Fans of my blog know that thrillers are my absolute favorite genre to read. Whether it’s spring or summer, fall or winter, as far as i’m concerned any time of year is appropriate for thrillers. But have you ever wondered what the difference between mysteries and thrillers is? In this post, I will do my best to answer this question. Keep reading Mystery versus Thriller: the difference between the two genres explained.
For the sake of keeping things simple I will explain each genre separately, then enumerate the types of thrillers into categories. Both mysteries and thrillers contain a touch of suspense as well, therefore I don’t consider suspense to be a genre of its own.
Since November is right around the corner, I have a few interesting posts coming up that thriller lovers will appreciate. Hence, this is an appropriate introductory post that opens up my upcoming series of articles I have planned. Stay tuned for that!
Without further ado, let’s get right down to it. This post contains mystery versus thriller: the difference between the two genres explained.
Mystery
Mystery can be considered a genre of its own and at its core lies, you guessed it, a mystery. There’s a crime that occurred and a crew of detectives or investigators that try to find out what happened. The pursuers of justice try to solve the crime and bring the culprits to justice for their crimes. Usually, the crime in questions remains unsolved until the end of the story.
One of the best examples of a mystery is And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie.
The book builds up the mystery behind who committed the murders and ends with a big plot twist. If you never read anything by the Queen of Crime, this one is a short mystery to start with.
Thriller
Thrillers, on the other hand, are mainly centered on the survival of the main character. Sometimes there’s a rogue detective or a victim that needs to be brought to safety. With thrillers, sometimes the reader is aware of whodunnit from the beginning. The way the author builds up the story gives it that thrilling vibe.
Thrillers are generally page turners filled with action. Whereas mysteries can be slower paced, focusing more on the ability of humans for deception.
This is the basic mystery versus thriller differences. They are the simplest explanations that I can offer, and hopefully they are clear enough for those of you who are new to the genres. Now let’s take a look at the main categories of thrillers.
Different Categories of Thrillers
There are more than one type of thrillers. I will do my best to explain the differences between the various categories of thrillers so you can see which one is more up your alley.
As far as I’m concerned, there’s always a good time to read a thriller. But as the temperatures dip and the days get shorter, it seems like the best time of year to indulge in some darker reads. I find there’s something about November that just goes hand-in-hand with Nordic Noir, as far as I’m concerned.
Popcorn Thrillers
Popcorn thrillers are thrillers that can be binged in one sitting, like a bowl of popcorn is. Addictive and binge-worthy, they are filled with unexpected twists that keep you wanting more.
J.T. Ellison’s Lie to Me is a great example of a popcorn thriller that is hard to put down once you start it. I will let you read the synopsis on Goodreads here to see what I mean:
Legal Thrillers
John Grisham is the king of the legal thriller. Most of his books are the epitome of the genre. If you weren’t convinced, the legal thriller involves a deep emphasis on the legal system and how it often does not treat anyone involved fairly. Not only on the victim, but also on the ones who are falsely accused because of prejudices and human error.
One of Grisham’s best books is The Firm, which was made into a movie starring Tom Cruise.
Domestic Thrillers
In domestic thrillers, you can usually find a wronged ex or a married couple who is somehow involved in a murder or a similarly sinister crime.
In The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, an ex-wife is stalking her ex’s new fiancee. With a surprising twist at the end, it makes this book really a great example of a domestic thriller.
Suspense
Suspense novels are a subcategory of the thriller genre. Its main focus is on building tension. It can be considered a propulsive read that keeps you on the edge of your seat. It includes what may happen, but it doesn’t always deliver. Sometimes the author takes the book in a different direction and surprises the reader with unexpected turns of events.
An example of this genre is The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. The two main protagonists, Langton and Sophie Neveu discover a trail of clues that eventually leads them to solve the murder of the elderly museum curator. It is a slower paced literary suspense novel, but it is intriguing from beginning to end.
Police Procedural
This genre revolves around detectives, and the work they put into their cases. It is heavily focused on the steps they take. Also, on the many twists and turns they have to overcome in order to solve their cases. Often, it is the detectives’ hunches and determination that drive them to find the perpetrators.
A few authors do police procedurals really well. One of my favorites is Robert Bryndza and his Erika Foster series.
You can read my previous post where I showcased his works.
Author Spotlight Series- October 2022
Psychological Thrillers
Gone Girl is the best psychological thriller of all time, in my opinion. Gillian Flynn is an author who knows how to delve into the human psyche. She has a way of making a twisted, dark and disturbing mind seem intriguing.
Psychological thrillers are a sub-category of thrillers which delve into the way the mind works. It contains an element of suspense as well, and you’ll often find unreliable narrators and typically a terrifying crime that occurred.
Dark and Gritty Serial Killers
For this category, one particular author pops to mind: J.D. Barker. His 4MK trilogy is one of the best examples of a dark, gritty serial killer thriller. I’m not gonna lie, they’re over 500 pages long each. But they are so engrossing, you won’t notice their length. Once you start the series, you will want to read them all back to back in order to find out what happens. That’s the thing I like about most series, especially trilogies: you know that the author will wrap it up by the third volume. But it is still very engaging throughout.
Here are the three books in the series: The Fourth Monkey, The Fifth To Die, and The Sixth Wicked Child.
Nordic Noir
And last but definitely not least, my favorite sub-category of thrillers is Nordic Noir. I have a whole blog post where I explain a lot more details about this genre.
A Guide to Nordic Noir Authors
The main thing to remember about Nordic Noir is that the setting takes place in any of the Scandinavian countries. It is generally an atmospheric, dark and disturbing read that has psychological undertones present. Scandinavian authors have a way of developing characters that sets them apart from the rest, which is another reason it is one of my go-to genres.
You should not be surprised by my suggestion for this category: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larson. If there’s one book to read in this genre, this one is it. Be forewarned that you will want to read the other two books written by the author, or The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest.
Concluding Words
Mystery versus thriller: the differences between the two genres explained. I hope this post made it easier for you to understand. They are sometimes intertwined, hence it is not always easy to fit certain books into one definite category. As you may have noticed by the descriptions, most of them can easily fit into more than two sub-categories at once. Nonetheless, the list is supposed to clear things up for you, and I hope I achieved that. Let me know in the comment box below.
Until next time, fellow bookworms!
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