THE DETECTIVE MYSTERY GENRE

WHAT IS IT?
• Mystery or detective fiction is a
subgenre of narrative fiction.
• Remember genre means: type or
classification so subgenre is a type of a
type.
• It usually involves a mysterious death
or a crime to be solved.
• The central character is a detective
that has to solve the crime.
 Elements of a Mystery
• A crime
• Variety of characters
• Clues
• Suspense and tension
• Solution
opular or Well-Known Detectives

Nancy Drew

Scooby Doo and the Gang

Sherlock Holmes
 Appearances Can Be Deceiving

• A detective’s appearance
can have a major affect on
his/her effectiveness on
the job.
• For example, Agatha
Christie’s Miss Marple is an
elderly woman. Suspects
do not find her threatening
and tell her things they
might not tell the police.
 Sidekicks
• Some sleuths receive assistance
from sidekicks who are either paid
helpers or friends who help. These
sidekicks serve as “sounding boards”
for the sleuth to explain how certain
bits of detection are done.
• If the sleuth is not, in some way,
connected to law enforcement, one
of these characters usually is. The
sidekick is sometimes a pet or an
animal.
 Villains
• Villain’s characteristics:
Genius level intellect
Great sense of humor
An interesting background
A motive for committing the murder
He/She is mentioned in the novel,
but doesn’t seem guilty until the
end
 Motives – Motive Means Opportunity
The prime suspect must • Revenge (the victim
have a reason, a way deserved to die)
and a chance to commit
the crime. • Protecting a loved
one
Some motives are: • Greed (to get
money)
• Desperation
 Possible Clues
• Fingerprints
• Suspicious items
• Blood/Hair/Fabric
• Body Parts
• Personal items found near crime scene
• Financial records
• Lifestyle changes
• Telephone calls
• What people say about themselves/others
• Connections between and among people
 The Rules Of Detective Fiction
(1) Evidence must be available to the
reader
(2) The solution must be reasonable
(not impossible)
(3) No surprises at the end; ex. the
number of suspects must be finite
(4) Crime should be significant
(5) There must be detection
not simply a solution.