Category: book Nook
Hi all,
which kind of mystery do you like best? One of those police procedurals, or those whodunit things where the focus is more on how it was done, and delving in to matching DNA samples or finger printing, or the tense psychological drama where you get in the mind of the victims, and criminals, and where you learn a lot about the background of th ecriminal, what his or her life was like growing up, and all the events that may have led up to his being a criminal. I prefer th elatter to the police proceduras. The plod along so slowly, but I read them if i start them just to find out who and why. I guess it has something to do with the fact that i've been blind since birth or something, but the psychological stuff isn't something that requires sight, at least not for reading and trying to figure out who might've killed this or that person, based on how much you know other people hated the victim. Ok, so maybe I'm no better at figuring out thecriminal in a psychological thriller than I am with the sometimes dry puzzles that deal more on physical evidence, but it's more interesting trying anyway, after all, most of that other stuff is very visual, where the psychological stuff has nothing to do with sight.
wonderwoman
I love mysteries of all types. I like psychological suspense because it makes the plot more interesting, but I also enjoy police procedural stuff because I have a keen interest in that sort of stuff and watch a lot of documentaries about true crime fighters and true CSI and stuff. If there's a mystery that combines both then that would be mine!!!
hi careers advisor,
yes it can be nice when a good mystery provides both. I know all that DNA stuff is important in solving a crime. I guess the reason I like psychological suspense better is it's not so visual, and I try to figure out and guess who did it by the people's reactions, and who might've hated the person enough to kill them, though most of the time you can't go on that, because often, the person who seems the most grieved is the killer, and the ones who freely admit they hated the murder victim had nothing to do with it at all.
wonderwoman
I too enjoy reading all types of mysteries. No matter if it is your exciting psychological murders or the fascinating forensics that makes up the plot, I’ll read it. I think the two have their favorable points. Although the psychological stuff is really interesting, I also enjoy reading about the evidence and police procedure that goes in to solving a case. I find all the facts highly remarkable and it always amazes me how much a forensic scientist is able to tell about something. Lol But I also enjoy traveling inside a murderer’s mind and sort of understanding why/how they became like they are. It really scares the hell out of me and yet, in a sick sort of way, intrigues me as well.
lol So there’s my two cents worth on mysteries!
Michelle
yeah, Ruth Rendell is the best for taking you inside the mind of a murderer. sometimes you findout all about what the murderers' life was like as a child, and how he gradually becomes what he is. I think of th eforensics stuff as being necessary, and my mind tends towander a bit when they get in to it, but inspite of the fact that I find the psychological stuff more interesting, I know forensics is the most important part of a crime.
wonderwoman
Wonderwoman, if you haven't read The Alienist by Caleb Carr, then I recommend that you do, you'd probably enjoy it.
What exactly do you mean by police procedurals? For example, in The Alienist the author tries to give a picture of what it was like for criminal profilers when they were just coming on the scene. By police procedurals, do you mean detective work; knocking on doors, interrogations, etc? Are there really books that talk about such things? Please recommend some titles for me, I'd like to listen to this type of literature.
Hi ras kolnikov,
I'm afraid I can't think of any titles that focus on this by name, but read any novel that has the name of a detective in it, and you'll usually get a lot of that sort of thing. Well, I wasn't talking specifically about interogations, but more along the lines of all the DNA stuff where it goes on and on about this persons' DNA matching or not matching someone elses' DNA, the bullets from one gun matching or not matching another gun. Like I say, I'm more interested in the psychological part of it, like why did the murderer do it? how did he/she feel after the deed had been done? glad? relieved? remorseful? what kind of childhood did the murderer have that led up to his finally becoming a murderer? Did the murderer and victiom know each other? and if so, what was the relationship? I could go on, but you get the general idea. I guess that sort of thing interests me more because I don't have to know a lot to get in to it, whereas with stuff likie this bullet matching this or that gun, this or that persons hair strand doesn't match this other person dna. for one thing, you have to be interested in policde work, or be a policeman or policewoman to enjoy that sort of thing, and secondly, that sort of stuff is very visual.
wonderwoman