“Your heart is slamming against your rib cage, your fingertips are moist and you turn another page. The antagonist is setting a trap. You wish you could do something to prevent the protagonist from walking into it, but you can’t. You’re helpless, totally at the mercy of the writer. All you can do is turn the page.”
That’s how Simon Wood (The One That Got Away), one of my favorite suspense writers, describes what he’s going for when he writes his novels.
Do you read suspense? Mystery? Or do you prefer thrillers?
First, let’s understand the difference between the three genres.
The key difference between mystery and suspense is perspective. Both genres deal with a crisis event to hook the reader and keep the story going. But the storytelling approach is completely different.
Let’s say the crisis is the assassination of the president of the United States.
In a mystery, the president would die in the first chapter, and the rest of the book would focus on the government agents finding the killer and bringing him to justice. Mystery is all about the puzzle.
Do you read suspense? Mystery? Or do you prefer thrillers?
First, let’s understand the difference between the three genres.
The key difference between mystery and suspense is perspective. Both genres deal with a crisis event to hook the reader and keep the story going. But the storytelling approach is completely different.
Let’s say the crisis is the assassination of the president of the United States.
In a mystery, the president would die in the first chapter, and the rest of the book would focus on the government agents finding the killer and bringing him to justice. Mystery is all about the puzzle.
New York Times bestselling author David Morrell (Brotherhood of the Rose and Rambo) says, “One crucial distinction is that traditional mysteries appeal primarily to the mind and emphasize the logical solution to a puzzle.”
Here are some of my favorite mysteries:
Louise Penny - How the Light Gets In (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series)
Alan Bradley - The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
Agatha Christie – And Then There Were None
Going back to the president’s assassination example, in a suspense story, instead of the actual assassination in the first chapter, an intercepted communique or a bungled weapons drop would take place, alerting the White House of an imminent threat. This time, the government agents would be charged with protecting the president while tracking down the would-be assassin. The story would climax at the point where the assassination attempt is thwarted.
Suspense creates drama before the crisis event and builds slowly. Tension builds gradually, we’re waiting for the next bad thing to happen, expecting the shoe to drop.
Louise Penny - How the Light Gets In (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series)
Alan Bradley - The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
Agatha Christie – And Then There Were None
Going back to the president’s assassination example, in a suspense story, instead of the actual assassination in the first chapter, an intercepted communique or a bungled weapons drop would take place, alerting the White House of an imminent threat. This time, the government agents would be charged with protecting the president while tracking down the would-be assassin. The story would climax at the point where the assassination attempt is thwarted.
Suspense creates drama before the crisis event and builds slowly. Tension builds gradually, we’re waiting for the next bad thing to happen, expecting the shoe to drop.
Often, the reader may know the danger is coming before the protagonist, so we go through the agony of waiting.
Suspense also allows the writer some freedoms not afforded the mystery writer. Writers can employ multiple point-of-view characters.
Suspense also allows the writer some freedoms not afforded the mystery writer. Writers can employ multiple point-of-view characters.
They can present the bad guy and his motivations, giving the reader insight into his character.
This allows the writer to actively pit his antagonist and protagonist against each other while the reader watches.
This allows the writer to actively pit his antagonist and protagonist against each other while the reader watches.
Think about Hannibal Lector, Thomas Harris’s character in Red Dragon and Silence of the Lambs.
Think about Hannibal Lector, Thomas Harris’s character in Red Dragon and Silence of the Lambs.
From torturing animals to killing people in gruesome ways and eating them, we come to know his character intimately. This is a villain who sends shivers down your spine.
In a mystery, the author will never write from the bad guy’s point of view. The writer must purposely keep the bad guy’s identity hidden to maintain the mystery. The puzzle is the important thing for the mystery reader.
From torturing animals to killing people in gruesome ways and eating them, we come to know his character intimately. This is a villain who sends shivers down your spine.
In a mystery, the author will never write from the bad guy’s point of view. The writer must purposely keep the bad guy’s identity hidden to maintain the mystery. The puzzle is the important thing for the mystery reader.
