Crime novels are fictional books that revolve around a crime, with detective fiction being a well-known type. There are three common types of mystery novels: puzzle mysteries, police procedurals, and hardboiled mysteries. Crime novels often cross genres and remain popular today.
Crime novels are fictional books that can be classified in the “mystery” genre, typically revolving around a crime of some sort. Detective fiction is a well-known type of mystery novel, in which the reader watches a detective attempt to solve a crime, such as a murder or kidnapping, over the course of the plot. However, the term “mystery novels” can be used as a description for most crime novels. Edgar Allan Poe is one of the earliest and best known mystery writers, from the mid-19th century.
In general, there are a few common types of crime novels. The former, sometimes referred to as a “mystery,” is a more classic type of mystery novel in which a person or group of people are attempting to solve a crime by uncovering a series of puzzling clues. These are also sometimes referred to as puzzle mysteries or intimate mysteries. The protagonist is typically an amateur detective without much crime-solving experience, and these books are usually quite bloodless. They often take place in a small town or in a country house.
Another common type of mystery novel is a procedural detective story. In these types of mystery novels, the reader watches a police officer or police detective solve a crime using common police methods. Police procedurals are often part of a crime novel series, where the same detectives will solve different crimes in each novel, but in strikingly similar ways. Police procedural mysteries are somewhat grittier and more realistic than the “mysteries” above and may contain more action and more detailed descriptions of crime scenes.
Finally, the third most common type of mystery novel is known as a hardboiled mystery. This type of novel generally features a detective working independently, usually slightly above the law. These are often the grittiest kind of mystery novels and feature a great deal of action, violence, and crime scene description that doesn’t leave much to the imagination. The detectives in this mystery group often have somewhat shady pasts, though of course that’s not always the case. Hardboiled mysteries are also often serialized.
Crime novels also frequently cross genres. For example, a mystery novel may also include elements of romance. Supernatural mysteries are also quite popular, as are historical mysteries set in the past. This genre of fiction remains as popular as ever, with many new crime novels and short stories published each year.
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