What do Readers Expect from Mysteries and Thrillers?

 Last week I hosted a monthly Twitter chat with fellow members of the Apocalypsies (a group of 140+ kidlit authors debuting in 2012). Fellow Sleuths Spies & Alibis members Laura Ellen, Talia Vance, and F.T. Bradley were among the participants, weighing in our topic of mysteries and thrillers.

A lot of interesting points came out of this discussion. I've been mulling over two of them.

1. The distinction between mysteries and thrillers. Sometimes these terms get used interchangeably. For books that have elements of both genres (such as Laura Ellen's BLIND SPOT), using both terms to describe them is fine. Many books, though, fall firmly in one genre or another, and readers may be misled by the wrong label. For example, sometimes my book, TOKYO HEIST, is described as a thriller. While it has its share of danger and thrilling moments, I would call it a mystery. A puzzle drives the plot. In the Twitter chat, we defined mystery as a story that revolves around a puzzle to be solved, and a thriller as a story focused on immediate, pressing dangers. Both mysteries and thrillers have tension, but problem-solving drives the tension in mystery and action/danger (or psychological suspense) drives the tension in thrillers.

2. Readers' expectations of mysteries and thrillers. We talked a lot about Nancy Drew (I admit we weren't exactly kind to her) and how YA/MG mysteries today have changed from the classic sleuthing stories. Technology, some of us felt, was a big factor. As Kristen Kittscher pointed out on this blog a few weeks ago ("Murder, She Blogged"), technology has totally changed investigative work in real life and in fiction.

But maybe other things have changed too, raising our expectations for YA/MG mysteries and thrillers. As Talia mentioned, Nancy Drew didn't solve (or even have) her own problems; she solved other people's problems. We don't have a sense of her as a real person; one participant in the discussion couldn't even remember Nancy's boyfriend's name. (It's Ned).

It seems that it's no longer satisfying -- it may even be laughable -- to have a series with a character who just bounces from adventure to adventure. We now expect:

• More character depth
• More plot twists and turns
• More action
• More details
• Faster/better pacing
• Some degree of realism
• Emotional impact

In short: More.

Whew. Much as I tend to agree with all this, I find myself missing Nancy a little. Life seemed simpler then. Well, mystery writing did, anyway.

Are any of these criteria for modern-day mysteries at odds? Can we have "better pacing" and "more action" while still reaching for more character depth and realism than a Nancy Drew type of sleuth? Character development does sometimes get sacrificed a bit to service plot or pace in mystery -- can we really have it all?

YA author A.C. Gaughen suggested, towards the end of the Twitter chat, that "with more books, more authors, more competition, the bar gets raised." Readers don't just want a good mystery; they want "GOOD FICTION."

Are mysteries and/or thrillers harder to write than ever? Is the bar raising because there are so many being published? Do we really expect mysteries/thrillers to have it all these days? (Even in middle grade/young adult markets, where word counts tend to be shorter?) How can mystery/thriller writers overcome the potential paralysis of trying to write the mystery/thriller that Has It All?

What do you think? What do you expect from YA/MG mysteries and/or thrillers? What would you like to see more of -- or less of?

[PS - Have you entered this week's great giveaway yet? No? There's still time to win a signed copy of the just-released DOUBLE VISION by our own F.T. Bradley! Check out her great interview with W.H. Beck from Tuesday; the contest entry form is right below it. Oh - and how cool is it to have two initials before your last name? It just occurred to me that F.T. and two other blog members do this. I think I'm gong to declare a Double Initial Day in honor of DOUBLE VISION!]

D.C. Renn (aka Diana Renn) was born in Seattle and now lives outside of Boston with her husband and son. TOKYO HEIST (Viking/Penguin, published June 2012) is her first novel.

Interrogation Room Suspect #17: KIRSTEN MILLER, author of KIKI STRIKE

I might be investigated by internal affairs after hauling in today’s suspect into The Interrogation Room. I have no just cause for questioning Kirsten Miller -- other than being a big fan!

Kirsten Miller is the bestselling author of the middle grade Kiki Strike series as well as the The Eternal Ones and All You Desire. A native of North Carolina, she left her home in the Smoky Mountains at seventeen and moved to New York City, where she's lived ever since.

