What is our fascination with crime fiction?

Whenever I mention that I write, the first thing people ask me is what genre? I say, ‘crime fiction’ and they answer, ‘oohh, I love crime!’ Which is a strange thing to say when you think about it.  No one wants to be involved in a crime (well, most people anyway!) and yet crime fiction accounts for a staggering percentage of fiction book sales. While we can’t deny that good ol’ romance tops the charts, it’s mystery/thrillers that come a tight second. Why do we love reading about, listening to, or watching crime dramas so much?

Being an avid reader of … you guessed it, crime fiction, as well as an author of crime fiction, I asked myself that question and after much pondering (it’s not as easy as you might think!) I came up with my list:

1. Location, Location, Location.

   I doubt there is a population on the planet that does not experience crime or have authors who love crime as much as me. Which means I can sit at home and be whisked into the dark mind of a Norwegian killer or experience the offbeat methodology of a Kiwi policeman.  I get to experience different cultures, landscapes and social issues without ever leaving the house.  From fast-talking, hard-boiled, New York investigators, to laconic country cops in outback Australia. From the gritty streets of Glasgow, to the cold, forbidding highlands of Iceland. What more can a girl want?

2. The IQ test. Who doesn’t love a challenge? A problem to be solved. Certainly, the thousands (dare I say millions?) of people around the world who love crosswords, sudoku, cryptograms, tangrams and the countless other varieties of puzzles do. Problem-solving has been a key factor in human evolution. It’s how we developed tools, learned better ways of communicating, and survived environmental challenges. It’s in our DNA, and how perfectly does a classic whodunit fit our problem-solving drive? Drip-fed clues, false trails, and perpetrators a plenty … pitting ourselves against the mind of the author. How often do we hear, ‘I knew it was him/her’ said in a smug tone, a self-satisfied smile on their face at having solved the case before the end? (Guilty as charged!)

3. The adrenalin rush.  A crime thriller can have you on the edge of your seat—literally! The ‘I can’t put down’, racing heart, and bloodshot eyes that mean a great story. It’s the same thing that drives us to bungy jump, ride rollercoasters or jump off cliffs. The thrill of it. A good suspenseful tale of murder and mayhem is a taste of living on the edge, without the risk of death (or vomiting (me on a rollercoaster!)).

4. Good vs evil. From our very first steps we are fed on a diet of good versus evil: ‘be good!’, ‘you’re a bad girl’, cartoons (think Roadrunner and Coyote, or, for something more contemporary, Paw Patrol), superheroes, Harry Potter, the Lord of the Rings, Dracula (80 movies and counting), the list goes on. We LOVE vanquishing the dark side. There is something so totally right about the triumph of good over evil. Crime fiction explores the wickedness in humanity and then punishes it! How satisfying is it when the bad guy gets his comeuppance? It’s positively therapeutic!

5. Okay, this one will scare a few people …The alter-ego. Crime fiction is an opportunity to explore our dark side without suffering any consequences. Few of us would not experience a brief fantasy that explores how much better life would be without … that insufferable arse of a boss, abusive partner or the irritating-to-screaming-point neighbour. Most of us live our lives surrounded by people – family, friends, neighbours, work colleagues. And then there are the 2nd degree of separation people that circulate on the fringes of our lives – the barista at our fav coffee shop, the checkout chick at the supermarket, the mechanic. Frustrations, irritations and pain will cause all of us to dip our toe into the dark pool occasionally. Fortunately (for humanity), the vast majority of us stick to a quick daydream and don’t follow through. But that also means we can perhaps appreciate, in some tiny way, what leads others to act on it.

6. A moving feast! Crime fiction encompasses an enormous variety of situations, characters and plots. From a cozy murder mystery, à la Miss Marple, to the skin-crawling tension of Jeffrey Deaver’s The Bone Collector. Serial killings, gangland executions, manslaughter cover-ups, young innocents, those that deserved what they got, and everything in between. Every year we have a flood of new encounters to experience.

Well, that’s a wrap on why I love crime fiction, I’d love to hear your reasons!