What type of crime fiction do you write?

The term ‘crime fiction’ covers an awful lot of ground. There are grisly novels about serial killers, intense psychological thrillers, good old fashioned crime capers – the list goes on.

I think, though, that we can divide crime fiction into three main strands. This isn’t the only way of defining it, of course, but it is one way of categorising the huge wealth of literary ground the genre covers.

First we have the ‘whodunit’, which is perhaps the most traditional style of crime fiction. There is a crime, there are suspects, there is a detective, there are clues and red herrings and there is an unveiling of the criminal at the end. Classic.

Then we have the ‘whydunit’, where we might well know who the murderer is from early on, but the tension of the book comes from finding out about why – a more psychological approach to proceedings. Then there’s the ‘howdunit’, which tests our detective skills when it comes to figuring out what seems to be a perfect crime.

I would argue that in reality, very few crime novels fit into just one of these categories. Most, probably, deal with all three aspects, although they might focus on one more than the others depending on the style of the writer and the story they want to tell.

I think this is what makes crime fiction so interesting – because it covers so much and deals with so many aspects not just of crime but of life, it is a genre that is very easy to make compelling. The puzzle of who committed a crime offers an intellectual challenge for readers, but they are also stimulated by the psychology of it and how everything fits together.

It all comes together to create an intoxicating package – crime is one of the most popular genres out there, and the range and interest it is able to offer have to be some of the big reasons why.