4/24/2014

A Guide To Crime Thriller Novels

By Eloise Hewitt


Crime is something that has always fascinated people. Indeed the sociologist Emile Durkheim believed that crime was a vital part of society as it helped to highlight the flaws of society. In recent times it is also something that people have wanted to read about, whether tracking real life criminals or their fictional counterparts. There are a wide array of crime thriller novels and it is worth thinking about what kind you would personally want to read.

When people think of crime thrillers they tend to think of noir style detective stories. The likes of Hammett, Chandler and so forth created a world of iconic images that many people have associated with detectives and crimes. For example when people think of a detective they tend to think of someone wearing a hat and a trenchcoat looking for clues.

Another example of the genre is the whodunit. In simple terms this is where a murder takes place and the detective has to track down the killer. Crucially they not only have to find them but they have to be able to prove that this person is the killer. Often the fun for the reader is checking the clues to see if they can be one step ahead of the detective.

This kind of thriller also has a certain kind of narrative voice. It is usually in the first person and from the perspective of the detective. It tends to follow the heroic narrative tradition albeit the hero is not going to a world of fantasy but a world of murky morals and corruption.

These stories contain a lot of the conventions we associate with the genre. They feature detectives speaking from a first person perspective, often providing witty asides to the reader as they look at the murky and morally dubious world around them. However while the detective may appear world weary there is often enough of a moral code that drives them.

Of course when talking about detectives it is hard to ignore classics such as Sherlock Holmes. In many ways his stories are the quintessential crime thrillers. There are also the roots of the buddy genre with Sherlock Holmes and his sidekicks Doctor Watson while his conflict with the villain Moriaty and their battle of wills can be seen across a number of stories.

Over time the genre has had a number of twist and turns. As with any genre over time what appears to be tired can be revitalised by new voices adding their interpretation to classic stories. In recent times Scandinavian writers have become more popular. Just as the directors of French New Wave cinema interpreted cinema in their way so writers like Steig Larrson have presented their twist on world weary detectives and dark murders.

There are a wide array of novels out there that look at crimes. Whether it is a classic whodunit or the latest twist on the noir genre there is something to please a range of tastes. Use your regular search engine to find out more about the latest releases and feedback from fellow readers to find the ones that will be best suited to your personal tastes.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment