Crime & Detective Fiction

Crime and detective fiction deal with investigations by an actual detective or an amateur sleuth, or from a criminal point of view, such as mob stories. As simple as it seems, it is one of the genres with the most subcategories.

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Cosy Mystery

Cosy mystery is a subcategory of detective fiction. It is the most tame, with limited violence or gruesome environments. On the contrary, the setting is more often than not mainstream social units or higher, and a murder comes to disrupt the routine. It involves a detective, professional or private, or an amateur sleuth. The investigation is a logic and reasoning game for the reader, who is led astray by red herrings. The basic cosy mystery is realistic and never includes supernatural elements; some books may play with this possibility, but there is always a rational explanation at the end.

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Well-known major writers in this genre include Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle, Georges Simenon, and P.D. James. It has regained interest, and it is one of the most popular genres nowadays.

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• Crooked House by Agatha Christie
• The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy L. Sayers
• The Leavenworth Case by Anna Katharine Green
• The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle