Every novel chosen for the One Book, One Denver reading program has its admirers and detractors. But the latest selection, Dashiell Hammett’s classic detective story “The Thin Man,” has unlocked a new genre of One Book criticism: literary snobbism.
Mystery lovers are used to defending their reading choices to people who would never be caught dead reading a novel where murder is a plot point. Perhaps no one knows this better than the owners of the metro area’s two mystery booksellers.
“People walk into the store and say right in front of my nose, ‘Oh, these are mysteries? I only read literature.’ And I want to say, ‘Did you read “Snow Falling on Cedars”? That’s a mystery,’ ” says Lauri Ver Schure, owner of Murder by the Book in Denver. Adds Cynthia Nye of Boulder’s High Crimes Mystery Bookshop: ” ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ is a mystery. ‘Rebecca’ is a mystery. A lot of great literature is mysteries.”
In fact, the unabashedly literary author and poet Edgar Allan Poe is considered the father of the mystery. His 1841 short story “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” is hailed as the first work of fiction to feature a detective.
So what’s the mystery behind all this literary snobbism? It could simply be that “people get trapped into a very narrow definition of what a mystery is,” Nye says. There are a variety of categories within the mystery genre, encompassing everything from serial killers to psychic cats. Settings can range from a Navajo reservation to a medieval monastery. And as with any type of book, the writing can be awesome or abysmal.
Becky Sheller, collections development librarian for adult services in the Fort Collins library system, points out that at any given time, half of the novels on The New York Times’ best-seller list are mysteries. And it’s not just people who want a light read who are buying all those whodunits, she says.
“In the last 20 years, the mystery- writing business has changed. Writers aren’t just writing to a formula anymore — there’s a lot of psychological and character development and higher literary standards for mysteries.”
Boulder psychotherapist and mystery author Lynda Hilburn believes it’s no coincidence that the One Book, One Denver selection committee chose a detective story in a year when people are concerned about the economy, the presidential election and the war in Iraq.
“When the outer world gets a little more scary, mysteries get more and more popular. We need that soothing feeling that at the end of the book, no matter how complicated and complex it is, it’s all going to be figured out,” she says.
Adds Nye: “Mysteries offer a concrete resolution and justice, which can be very comforting when we’re living in a world where too many people get away with too many things.”
Generally, people who like puzzles also like mysteries. “They appeal to someone who wants to switch on rather than switch off when they’re reading,” Nye says. “Even if you’re reading for escapism, your subconscious is still trying to solve the mystery.”
Nye notes that academics tend to be attracted to mysteries, like Robert Greer, a Denver doctor who has authored two medical thrillers and seven mysteries. Greer, a professor and cancer researcher at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, also has a master’s degree in creative writing.
But even he runs into prejudice against his genre, adding that “people have hundreds of choices today when it comes to mysteries, and some of those choices are really bad choices.”
“The Thin Man” doesn’t fall into that category, Greer says. “It’s a very well-written, good book in the sense of being true literature.”
He has high hopes for its crossover potential among all types of readers, as does Nye. “We can only hope that choosing this book will help people open up their minds more about mysteries,” she says.
Freelance writer Vicky Uhland reads many types of mysteries.
There’s a good mystery to fit every taste
Dying for a good read? There’s a mystery category for practically everyone. Mystery book experts offer the following suggestions:
COZY. Agatha Christie is the queen of this type of mystery, which focuses on the “whodunit” more than frenetic action. Often features amateur detectives. Recommended authors: Dorothy Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, Louise Penny, Janet Evanovich, Diane Mott Davidson, Margaret Coel, Mary Daheim, Maggie Sefton, Martha Grimes, Sarah Caudwell
HARD-BOILED OR NOIR. Think Dashiell Hammett’s or Raymond Chandler’s “mean streets.” These novels take place in a rough setting and tend to feature a lone-wolf detective rather than a cop. Recommended authors: Michael Connelly, Zoe Sharp, C.J. Box, David Housewright, Robert Crais, John MacDonald, Walter Mosley
THRILLER. Although fast-paced like their hard-boiled cousins, these books focus more on “howdunit” than “whodunit.” Thrillers have many subcategories, including legal, psychological, supernatural, forensic, military and police procedurals. Recommended authors: Harlan Coben, Kathy Reichs, Patricia Cornwell, Stephen White, Ridley Pearson, Lee Child, P.D. James, John Connolly, James Lee Burke, Tana French
ESPIONAGE. Traditionally limited to Cold War-era spies and government conspiracies, these novels are moving into the 21st century with al Qaeda-inspired plotlines. They’re often written by spy agency insiders, like Stella Rimington, former director-general of Britain’s MI5 Secret Service and the rumored inspiration for M, the boss in the new James Bond films. Recommended authors: John Buchan, John Le Carre, Graham Greene, Helen MacInnes, Robert Ludlum, Charles McCarry, Robert Littell, Alex Berenson
HISTORICAL. Could be a cozy, hard- boiled or a thriller — the key is that it takes place in historical times. As with espionage, writers tend to be experts in their fields, like Elizabeth Peters, a Ph.D. Egyptologist who writes about a Victorian archaeologist in Egypt. Recommended authors: Paul Doherty, Jacqueline Winspear, Anne Perry, Charles Todd, Ellis Peters, Peter Tremaine, Lindsey Davis
