Sharing Thoughts about Books with Others (STBO) discussion

Please share your personal answers to this question in this topic. Thank you.

Here let me start.

A Mystery is an intellectual process where there is a puzzle that needs to be solved. The puzzle could be in any genre, or a real life situation such as news where the facts are unknown and difficult to put together. It creates an interest. Mysteries make people think and try their intellectual best to solve them. The Author should provide clues to the protagonist as well as the audience or reader. The plot also must be tight and foolproof, the reasoning power of the protagonist should match the most intellectual reader, or the mystery will be solved by the reader before the story is over. People enjoy solving things, know about things they are not aware of, solve puzzles, and reach conclusions or a verdict in their minds on their own which intrigues the reader.

Suspense/Thriller is an emotional process where there is an unknown situation, event, or threat that produces anxiety and fear that needs to be resolved. It's more of a threat or imminent danger that needs to be faced and resolved. This type of genre does not include solving puzzles like Mystery. It is an emotional journey where the reader feels the danger or the threat along with the protagonist. Suspense doesn’t necessarily have to be fiction. Suspense can be any tension before a big event. It arises from uncertainties and the anticipation of having to face something unknown in the future. It pinpoints human emotions when they are unaware of what is going to happen next, and there is a threat along with the moment because both good or bad can occur. Basically saying that nobody has the power to stop the outcome.

What do I like about reading these types of books? I think it's a great form of escapism. A well-written thriller or mystery is very exciting and you can't wait to see what happens next. In a mystery, you wonder if you can figure out the missing puzzle pieces before the hero does and even if you don't you are assured you'll get some answers at the end.

In a thriller, you are emotionally invested in the characters because you are aware of some sense of danger or threat that is looming over them and you wonder if they will overcome this. I think it can be very exciting.

Here's an interesting article from Writer's Digest differentiating between a Crime, Mystery, and Thriller Novel:

https://www.writersdigest.com/write-b...