What do you as a reader, feel like you get out of reading a mystery , crime, or thriller book?

[Joey]

I'm with Marilyn here...I want to be entertained and go on a vacation between two covers.

Take me somewhere I've been, or maybe around the world to an exotic location.

Give me a plot with characters I care about and a scenario that could happen. I don't always need to read about a plot to blow this or that up/take over the world etc. Make me think and feel, and make it feel real. Give me real life situations intermingled with the thrills.

One of my favorite books is a wildly entertaining romp written by of all people, Jimmy Buffett. I adore and have read three times now, WHERE IS JOE MERCHANT? Quite possibly the most fun, sun-soaked thriller I've ever read. (I <3 the of the ex-rock star turned killing machine w/the tattooed eyes!)

[Marilyn]

Aloha,
I just thought of something. I am unusual maybe in that I don't want to know who did it. I don't try to figure it out with the main detective etc. I sometimes do figure it out and then I get annoyed. I like to be s shocked at the end

[Susan]

NYKen, that's a terrific article. The two questions--What's worth living for and What's worth dying for?--drive the best fiction. When I start writing that's basically the question I have in mind. What's the big idea behind this character? Thanks for the link--I'll download the article and pass it around.

[Marilyn]

NYKen, A dark adapted eyeA Dark-Adapted Eye is one of the best mysteries I ever read. Yes, she wrote it under Barbara Vine and it is about family madness, a subject I know well and wrote a book about. ps, I was born in NYC too. Aloha

[Georgia]

I like mysteries the best as reading material. I have always been a reader, prided myself in how many books I could read, especially after finishing 8th grade I read 32 books. Thought I was terrific. Slacked off in Hi School and in college did all the necessary reading, classics, nonfiction, etc. After college moved on to novels and joined the book of the month club when having children to enhance my days. Got tired of reading "mushy stuff" and disfunctional family plots.
My sister said why don't you read a mystery. "I love
them" So I did and got hooked because the plot moves, keeps you guessing, interesting characters and may take you to regions of thought of location that you have never been.

[Georgia]

I made a mistake should read: take you to regions of thought OR location that you have never been.

[Marilyn]

Hi Georgia,
I love reading; but mysteries have beeen a true escape and means of happiness for me. What are your favorite mysteries?

[Georgia]

I have read all of Frank Tallis' Max Lieberman series.
Love them. Right now I would say he is my favorite, but I do love lots of others!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! All the "usual suspects" Those famous authors!!!!!!!!!!!!
Child, Coben, Flynn, Leon, Winspear, Pelecanos, Margolin, Hillerman, Perry, Connolly. I have read so much in my life that I have gotten tired by some.

[Marilyn]

Wow Georgia,
I am impressed and have never read your authors so I have a new list to look over. My fave author are the Kellermans, Ruth Rendel, Sue Grafton, many more. Have you read any of these authors? Aloha

[Daniel]

Barbara wrote: "I like the different emotions that a good thriller takes you through. I grade them by how excited, or anxious, or upbeat they make me feel. They get 5 stars if they make me start talking to myself ..."

I couldn't agree more. If the book wipes out the environment I'm reading in, transports me to another place, AND gets me feeling the anxiety or stress of the character(s), then the author has done a great job - and I feel I got my money's worth.

[Georgia]

Marilyn wrote: "Wow Georgia,
I am impressed and have never read your authors so I have a new list to look over. My fave author are the Kellermans, Ruth Rendel, Sue Grafton, many more. Have you read any of these a..."

Hi Marilyn, Those were the authors I started out with also including Janet Evanovich, Patricia Cornwall, etc. and one by Cara Black and one by
Judith Rock which take place in France. I intend to pursue this interest now.
but now have turned to others. I do like Cara Black and am going to read some more of hers. I have only read one by herMurder in the Sentier

[Georgia]

Oops! I also intend to pursue Judith Rock. I have read which also
takes place in France. Some Goodreaders put me on to these Authors because I am a Francophile.

[Donna]

I love the puzzle in the stories and trying to figure them out myself. I love it when I'm wrong though because I don't really want to figure it out before the story ends. My favorite are the books that go back into the past to solve a mystery. Like when they find bones and then use current technology to solve an old case. I always know it's a good one when I can't sit back in my chair and I can't go to bed until I'm done!

