The Enjoyment of the Mystery

 

My introduction to the mystery genre came by way of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his creation Sherlock Holmes.

That was all the way back when I was in elementary school, some 65 years ago.

However, as a main form of entertainment, the mystery did not grab me until 1980 when I was introduced to Nero Wolfe.

I immediately fell in love with the rotund gourmand of West 35th Street in New York City and his wise-cracking assistant, Archie Goodwin. And that love affair, in turn, made me fall in love with the mystery genre as a whole.

Over the years I’ve asked myself why do I prefer the mystery. What about it draws me as a reader and writer? And the only conclusion I’ve ever come to is – the characters.

The mystery, as first conceived of by Edgar Allan Poe, is a cerebral experience. To be sure, there are visceral and emotive elements to it. But by and large, the mystery is a puzzle and being a puzzle it appeals most to the mind.

The suspense and thriller genres are ones that appeal mostly to the emotions – particularly fear.

The mystery, because it concerns itself with the solving of a puzzle, is not primarily action oriented. Unlike its suspense and thriller cousins which are heavily action oriented.

Of course, that doesn’t mean there is no action in a mystery. But the story does not rely on action to produce its effect.

Many mystery readers are drawn to the genre because it is a puzzle and they want to solve the crime before the detective gives his big reveal.

But when I consider what captivates me about Sherlock Holmes or Nero Wolfe or Phillip Marlowe or any other sleuth I enjoy reading about — it always comes down to the characters.

What I enjoy most about mysteries are the fascinating people that inhabit them. To be honest, I don’t really care one bit about “solving” the puzzle before the big reveal. I am much more interested in sharing the detective’s journey to the solution.

The mystery genre is peopled with some of the most fascinating human beings. And I think the reason for this is due to the essential simplicity of the formula. 

As Raymond Chandler noted, the mystery formula is A kills B, the police think it is C, until the detective shows them it was A. What makes all the difference in the world, according to Chandler, is style. It is style that differentiates one mystery from another.

It is style that gives us the eccentric sleuths that we love and the equally eccentric killers and suspects that bring us so much enjoyment.

So going back to the question why I prefer the mystery over other genres, my answer has to be the characters. The plots may be complex, but the formula is simple. And a complex plot is simply the author’s attempt to hide the simplicity of the formula.

But complex plots aren’t what capture our imaginations. It is the colorful characters inhabiting those plots.

In a way, the mystery, because of its simple formula, must rely on character to carry the day; much more so than any other genre, except perhaps the psychological novel.

Which is probably why I so enjoy mysteries. I love the characters that inhabit the pages. After a while, they become real and I can’t imagine life without them.

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

CW Hawes is a playwright; award-winning poet; and a fictioneer, with three bestselling novels. He’s also an armchair philosopher, political theorist, social commentator, and traveler. He loves a good cup of tea and agrees that everything’s better with pizza.

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