Everyone hates jury summons.

You have to take time off work, figure out transit or parking, find a sitter or arrange school pickup for your kids.

Sometimes you have to travel clear across the county. Which, if you’re in the Bay Area, could take an hour or more.

Well, Reader, I should say nearly everyone hates jury duty. There are some who don’t seem to mind all that much.

Maybe they’re retired, and it’s a nice change of pace.

Or they were born in a country that doesn’t afford its citizens the privilege of a jury of their peers, and that right is extraordinary to them.

Or they have a strong sense of justice, and it seems a true honor to be called upon.

Or maybe they’re simply a huge fan of Legal Thrillers & Mystery novels, and being in a courtroom is incredibly exciting.

Where do I fall on this spectrum, Reader?

Well it wasn’t a terrible burden for me. I don’t have children, I own a car, and my creative studio is within my own home. And at the moment, I didn’t have any events or medical appointments.

And to be perfectly honest, I’ve been lucky. I haven’t received jury duty often. In fact, I’ve only received summons 4 times in my life. And this was the first time I wasn’t dismissed within the hour.

So if I had to be totally truthful…

I love Crime Dramas and Mysteries. Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie, Law & Order SVU, Case Closed (Detective Conan), Elsbeth, Castle, Perry Mason, Rizzoli & Isles, Murdoch Mysteries, Bosch. Small towns, big cities, period pieces, Australian, British. I love them all.

I love the relentless hunt for the truth. The puzzle solving. The deception, and trying to understand what drove a person to a particular course of action.

I love these types of stories. However, when I headed off to the courthouse on Monday morning, I had no real idea how juries were selected.

Sure, the 120 of us were selected entirely at random from a pool of our peers. But the time and care both sides took in selecting the right 14 jurors (12 + alternates) for this case renewed my faith that at least in my county, the system is working fairly for all its denizens.

So if this has got you thinking, I’d like to write a Mystery! But you’re not sure what type…

Here’s what’s popular in Mystery & Detective Fiction Right Now!

Mystery & Detective Subgenres

Cozy Mystery

Usually takes place in a small town bakery, antique shop, or bed and breakfast. The amateur detective is usually aided by a fluffy pet sidekick. They also feature little old lady detectives or sweet Romantic Comedy.

Example: Second Chance Cat Mystery, The Thursday Murder Club, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, Miss Scarlet & The Duke, or Murder, She Wrote

Police Procedural

Emphasizes “realistic” depictions of modern or historical police investigative techniques in a particular region.

Example: Elsbeth, Castle, Murdoch Mysteries, Rizzoli & Isles

Supernatural Mystery

Investigations into the paranormal and supernatural. The tone of these stories can range from Cozy to Noir. These stories can be set in any historical era or an alternative universe.

Example: Grimm, Fringe, Supernatural, Torchwood, October Daye Novels, Lockwood & Co ​

Fair-Play Whodunnit

You know what the detective knows and you may even solve the mystery before they do.

Example: Benoit Blanc Mysteries (Knives Out, Glass Onion), Hot Fuzz, Psych

Reverse Whodunnit

You may know all or some of the who, what, where, when, and why. However, important details will be intentionally missing or obscured and the detective will have even less to work with. The main question will be how will the detective solve this mystery?

Example: Dial M for Murder, Memento, Criminal Minds, Elsbeth

These 5 types of Mystery subgenres feature 4 Main Detective Characters:

Amateur Sleuth

A character with no formal training who solves mysteries for funsies.

Hardboiled Detective

A tough, cynical “guy with a gun.” These detectives solve mysteries with dogged persistence rather than astounding insight.

Artful Detective

This detective relies on their personal powers of deduction, intellect, and insight to solve mysteries.

Occult Detective

This detective investigates supernatural cases and mysteries, though they may or may not be supernatural themselves.

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But remember, Reader, as you sit down to write your Mystery, don’t forget the darkness lurking at the heart of the genre.

Because the reader might enjoy the thrill of solving the mystery, but it’s not what keeps them turning those pages until the end.

It’s because they need to know.

Why was the crime committed?

What was the motivation behind it?

And what does it tell us about human nature?

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Until next time, Reader, this is your friendly neighborhood storytelling Kat wishing you a mysteriously creative weekend.

Your cohort in storytelling,

Kat Vancil

🐱

PS 👉 If you’d like more insight & in-depth help on crafting your detective mystery story, check out Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody. In it you’ll find a break

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David Kernot Author If you are a fan of psychological crime thrillers, climate fiction, hard science fiction, general science fiction, magic realism, or fantasy and the blending of these aspects together, then I'd be thrilled if you could join me on my writing journey, where I will provide writing tips and advise alongside my stories. Subscribe​

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