[Marilyn]

Donna wrote: "I love the puzzle in the stories and trying to figure them out myself. I love it when I'm wrong though because I don't really want to figure it out before the story ends. My favorite are the book..."Hi Donna, I think I read a few books like that. One that comes to mind is where a body was found in a building that was being demolished. scary.

[Clark]

I really enjoy the excitement that a good thriller has, especially if it has good twist that I didn't see coming.
If I get that tingle up my spine from reading I know it's a great book.

[Sandra]

I love the puzzle aspect of the mystery. I especially enjoy mysteries that involve amateur sleuths -- it's easier to relate to their personal challenges as they try to solve a crime.

[Anne]

I love the plot twists and the character development. If the characters do not change, I grow bore with the series fast. And I love series because of the tidbits that are revealed about the mc.

I used to devour the Stephanie Plum series. But I had to slog through the last couple of books because Stephanie does not change. I know that is the author’s intent from the get-go, but I was hoping that she might change her mind. Reading about Stephanie choose between two hotties is getting old.

[Mike]

It varies from one type of mystery to another but here are a few consistencies that usually apply all the way around.

I love getting into another person's thought processes. What are they thinking and why?

The idea of being able to solve a mystery or puzzle... or being outsmarted by someone who is one step ahead of me.

Being able to "associate" with the kind of hardcore, eccentric, dangerous and oddball characters I would never want to meet in real life.

Just escaping from the day to day realities of life into someplace different and exciting... from the comfort of home.

[Peter]

for me its just escapism but I think deep down all of us romanticise about being the protagonist and solving a mystery or conspiracy ourselves.

[Bill]

I think I get various things from mysteries/ thrillers. Basically I like a good mystery first. I also like interesting characters (they don't necessarily have to be damaged, for instance, some of my favourites - Donna Leon's Inspector Brunetti mysteries or Jane Haddam's Demarkian mysteries are just interesting and somewhat exotic. I also like to go to new areas of the world and find out something new about them. Mysteries provide all those things, if they are well-written.

[Suzy]

I love a good twist. When I'm reading, and I just KNOW who done it, then the writer surprises me with an "Oh man, I didn't see that coming." That's the best part.

[Laurie]

I enjoy the suspense of the story and if a books draws me in so that I can't put it down, or when someone interrupts me when I'm reading and it takes me a minute to realize where I am, that is the kind of book that I enjoy. The MC has to be believable so that you can emotionally become involved in their story.

[Val]

I like figuring out the story before it ends. If I have it wrong and it makes sense then I really like it -- if it's forced I hate it.

[Angelo]

I love that kind of creeping suspense you get when reading a scary book. It's probably like the whole 'riding on a rollercoaster' thing - it's a safe way to experience just enough fear to be exhilarated, but so much that you think you might actually die...!

I also love books with twists. There's something really satisfying about having the rug pulled out from under you. Although not too many twists in the same book, that can get quite tiring and can get overcomplicated for the sake of it.

[Connie]

I echo a lot of comments above when I say I want to be invested emotionally with the characters and really care about what happens to them. I also want enough detail to make the story crackle with truth but not so much as to bog the story down. If the story is plucked from the headlines and weaves itself around known facts, it creates a depth to the plot that a pure flight of fancy can't deliver. The enjoyment and pure "reader ride" is enhanced if the book delivers the above in a well-constructed and well-paced plot. Deliver that and you have a fan for life!

[Cindy]

What do I get out of it? Mental stimulation in trying to figure out the crime. Nothing like a good mystery to recharge the old brain cells.

[Erin *Proud Book Hoarder*]

Depends on the type.

If it's a cozy mystery, which are my favorites, I love the internal monologue, the cuteness, the cozy factor, and the fun with the mystery

For psychological mysteries I love using my brain, trying to solve the puzzle, and the suspense of it

[Dawn]

I love the escapism reading a good thriller gives you. I love twisty and turny novels that keep you guessing!

