The Future of Mystery Writers: Can They Keep Thrilling Us?

The Buzz: The first modern ‘detective story’ is considered to be The Murders in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe. First published in the April 1841 issue of Graham’s Magazine, the short story is about an amateur detective who sets out to solve the murders of a mother and daughter within a locked room of their apartment. (https://www.biblio.com/blog/2020/01/a-brief-history-of-mystery-books/#) The first mystery novel: Wilkie Collins’s The Woman in White (1859). The Moonstone (1868): the first detective novel. The Woman in White is a gripping tale of murder, madness and mistaken identity that is so beloved it has never been out of print. The Moonstone set the standards for the detective novel formula – an enormous diamond is stolen from a Hindu temple and resurfaces at a birthday party in an English manor, and with numerous narrators and suspects, the story weaves through superstitions, romance, humor and suspicion to solve the puzzle. According to MasterClass.com, “When it comes to twenty-first century Americans’ tastes in fiction, few genres sell better than crime, mystery, and thriller…gripping, suspenseful, and full of intrigue until the very end. They routinely top New York Times bestseller lists, and many spawn larger series, leaving enthralled readers eager for each new book…Crime novels focus on a criminal who must be apprehended. Mystery novels on the question of who committed a particular crime. Thriller novels on suspense, dread, and the fear of a future crime. Let’s look at trends. * CrimeRead.com: “AJohn Thibault continuing golden age of women writing spy fiction, a new surge of rural noirs…a panoply of evil twins, clones, and doubles…an influx of temps and new mothers…the gothic revival continues.” * NovelSuspects.com: “Where the digital world truly delivers is among the elite hackers competing to crack the world’s most secure systems.” * BestScienceFictionBooks.com: “'The mystery' meets 'science fiction', a blend of genres…'Mystery Science Fiction'…'Noir Science Fiction'…’Detective Science Fiction'.” We’ll ask novelists John Thibault, Matt Cost, and Chris Wheatley and publisher Eddie Vincent for their take on The Future of Mystery Writers: Can They Keep Thrilling Us?