Beach Reads Part Two: The Mysteries and Thrillers Take Over
In this moment of changing trends, where do we go from here?
Are we officially entering the dog days of summer? I’m not sure where to draw that line. But as we reach the halfway mark to fall, I decided to do a part two to my last beach reads themed post. We should try soak of every last minute of sunshine, shouldn’t we?
Instead of looking at the typical romances we think of when it comes to vacation reads, I chose to focus on other genres this time around. Considering the last post looked at changing trends from mid-july 2023’s romance saturated NYT bestseller list, to this year’s same week with only three romances, it’s clear that trends are changing. We seem to be in a bit of flux when it comes to dominant genres, and even a quick glance at this week’s bestseller list, we’re seeing multiple older books pop back onto the charts. Sci-fi favorite, Project Hail Mary, from 2021 is topping the trade paperback chart, largely due to the upcoming film adaptation, for example. But we’ve also got plenty of mysteries and thrillers rounding out the pack. In fact, I’d say this may be the genre coming in hot to dominate future charts.
I think a lot of people assumed a new genre, or genre bend, like romantasy would have its moment. Instead, it appears to be a bit more of a fleeting season among the tastes of the general public. (Although word on the street is that young students taking creative writing degrees are still firmly entrenched in writing fantasy, so perhaps we’ll see more in the coming years? Or maybe it will migrate to YA or NA as a genre?)
However, if we place mystery, thrillers, and crime fiction together as a super genre, we are beginning to see some dominance. Yes, I realize these can represent very different styles of writing, though we’ve also long been seeing blends in this area, too. So for the sake of comparison, I’m placing them together. If anything, mysteries and thrillers appear to be the fallback genre when other trends weaken. If you read the last post of beach reads, you’d know the top trending fiction for mid-July this year was a thriller. For comparison, I went back ten years to July 2015, and while the top novel is one from the Fifty Shades series, the number two, three, and four spots go to mysteries and thrillers. Even this week, while Project Hail Mary is at number one for trade paperback, the combined fiction number one is An Inside Job by Daniel Silva, which is a crime novel.
Mysteries and crime fiction of all kinds have long been staples of airport bookstores, summer reading lists, and book to screen adaptations. There is a real appeal there that doesn’t disappear. Sure, it may fade from time to time, but it’s always there, beneath the trends, ready to take over the charts in a moment of flux. Perhaps it has to do with mystery as a popular theme in children’s literature, which brings us back to comfort reading on vacation. Or perhaps it’s more to do with the genre’s universality. It doesn’t cater to a certain gender or class or lifestyle, and there are protagonists for just about everyone. Compare this to romance’s mostly female-lead novels (who seem to be getting younger and younger…), or sci-fi and adventure’s traditional male hero-worship. Of course there are exceptions here, but I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.
It could also be argued that the popularity of true crime podcasts and documentaries drives interest in crime fiction. What is it that makes mystery, whether based on truth or imagination, so seductive?
I happen to be originally from a city that's not too far from a current high profile missing persons case. The place is not well-known, so I was shocked to see how much global interest there was in the case. Social media blew up as keyboard detectives searched for clues and tried to solve the case. (Which is sadly still unsolved). Perhaps it’s this ability to feel involved in the action that drives the appetite for mysteries and thrillers. Perhaps it’s not so much about fantasy and escapism, like we could say about romance beach reads, but about jumping into something new and all consuming — at least for the duration of 300 pages or so. And in a way, that is still escapism, but it’s not so much an emotional escape or daydream, but more of a mental exercise outside the monotony of regular life.
This isn’t to argue that any genres are better than others. Not at all. Though it is interesting to note the types of books that keep coming back around, whether as huge smashes or quiet bestsellers with staying power. Look at bit hits like Big Little Lies, The Perfect Couple, or The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo — all books first. Blame it on Sherlock Holmes, Nancy Drew, Mrs. Marple, or Poirot, but mysteries have staying power, because deep inside we all want to play detective every now and again.