[Mark]

A. R. Tan wrote: "I love the plot twists and the character development. If the characters do not change, I grow bore with the series fast. And I love series because of the tidbits that are revealed about the mc.

I ..."

That's a good point, I've stopped reading those, but I'm still reading Ian Rankin's Rebus books because he's growing older and even more difficult!

[LynDee]

Susan wrote: "For me, it depends upon whether it is a "one off" or a series or a detective whose stories I've read before. If it is sort of a stand-alone book, then I'm all about the puzzle, the case, trying to ..."

I agree with this. Getting to know characters is an important part of enjoying a story for me, and I'm partial to series in any genre for that reason. In mysteries, though, I love to get to know a character I can root for and investigate alongside from one story to the next.

As for what I get out of mysteries and thrillers, I think the structure is the draw for me. I like page-turners, and trying to figure out what's going on keeps me turning pages. I also like for books to have endings, which the "catching the bad guy" element of mysteries provides.

[Laurie]

I enjoy mysteries for the thrill and the element of surprise but I must agree a large part of that is enjoying the characters too. I like the book to have all these things plus a descriptive ending. What really disappoints me is a good book with a dreadful ending or an unfinished ending.

[Afsana]

Crime, mystery thrillers they are all entertaining. They mostly allow you to escape to somewhere else.

You can go along think about who the villians are and what you think will happen , be suprisd and and though you know things like what you have read may happen you are ok because you do not imagine it happening to you.

Yes if its a series the character is important and I would have to find him/her interesting and would expect ther character to develope and grow as we all do.

Though would hate for the book to be mainly about their personal lives or issues. Yes aspects. Found with cornwal scarpetta got stale and it veared to close to personal and in her geranomo books the detective was so dull and all he seemed interested in was his clothes

[Barbara]

Laurie wrote: "I enjoy mysteries for the thrill and the element of surprise but I must agree a large part of that is enjoying the characters too. I like the book to have all these things plus a descriptive ending..."

I agree Laurie. It's such a letdown when you're enjoying a book and looking forward to the finale and the ending is a dud! It's like the author got in a hurry at the end and just wrapped it up any which way. (It seems to me Anne Perry tends to do this a lot)

[Nancy]

I enjoy crime, detective, women seuths, etc. mostly because it's a 'live' puzzle to help solve the mystery and beat the protagonist in doing so. I love a story where I'm fearful for her/him and telling the characters what to do or not to do!!

[E.M.]

I love the elements of surprise, and the keeping the reader guessing. Like Nancy, thrillers work best when I'm genuinely afraid for the lead character. The best thrillers also have a page-turning quality, where you just have to do another chapter to see how the hero/heroine gets out of an impossible situation or is getting another piece of the puzzle. If it's a writer I love like Tess Gerritsen, then I can end up staying up half the night to finish!

[Ian]

Dean wrote: "What do I get out of it? Validation. That's the only word that comes to mind. I use to work in Forensic Psych. A good mystery is one that can convince me it is real vs a book. It fits what I k..."

That's an interesting take. I've been in the news biz for my entire adult life and covered dozens of them, and while I'll conceive there are interesting murders that are "possible," reality is almost never as prosaic. If you're a former ME, you know it's usually two guys arguing drunkenly and one stabs the other guy or shoots him.

I've had a few real ones I've covered that couldn't been converted into something fictional, but part of the element of surprise, I think, is due to the fact that something fictional isn't expected by anyone. So unless they're crime procedurals, pretty much ANY mystery is going to be unrealistic.

[Bryan]

For me, mysteries, thrillers, horror and those genres are just more mentally stimulating. A standard drama just doesn't do it for me, nor does a love story. I love the struggle and the characters overcoming it - against all odds. Also, the typical thriller has plot twists and things that just keep my brain engaged and active.

[Mark]

L.H. wrote: "Dean wrote: "What do I get out of it? Validation. That's the only word that comes to mind. I use to work in Forensic Psych. A good mystery is one that can convince me it is real vs a book. It ..."

So wouldn't it be interesting to try and write a mystery based on a typical murder of two guys arguing drunkenly, and one stabbing the other?

At first glance, where's the mystery in that?