I bet other fans are as thrilled as I am that Kirsten has two books coming out early next year: How To Lead a Life of Crime (Penguin, February 2013) -- and the much-anticipated third book in the Kiki Strike series, The Darkness Dwellers (Bloomsbury, January 2013). 

A brief peek at both:

The Darkness Dwellers (from Bloomsbury Winter catalog)

In the third installment of bestselling author Kirsten Miller’s Kiki Strike series, this delightful group of delinquent geniuses jump feet first into a fast-paced international pursuit, going underground in Paris to pursue a pair of treacherous royals who have killed Kiki’s parents.

With a dash of romance, a fresh take on good manners, and loads of butt-kicking bravery, Kiki, Betty, Ananka and the other Irregulars sharpen their amazing skills in this highly anticipated new adventure.

How to Lead a Life of Crime (from Penguin Winter catalog):

A Meth dealer. A Prostitute. A serial killer.
Anywhere else, they'd be vermin. At the Mandel Academy, they're called prodigies. The most exclusive school in New York City has been training young criminals for over a century. Only the most ruthless students are allowed to graduate. The rest disappear. Flick, a teenage pickpocket, has risen to the top of his class. But then Mandel recruits a fierce new competitor who also happens to be Flick's old flame. They've been told only one of them will make it out of the Mandel Academy. Will they find a way to save each other--or will the school destroy them both?

Kristen Kittscher:  I've read that you were a fan of Sherlock Holmes as a kid. Kiki Strike’s all-girl Bank Street Irregulars are a great twist on the “Baker Street Regulars." Were there other authors or books you liked when you were growing up? 

Kirsten Miller: I read a lot of Nancy Drew. (And when I finished those, I moved on to the Hardy Boys.) I haven’t read any of the modern Nancy Drew books, but the older ones (The Hidden Staircase, The Secret in the Old Clock) are amazing. It’s hard to believe they were written in the 1930s. Nancy was always a very cool, butt-kicking chick. I give her a hard time in the Kiki Strike books, but she was (and continues to be) one of my heroes. 

But I gotta admit, my Nancy Drew stage was pretty short lived. Around the age of 10 or 11, I became a devotee of Stephen King. Which should give you a good sense of my personality (ha).

KK: What are some middle grade mysteries you enjoy now?

KM: Believe it or not, I’ve actually been reading adult books lately! (I thought I’d forgotten how.) So my full list may be quite out of date. My all time favorite is The Westing Game, which will always be a classic. I also read The Mysterious Benedict Society recently (if that counts as a mystery), which was awesome.

KK: You have a real range as a writer, taking on a reincarnation-themed romance for older teens and adults with The Eternal Ones series as well your action-packed middle grade Kiki Strike series. Can you talk a little bit about the different challenges involved in writing each?

KM: Well, The Eternal Ones (as well as my latest novel, How to Lead a Life of Crime) were labors of love. I can’t even describe how much fun I had writing the third Kiki Strike novel, The Darkness Dwellers. It’s not that I don’t like the Eternal Ones books. They’re actually really darn good (in my not so humble opinion). But I never felt that same LOVE when I was working on them. And without that love, writing is a million times more difficult.

KK: You've talked in previous interviews about the importance of writers "filling their brains."Any advice you can give aspiring (and current) mystery writers on that front?

KM: My biggest piece of advice is “embrace randomness.” Take a new route to school every day. Go to a section of the library that you’ve never visited before and check out the first book that catches your eye. Learn a skill you don’t really need. (Lock picking, silk screening, taxidermy, etc.) Never, ever let yourself fall into a rut. (Advice I still struggle to follow, I’m afraid!)

As for nonfiction books, check out the works of Mary Roach. (Spooked, Stiffed, etc.) If you like ghosts, cadavers, and all things disgusting you won’t be disappointed.

KK: Do you have any special methods of organizing your research? 

KM: I usually write about subjects on which I’m already well-versed. Over the years, I’ve read a lot about New York history, reincarnation, butt-kicking techniques, etc, so I really didn’t need to do any additional research when I sat down to write my novels. I guess you could say that “research” is my primary form of entertainment. So I never really stop. 

KK: Given The Eternal Ones’ focus on reincarnation, I have to ask: what do you think your future selves would say upon glimpsing your current life?

