LibGuides: OLMC Guides: Mystery & Thriller

What is Mystery Fiction?

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Mystery is a fiction genre where the nature of an event, usually a murder or other crime, remains mysterious until the end of the story. Often within a closed circle of suspects, each suspect is usually provided with a credible motive and a reasonable opportunity for committing the crime. The central character is often a detective (such as Sherlock Holmes), who eventually solves the mystery by logical deduction from facts presented to the reader. Mystery fiction can be detective stories in which the emphasis is on the puzzle or suspense element and its logical solution such as a whodunit.

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The Most & Least Popular Genres of Mystery & Suspense | Novel Suspects

The Case of the Many Subgenres in Mystery | Juven Press

What is Thriller?

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Thriller is a genre of fiction, having numerous, often overlapping subgenres. Thrillers are characterized and defined by the moods they elicit, giving viewers heightened feelings of suspense, excitement, surprise, anticipation and anxiety.

Thrillers generally keep the audience on the "edge of their seats" as the plot builds towards a climax. The cover-up of important information is a common element. Literary devices such as red herrings, plot twists, unreliable narrators, and cliffhangers are used extensively. A thriller is often a villain- driven plot, whereby they present obstacles that the protagonist must overcome.

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Writing Mysteries & Thrillers

The 10 Essential Elements of a Mystery Story | Masterclass

Five Tops for Writing Mystery Stories for Kids | Australian Writers' Centre

Karen McManus Thrillers

A writer of page-turning and twisty YA thrillers, Karen McManus is one of the Library's most popular authors. If you are on the wait list for her One of Us is Lying trilogy books, try one of her stand-alone novels.

Cover Art One Of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus