Like many genres, the world of crime fiction has evolved and changed quite a bit over the years. From the days of Sherlock Holmes, the mystery novel has undergone many different overhauls and changes, right up to the present day with more diverse and sophisticated characters and storylines.
Arthur Conan Doyle’s Holmes was seen as the quintessential Victorian detective and spawned many similar novels and characters. However, the advent of the 20th century saw a new wave of crime fiction, particularly from the United States with authors such as Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett creating characters such as Philip Marlowe and Sam Spade, who went on to achieve even greater fame on the big screen. This new approach of the hard-boiled police detective proved a big hit with readers.
However, there remained a popular and vibrant British mystery tradition, not least with one the first superstar authors Agatha Christie, whose novels featuring Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot, often mirrored a sense of adventure in her own life.
One of the major features of more modern mystery novels is that identity of the investigators and the duties the end up having to perform. It’s no longer just about studiously deducing clues and coming up with a well-thought-out conclusion.
Detectives these days often more closely resemble action heroes. The protagonist in a mystery novel isn’t always a member of the police force – they can be an FBI agent, a skilled amateur or a newspaper reporter seeking to get to bottom of something. Often, they are conflicted and flawed, blurring the lines somewhat between good and bad. However, what is clear is that crime fiction is no less engaging than it ever was.
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