unlike other detective heroes, but rather like thriller heroes, the man may be capable of enacting crimes as appalling as the ones he sets out to investigate." (pg. 39). The Urban hero is similar to thriller heroes yet more of a black sheep.

She also mentions in another passage that these heroes try to get themselves out of the messes they are involved in, even if it means killing someone. Writers need to "avoid killing him off because he might have the makings of a series hero." (pg. 39)

Some examples of stories featuring Urban heroes are Farewell My Lovely by Raymond Chandler and The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammet.

Amateur Sleuths

Amateur Sleuths are another kind of protagonist. They "are an attractive proposition because they have even fewer restraints than the private detective and you can use a background you already know." (pg. 40) Anyone who enjoys investigating circumstances or does it as their occupation will make great amateur sleuths. An "amateur who is in a natural position to investigate, someone like a journalist or an insurance investigator, has better scope. (pg. 40)

Some examples of stories with amateur sleuths are Wild Justice by Lesley Grant-Adamson and A Second Shot in the Dark by Annette Roome.

An amateur sleuth according to Gillian Roberts in her book, You Can Write A Mystery, "is Everyman, confronted with a problem that challenges the best of what he's got. (pg. 12) Amateur sleuths can be anyone who has been confronted with a problem that has overwhelmed their curiosity. They are intrigued by the situation and have the desire to solve the case.

They also "run the gamut of occupational possibilities, a tiny portion of which include Nevada Barr's park ranger, Annette Meyers's Wall Street headhunter, Barbara Neely's domestic worker, Aaron Elkins's forensic paleontologist, Sarah Andrews's geologist and Abigail Padgett's child welfare worker." (pg. 12) Amateur sleuths have all kinds of jobs that lead them to investigate crimes that have been committed in their environment.

The Semi-Pro

The semi-pro is another investigator. they are "[somewhere] between amateurs and professionals are the semi-pros--the journalists, lawyers and insurance investigators who in many ways have the best of both worlds." (pg. 13) Anyone who normally investigates situations can be amateurs or semi-pros.

Comic Detective Fiction

Lesley Grant-Adamson additionally discusses the different kinds of detective fiction stories. She mentions the Comic detective stories. These kind of stories "tend to be pastiches of the real thing. The comedy depends on characters going about their business in a serious fashion, unaware that the situation they are in is ludicrous. The result should be hilarious but a fast tempo is needed to bring it off." (pg. 41) Later on, we will be reading a Comic Detective Fiction story.

Historical Crime

Historical crime is "a story appropriate to its period, and then bringing that period alive for the reader. Some writers look no further than their own childhoods, to days whose memory shines brightest. Kingsley Amis harked back to the thirties for his version of the Golden Age detective story, complete with victim staggering in through the french windows." (pg. 41) Some writers have looked to their past to write historical crimes. You can even try looking to elderly relatives for story ideas.

Noir

Noir is another type of detective fiction that Lesley Grant-Adamson mentions in her book. Characters for a noir novel may include "prostitutes, gangsters, drug dealers and other losers who exist on the margins of society. Characters are bitterly anarchic, the language is fierce, and phsical violence erupts frequently." (pg. 42) These type of stories are more violent and contain foul language that wouldn't be appropriate for certain ages. Some people are opposed to these kinds of novels because they would rather read novels without profanity, sex, violence, etc.

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