Mystery Subgenre and Setting
There are several subgenres in mystery. For example, there are cozy mysteries, culinary mysteries, mysteries that involve amateur sleuths or private detectives. Sometimes, mysteries are set in a specific historical settings, or involving certain professions like medicine, legal, or politics (and many more). Combining any of these with other genres can create a unique story.
If you’re writing a mystery, your choice of setting will determine how understandable, accessible, and relatable it is for the reader.
Cozy Mystery
Cozy mysteries often involve amateur sleuths. They are often set in smaller communities, and the overall tone of the story is lighter (sometimes even humorous) with minimal violence and gore. These stories are accessible to a wide range of readers because they don’t need any any knowledge or background to appreciate the story.
Examples: Murder, She Wrote, the novels of Diane Mott Davidson
Detective Mystery
Detective Mysteries focus on the sleuth’s use of observation and reason to solve the mystery. Typically, these sleuths have some expertise the reader doesn’t have, so readers have to rely on the detective’s observations and conclusions to understand the mystery. Often, the detective is the most interesting character, and the stories turn into a series.
Examples: Sherlock Holmes, Inspector Gamache, Eve Dallas)
Police Procedural
Police Procedurals showcase the realistic procedures and processes of law enforcement. Modern procedurals often include the latest forensic science and technology to solve crimes (DNA analysis, computer surveillance).
Examples: Castle, the CSI TV Shows, TV cop shows
Legal/Medical Mystery
Legal Mysteries often involve legal proceedings, prosecutors, or defense attorneys navigating the justice system. These mysteries often overlap with the Crime Genre. Examples: Perry Mason
Medical Mysteries are typically about trying to uncover an unknown disease or ailment, or the scientific investigation of a crime. These stories focus on the medical and scientific protocols. Examples: House, Bones
Technological Mystery
Technological Mysteries often center around online hacking, cybercrime, the dark web, etc. Technology is always changing, making this subgenre tricky to keep relevant.
Examples: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Net
Selecting a Subgenre
These few subgenres illustrate the wide range of mystery stories.
Cozy and Detective Mysteries are very understandable because the characters, the situation, and their environment are usually very relatable. Writers (and readers) don’t need much special knowledge to understand or solve the mystery. However, Police Procedurals, Legal/Medical and Technological Mysteries require the writer to have more advanced knowledge of the setting, the vocabulary, and protocols used. Writers who are not already experts in those fields need to perform research to ensure their stories are plausible. In addition, writers need to strike the right level of detail to inform readers what they need to know to understand the story without overwhelming them with too much industry jargon and detail.
Another important consideration when writing a mystery is the concept of fair play.