They would be very frustrated by my reluctance to tackle unpleasant tasks. “Just get it over with, already!” I can hear them shouting. “Just clean the darn toilet already!” (That’s just a segue way to the next question. I’m pretty good about scrubbing the toilet on a regular basis.)

KK: I hear that, inspired by the many questions you receive from out-of-towners looking for mysteries in New York, you’re developing The Irregular Guide to New York City that highlights its “hidden houses, secret cemeteries, abandoned subway stations, subterranean tunnels, and ghosts.” Are you willing to offer our readers one sneak peek secret New York City tip? 

KM: Sure! Here’s a special entry about outhouses and privies from the chapter entitled “Poop.” 

KK: My students and I are really looking forward to the third Kiki book. What can you reveal about it?

For starters, it’s my favorite of the three Kiki books. At the beginning of The Darkness Dwellers, Kiki sets off to claim the throne of Pokrovia. But as you might have guessed, things don’t go quite as planned, and Betty Bent must travel all the way to Paris to save Kiki’s rump. That’s all I can tell you without giving too much away, but I can promise bone-filled tunnels, evil etiquette experts, and a revolution—along with appearances by Molly Donovan (NY City’s most famous delinquent), Kaspar (the squirrel-training graffiti artist), and my personal favorite, Iris McLeod. 

Thank you so much, Kirsten! Early next year will be especially fun for me and other fans. 

Interested in keeping up with Kirsten's latest? Check out her blog, follow her on Twitter (@bankstirregular), or stop by Kiki Strike's official website. She's also got a great cover design contest running through 8/31 for How to Lead a Life of Crime. The entries are impressive!
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This interview was conducted by Sleuths, Spies, and Alibis' "detective" Kristen Kittscher. Her first book, the middle grade mystery/comedy THE WIG IN THE WINDOW, comes out from Harper Children's next year.

What if?: How I Cracked the Code

Photo by Kym McLeod

I solved my first mystery when I was three years old by spying on my older sister. She and my mom would huddle at the kitchen table every day after kindergarten, staring at strange symbols in exotic looking books. The whole operation seemed mighty intriguing, so I'd sneak into the living room and strain my ears to hear what was being said. It took some serious sleuthing, but once I cracked the code, I was hooked. There was no stopping me then. I could open any book and unlock the mysteries inside with my new decoding abilities.

Part of my collection.

And oh my gosh, were there plenty of mysteries to be found! The library was full of them: Nancy Drew, Encyclopedia Brown, Alfred Hitchcock, Hardy Boys . . . I devoured anything and everything that even hinted at intrigue.

But soon, I started to feel a bit, well, cheated.
How come all these kids in all these books always stumbled upon mysteries? Ghosts in the attic, stowaways, jewelry thieves, secret doors in closets, alien ships . . . .Was I stupid? Was I not looking hard enough? Why couldn't I find any mysteries to solve?

At first I blamed my surroundings. I lived in the heavily wooded, remote outskirts of Fairbanks, Alaska where exciting events were as sparse as television reception. Of course there were no crimes to solve! I wasn't living in the city like Nancy Drew, visiting old inns or flea markets and meeting new people from foreign countries. I was living in boring Alaska, visiting nothing but boring trees and lakes and meeting no one but the same boring neighbors and the occasional moose or bear or red fox or rabbit . . .

Then I realized that was a cop out. Alaska was exactly the type of place Nancy or Frank or Joe would travel to and discover a mystery.
No. I just wasn't looking hard enough.

So I took a closer look around me . .. . and began asking myself: What if?

 * What if that big orange toadstool is really the main meeting place for a community of gnomes?
 * What if when I pass under the power lines in the woods, I am actually passing through a time warp?
 * What if that stray dog with one blue eye and one brown eye is really a werewolf?
 * What if the old hermit living in the log cabin up the road is really a fugitive?

With every "what if" I asked, I discovered another world, and I liked it. I'd cracked the code once again, and I never looked at anything the same after that.

I discovered it didn't matter where or what or who. There was a secret hiding in everything, and I liked finding it. What's more, I found I liked sharing it. So I started writing my "what ifs" down. Now, everything I write has some element of mystery or intrigue or conspiracy. It's a part of me; it's what I do.

And you can too.

Simply ask yourself:

What if?


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What if a classmate went missing right after you fought with her at a party and she was later found dead? What if you couldn't remember anything after that fight? Not even how you got home? Would you tell the police the truth? Or would you lie about what you remember until you could find out what really happened that night?

