The Suspense of It All! discussion

What makes you keep coming back to the suspense genre?

I like the guessing part of it. You know, when you THINK you know who did it in one chapter and then you totally change your mind a few chapters later because someone else seems like a more likely candidate. The best suspense novels, to me, are the ones that have you guessing until the end and you're totally wrong but when the culprit is revealed it COMPLETELY makes sense because of the groundwork that's been laid. Ooooh, I love those!!!

I like that you can know who the bad guys are, but not necessarily why they do what they do, or when they are going to drop the other shoe.

I like exploring the depths of characters as they deal with worst case scenarios. Watching flawed characters grow because they must. And wondering if they are capable of growing, or if they will fail spectacularly.

I like the twists, too, as long as the final outcome was truly hinted at in the book. (I hate when the culprit is some minor character who was just thrown in to be a twist!)

I love it when I get surprised by the outcome!

I like being on the edge of my seat wondering who did it and maybe why. I like twists in the plot and an ending that surprises. I agree with what you both have said. It's great when I don't guess and think 'Oh! Yep. I see that now.' when the culprit is revealed.