Monday, April 28, 2014

A Brief Guide To Crime Thriller Novels

By Eloise Hewitt


Criminals and the transgression they commit are something that has fascinated societies for centuries. Everything from ancient mythology to the latest cinematic blockbuster has looked at the digressions of criminals and how to punish them. Despite the emergence of television, movies and video games crime thriller novels remain very influential and engaging to a wide array of readers.

When people think of crime thrillers they tend to think of noir style detective stories. The likes of Hammett, Chandler and so forth created a world of iconic images that many people have associated with detectives and crimes. For example when people think of a detective they tend to think of someone wearing a hat and a trenchcoat looking for clues.

Another example of the genre is the whodunit. In simple terms this is where a murder takes place and the detective has to track down the killer. Crucially they not only have to find them but they have to be able to prove that this person is the killer. Often the fun for the reader is checking the clues to see if they can be one step ahead of the detective.

There is also the classic noir genre. These detective novels are often about a wider conspiracy as opposed to a simple murder or set of murders. They tend to feature a world weary detective who has fallen on hard times and inevitably this case is their shot at redemption. While this is often associated with classic writers like Raymond Chandler there have been modern variations such as LA Confidential, a novel that seemed to embody a lot of the complexity and moral ambiguity that people love about the classic noir detective stories.

These stories contain a lot of the conventions we associate with the genre. They feature detectives speaking from a first person perspective, often providing witty asides to the reader as they look at the murky and morally dubious world around them. However while the detective may appear world weary there is often enough of a moral code that drives them.

Cynicism tends to be a strong part of this kind of work. However there are also more accessible works. Agatha Christie created engaging detective characters such as Miss Marple and Poirot. Unlike the noir protagonists these characters seemed more engaged with society. Despite investigating horrible murders these characters seemed to be able to maintain their dignity.

Stories about murder and criminals do not necessarily have to be heavy in tone. Writers such as Alexander McCall Smith have a more light hearted approach. Also characters such as Poirot or Miss Marple often have a more comedic approach with a lot of the fun of the story being how they interact with society around them as much as the investigation of the crime itself.

There are a wide array of novels out there that look at crimes. Whether it is a classic whodunit or the latest twist on the noir genre there is something to please a range of tastes. Use your regular search engine to find out more about the latest releases and feedback from fellow readers to find the ones that will be best suited to your personal tastes.




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