But then I can't help thinking - what was the argument about? Why were they drunk? And before you know it, there's a story going.... but maybe not a mystery :-)

[Mark]

I actually started writing crime fiction because I was getting so frustrated with reading it. I was getting tired of reading about detectives with the three Ds, as the critic Mark Lawson calls them - depression, divorce and drink. It goes back to Raymond Chandler, I guess. Don't get me wrong, some authors do this very well. But enough already. I like to read crime novels that push the boundaries, that aren't the predictable walking around talking to one witness after another, not leaving much room for character.

[Frances]

I want to be fooled into thinking I know who did what and why, only to find out that I've been led down the wrong path by clever authors. When I write I always keep that in mind - fool the reader, but in a good way.

[Theresa]

If I could turn back the hands of time I would make one change and that would be to go into forensic science. Reading any kind of a murder mystery or crime thriller, or true story crime novel takes me to that world and I love trying to figure out "who did it"! I also enjoy novels where there is a coroner involved and they detail autopsies and explain how they came about finding out what killed someone. It's all so interesting to me!

[Mark]

Theresa wrote: "If I could turn back the hands of time I would make one change and that would be to go into forensic science. Reading any kind of a murder mystery or crime thriller, or true story crime novel take..."

Theresa, I'm guessing you've got a strong stomach - as someone who shrinks from the sight of gore, this is not a career path I'd go for!

[Mark]

For me, the mystery I most enjoy becoming involved in, both as a reader and writer, is the one that asks questions about the characters. The question of whether it was Colonel Mustard in the library or Professor Plum in the dining room isn't as intriguing as how the characters found themselves in this position.

Good and evil, and everything in between, is fascinating. I've been (un)lucky enough to meet a few villains and their view of the world is so different from everybody else's.

[Jenny]

I enjoy the puzzle solving aspect of a good mystery, trying to guess who did it, and the psychology behind the crime, especially when an otherwise "ordinary" person is the baddie and the author can arouse empathy for him.

[John]

I like that dark sense of foreboding as a piece of the puzzle clicks into place and the full scope of a mystery is revealed. That dawning awareness sends chills down my spine.

[Theresa]

Mark wrote: "Theresa wrote: "If I could turn back the hands of time I would make one change and that would be to go into forensic science. Reading any kind of a murder mystery or crime thriller, or true story ..."

No Mark, I enjoy the scientific aspect of how they say the body will tell them what has happened, from the way the blood spatters on the wall to the toxicity of the body. I just find it fasinating! Sorry Mark, hope you didn't pass out with the mention of blood splatter! ;o)

[Theresa]

Mark wrote: "For me, the mystery I most enjoy becoming involved in, both as a reader and writer, is the one that asks questions about the characters. The question of whether it was Colonel Mustard in the librar..."

Oh, you should consider yourself very lucky! As a writer I'm sure their views on the world could help you write a more engrossing novel!

[Bernie]

I think we are dealing with three different beasts: the mystery; the private detective story and the thriller.
With the mystery, the omniscient hero - Poirot, Miss Maple - and the fair-dos with clues are crucial. Supporting characters are often stereotypes, hence the modern term cozy mystery.
With the private detective story, you have the flawed hero, never guaranteed to solve the crime. Well-etched supporting characters, crisp dialogue and social commentary are at the heart of the genre.
With the thriller, you have a juggernaut plot, multiple mysteries around the central mystery and lots of information on a range of subjects. Supporting characters are often again stereotypes such as serial killers who are defined by how they commit their crimes.
My favorite is the private detective yarn.

[Barbara]

Bernie wrote: "I think we are dealing with three different beasts: the mystery; the private detective story and the thriller.
With the mystery, the omniscient hero - Poirot, Miss Maple - and the fair-dos with c..."

I used to prefer the cozy - limited violence and the detective
usually didn't get kidnapped and beat up. Now I think I prefer the detective story ....love Dave Robichaux and Harry Bosch, etc. I don't like when the serial killer gets a point of view . Too creepy for me

[Mark]

Theresa wrote: "Mark wrote: "Theresa wrote: "If I could turn back the hands of time I would make one change and that would be to go into forensic science. Reading any kind of a murder mystery or crime thriller, o..."

I survived... :-)