16-year-old Roswell Hart finds herself in this very predicament in Laura Ellen's YA thriller, BLIND SPOT (Fall 2012, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)


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We are giving away an autographed book from our next Interrogation Room suspect! To enter the contest, simply comment on any of the Sleuths Spies and Alibis posts between Tuesday October 4 and Friday October 14. Contest closes October 14 at midnight, EST. The winner will be announced on Monday, October 17. One comment = one entry in our drawing; limit one per day. 

Clueless in California

I’d make a terrible sleuth. It took me three decades to actually notice how much of a mystery fan I am, despite heaps of early evidence. I missed every clue. The dog-eared pages on The Westing Game and The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. The bookshelves lined with the trademark yellow spines of Nancy Drew volumes, each one promising to reveal all manner of secrets about clocks, ranches, and bungalows. The unwise seventh-grade choice to study French instead of Spanish, motivated by an urgent need to understand Hercule Poirot’s untranslated asides. And what about the hours spent with the Bobbsey Twins, for goodness’ sake? Anyone who’ll put up with Nan and Bert — let alone Freddie and Flossie — clearly suffers from advanced stage mystery disease.

 Freddie & Flossie:
Symptoms of Stage IV Mystery Disease

I can forgive my bad detective work, though. It isn’t as if I was drawn to mysteries exclusively. Mysteries merely amplify what I already love about stories: the delicious withholding of  information until just the right moment, the transforming of the familiar into the strange, the satisfying way order triumphs over chaos in the end. In his book On Moral Fiction, John Gardner described art as a “game played…against entropy.” It’s an apt description, I think. Stories weave the unruly strands of everyday life into a satisfying whole. And what’s more satisfying than a case solved and a culprit brought to justice?

My younger self would claim that nothing is more satisfying. Which means, too, that nothing could possibly be worse than a book that leaves too many questions unanswered. I am more forgiving now (though I have to admit, the trend of cliffhanger endings in series still rankles me), but back then I loved mysteries because it comforted me to see justice served and order restored. My family was constantly on the move, and by the time I turned 9, I had already been the “new kid” at 5 different schools. I craved neat resolutions to distract me from the abandoned plot-lines in my own life.

Idaville would be in
serious trouble without
Encyclopedia on the case

Besides, I loved reading about kids who had all the answers for a change. That Sheriff Brown couldn’t solve a single Idaville case without Encyclopedia taking charge. And Carson Drew may be good in a courtroom, but let’s face it: the dude would have long been dead if Nancy wasn’t always saving him. In my own life, adults always thought they knew better than I did. That got old fast, especially considering they lacked answers to life’s most basic questions.

As I got older, mysteries compelled me because they wrestled with the same uncertainties I faced as I navigated an ever-changing social landscape. At their simplest level, mysteries deal with a central question: whom can you trust? They remind us of the secrets lurking not far from the surface, the lies people tell, the incongruity between some people’s public faces and their private selves. They dramatize the same questions about loyalty and friendship I was asking myself as a teen. In fact, mysteries delved into an even more troubling question I was wrestling with, whether I recognized it at the time or not: how much could I really trust myself?  Like a mystery reader, I was constantly questioning my own perceptions and revising my assumptions about the cast of characters around me.

I write for the younger unsuspecting mystery fan that I was. The one who didn’t realize she was wrestling with questions of loyalty, assumptions, and self-confidence because she was all wrapped up in madcap hijinks and battles of wits. For me, there’s nothing more rewarding than writing for an age group still working hard to solve the mystery of who they are and where they fit in.

I’ll be sharing more about how I came to write my comic middle grade mystery in more Tuesday “Notes from Our Detectives” ahead. In the meantime, though, I’m curious about you. If you’re clicking through the pages of this brand-new blog, unlike me, you’ve probably long since recognized your passion for mysteries. What draws you to the genre?


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Kristen Kittscher’s debut middle grade mystery YOUNG & YANG DETECTIVES (Harper Children’s) will be released in early 2013. It follows the comic misadventures of two tween sleuths who suspect their school counselor is a dangerous fugitive — and just might be right! A former middle school English teacher, Kristen lives in Pasadena, California with her husband, Kai. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her running her after-school tutoring business or taking orders from her hopelessly spoiled pets.