For the suspense read, it’s all about the mood. Alfred Hitchcock was a master of creating a mood of foreboding in his films
Stephen King often uses mood to foretell that something terrible will happen to his characters. He does this through internal monologue and increasingly difficult situations.
Read The Stand for a classic example of these techniques.
Read The Stand for a classic example of these techniques.
In one of my favorite suspense novels, Shadow of the Wind (Carlos Ruiz Zafon), the main character is investigating a mysterious book that’s being hunted, leaving shattered lives in its wake.
Or, the suspense can be sheer creepiness.
Try You by Caroline Kepnes.
You'll never look at dating the same again.
Try You by Caroline Kepnes.
You'll never look at dating the same again.
Occasionally the author manages to create a sense of foreboding as well as challenging the reader with a puzzle.
In Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code, Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu must solve a cryptex in order to find out why someone may have killed Sophie’s grandfather and is trying to kill them. Time pressure and physical danger play a role as well, but the reader’s prime focus is understanding the riddle.
The Da Vinci Code also crosses into our third genre with its non-stop action: Thriller.
Where mysteries represent the most cerebral of the three major suspense genres, and suspense builds slowly, thrillers are out-of-control wildfires. There is usually the threat of some catastrophe affecting whole communities, cities, countries, even the planet. The threat need not be total devastation—but the effect of the action must be profound. And the hero is under constant attack as he or she tries to prove the perpetrator’s guilt and/or stop the next atrocity.
The Da Vinci Code also crosses into our third genre with its non-stop action: Thriller.
Where mysteries represent the most cerebral of the three major suspense genres, and suspense builds slowly, thrillers are out-of-control wildfires. There is usually the threat of some catastrophe affecting whole communities, cities, countries, even the planet. The threat need not be total devastation—but the effect of the action must be profound. And the hero is under constant attack as he or she tries to prove the perpetrator’s guilt and/or stop the next atrocity.
Many times the antagonist appears at the beginning, and we know what he’s going to do.
Think of Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels. At the beginning of each story, the reader knows who 007 is up against and what deadly plan he has to stop. Playing with their suspense cards on the table, thrillers create tension by inserting a strong good guy AND a strong antagonist.
Think of Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels. At the beginning of each story, the reader knows who 007 is up against and what deadly plan he has to stop. Playing with their suspense cards on the table, thrillers create tension by inserting a strong good guy AND a strong antagonist.
Thriller plots can go an endless number of directions. The Killing Floor by Lee Child established wandering ex-military investigator Jack Reacher as a force to be reckoned with in the criminal underworld.
Note: Did you notice that these thriller covers are have a similar look? That is not a coincidence. Publishers print a lot of thriller covers with big splashes of red (danger!) and bold print.
Note: Did you notice that these thriller covers are have a similar look? That is not a coincidence. Publishers print a lot of thriller covers with big splashes of red (danger!) and bold print.
Tom Clancy has made himself synonymous with the tech-savvy military thriller.
The Hunt for Red October is where it all started and remains one of his best.
The Hunt for Red October is where it all started and remains one of his best.
In Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton taps his mesmerizing talent and scientific brilliance to bring humankind’s thrilling fantasies to life…until something goes wrong.
And, of course, in thrillers, something is always going to go wrong--with cataclysmic results.
I personally enjoy mystery, suspense and thrillers. These genres continually find a way to create stories that are fresh, interesting and original. From cozy mysteries to edge-of-your-seat suspense, to high-octane thrillers, there is bound to be something for you.
And, of course, in thrillers, something is always going to go wrong--with cataclysmic results.
I personally enjoy mystery, suspense and thrillers. These genres continually find a way to create stories that are fresh, interesting and original. From cozy mysteries to edge-of-your-seat suspense, to high-octane thrillers, there is bound to be something for you.
Next time I'm going to begin telling you about my own in-the-works suspense novel, Crescent Moon Crossing.
Until then, find yourself a new favorite suspense author, and dig in!
Until then, find yourself a new favorite suspense author, and dig in!
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