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What do you love about Crime Fiction?


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For me it is safe exploration of the darkness within that ends with resolution of sorts. Crime - investigation - threat eliminated, or variations of the same.  

 

In 'Thrones, Dominations' co written by Dorothy L Sayers and Jill Paton Walsh, Lord Peter Wimsey, when speaking to his now wife about her writing of detective stories,  

 

Detective stories contain a dream of justice. They project a vision of a world in which wrongs are righted, and the villains are betrayed by clues that they did not know they were leaving. A world in which murderers are caught and hanged, and innocent victims are avenged, and future murder is deterred.

and later,

Detective stories keep alive a view of the world which ought to be true.

 

I can read the grittiest story of murder, and then read on as the hero / heroine faces the daunting task of figuring out who did it, then bringing them to some form of justice. If I'm lucky then everything gets tied up neatly at the end. :smile:

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For me it is safe exploration of the darkness within that ends with resolution of sorts. Crime - investigation - threat eliminated, or variations of the same.

 

In 'Thrones, Dominations' co written by Dorothy L Sayers and Jill Paton Walsh, Lord Peter Wimsey, when speaking to his now wife about her writing of detective stories,

 

 

 

 

Detective stories contain a dream of justice. They project a vision of a world in which wrongs are righted, and the villains are betrayed by clues that they did not know they were leaving. A world in which murderers are caught and hanged, and innocent victims are avenged, and future murder is deterred.

and later,

 

 

Detective stories keep alive a view of the world which ought to be true.

I can read the grittiest story of murder, and then read on as the hero / heroine faces the daunting task of figuring out who did it, then bringing them to some form of justice. If I'm lucky then everything gets tied up neatly at the end. :smile:
I think this sums it up for me too. The bad guys get what's coming to them and everyone lives happily ever after (sort of) Edited by Cookie
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For me, the bottom line for reading a thriller is that it should challenge me. It should be an intellectual and emotional puzzle that I have to solve. And if I solve it before I'm supposed to there's always a level of disappointment regardless of how great the story or the characters are.

 

For this reason, I don't really go in for reading (or writing) Jack Reacher-style thrillers. I read a couple and they were brilliantly put together and stylishly written. However you always know Reacher will succeed in the end. Not a problem if I'm watching a two-hour film but a book is a larger investment of my time and I need to start without any preconceptions or foreknowledge of what will happen.

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I'm really interested in why we are so drawn to crime. What, generally, do you find enjoyable and, specifically, what do you like to see or to happen in a crime book?

 

For me, it's the thought of 'What if it happened to me...' even though it's most likely not going to. I really like to put myself in that position of danger, but in a 'safe' way behind the pages of a book. And also, 'What if I did that...' is a big draw for me, too. How to commit murder without actually going to prison. Or maybe that last thought is a writer's take on it, not a reader's!

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I love the guessing game of crime fiction. Trying to put all clues together and solve the mystery before the characters do. I seldom manage to do so, which is perfectly fine by me. I love the element of surprise. 

 

But I also love it when the writers main characters are fun on their own. How they are far from perfect and like short-cuts like most people, and aren't afraid of conflict. And be able to do mistakes like normal people. 

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I think for me it's to try and guess who did it before the main character does (or main characters). I don't usually manage and I don't usually give it a lot of thought but it's just nice to read a story now and then that's a mystery / crime related. I used to really like thrillers too but nowadays I prefer a story that focusses on solving the case rather than something that's a lot more action based. I guess tastes can change. I also like reading about the characters and how the crime affects them, sometimes on multiple levels. I also like reading about how things work for the police and how they solve the case and how it all works (of course differently in different countries).

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For this reason, I don't really go in for reading (or writing) Jack Reacher-style thrillers. I read a couple and they were brilliantly put together and stylishly written. However you always know Reacher will succeed in the end. Not a problem if I'm watching a two-hour film but a book is a larger investment of my time and I need to start without any preconceptions or foreknowledge of what will happen.

I love knowing Reacher will always win in the end- it's part of the reason I read them.  I love what goes on in his head, his background, his strength and his mind.  I don't want him to let me down.  Heck, I don't even want him to get hurt.  I just love knowing he is such a dependable character that can deal with anything- at least so far :smile:  And I like expirencing how he does it.

I like that you think/ said they are brilliantly put together and stylishly written.  For me, I like the action packed, fast pace-ness of the Reacher books.

Edited by Anna Begins
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For me the draw to crime is the need to know Why? Why do people do what they do...why do others choose to be on the investigating side...what makes both parties tick and is there something common to both of them?

A book needs to give me a challenge; I need to be drawn to the characters - the book needs to grip me from the start and the main character has to draw me in. The "damaged detective" is my dream man hehe! I love Steven Dunne's Brook; Mark Billingham's Thorne and Stuart MacBride's McCrae all draw me to them wanting to know what drives them and what has destroyed them - the police force or something darker?

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I agree with Chrissy here.  It's getting involved with dangerous/criminal situations but from the safety of your own armchair.  Seeing how criminals tick, getting into their heads and being a vital part of the investigation and finally bringing them to justice.  All without actually having to do it as a job.

 

For me, it's the puzzle solving aspect of crime/thrillers that I love.  Going through the books, trying to pick out the clues, being side by side with the investigators.  And when I've got it right, that warm fuzzy feeling inside as I give myself a pat on the back.

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I mostly enjoy historical crime novels, and I think it's because I actually enjoy reading more about the society of the time rather than the crime itself.  I do like the whodunnit nature of them, but I wallow more in the period details of the people and their lifestyles.

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