 Mystery: August 17, 2005 Issue [#558] |
  Mystery
This week: Edited by: schipperke
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Do you write to please your readers, or do you write to please yourself? Is there another reason for your writing;is it to make money, to receive fame and recognition, or to be known as a ‘literary’ writer?
I was wondering the motives of two authors this summer, Donna Tartt and Dan Brown, when I read their blockbuster mystery books this summer. I was on the waiting list at the library for both books for over six months apiece, and I am glad I didn’t waste my money buying these books.
These books made me mad. Mad because the authors have great ideas and excellent research skills that shine through in their writings. Mad because when I finished the books I felt like the authors were writing either to make a ton of money (which they did) or to show off beautiful prose (in The Little Friend).
I am talking about The DaVinci Code and The Little Friend by Dan Brown and Donna Tartt respectively. Both are mystery stories, although readers will argue whether The Little Friend can be classified as a mystery or a family drama that just happens to have a murder and a mystery as part of the plot.
The Little Friendis one of the most beautifully written books I have read in a long time. Donna Tartt can take ordinary people and events and use wonderful words and on target descriptions to make her story come alive. It was like reading a travelogue of the deep south in the 1970's. Just for the prose, I would recommend her book. But I would not recommend it as a mystery. SPOILER ALERT! The plot focuses around the murder of Robin Dufresnes, a nine year old boy found hanging from a tree in his own back yard. The rest of the story involves his dysfunctional family slowly disintegrating after the murder, and the goal of Robin’s sister, Harriet, to solve his murder. The book follows Harriet and she investigates her brother’s murder twelve years later and the secrets she discovers about her family. Seems like a mystery book to me! Yet, the reader never finds out who murdered Robin by the end of the massive 576 pages. I almost threw the book across the room when I was finished except I was afraid I would wrench my arm out of the socket from its weight. To me, the author must have written the book with the conceit that a reader would enjoy it for her artistic prose, and not care about the plot. But I did. I wanted to know who the murderer was as badly as Harriet did. And the author let me down.
Another heavy stinker was The DaVinci Code, a book 87 weeks on the best- seller list. I read it because I love puzzle mysteries and because of the hype surrounding this book. What I read was a poorly written book, with lousy character development, a weak plot and a solution to the mystery that actually made me laugh. After I read the book I realized why it was on the best-seller list: people love to read about sex and religion. And if you combine the two with a secret that promises to challenge Judeo-Christian thinking, it makes the book controversial. Plus, the people who read this book seem to be taking it seriously, as though the book is non-fiction. Dan Brown has repeatedly said his book is fiction, and not to be analyzed and thought of as a revelation about Jesus. Yet, he seems to be cashing in on this very phenomenon. There is a plethora of books about his book, analyzing the ‘facts’ of his fiction. There are even books to dispute the ‘facts’. The poor writing and premise of this book was what made me want to return it to the library as soon as I could.
Why did I bring up these two mystery books? Because I feel a good mystery story has an obligation to the reader to provide excellent characters, passable prose, and not be written just to cause controversy to sell books (and movie rights). And it must reveal who the murderer is by the end. Not to do so is a crime!
What do YOU think?
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April Sunday   Thanks for noticing, The Ripper Story. How kind of you. Best wishes! Neat newsletter. Eye opener for Murder theatre.
You are welcome! Let me know if you attend any Murder theatre, and how you liked it.
Nikola~Thankful Library Lady  Schip, I've been wanting to attend a murder mystery dinner/trip for a long time. Maybe I'll get off my duff and do it soon! ~Nikola
Maybe we could all go on a fieldtrip to one! Let's see...winter in Vermont sounds nice!
robi4711Thanks for the list of Murder-by-desire companies you gave us in this newsletter. I think I'm going to plan my own murder to learn what my husband really thinks about me. Will he grieve or will he party? lol
Hmm. Sounds like a good plot for a murder mystery to me!
Vivian  Thanks, Schip, for highlighting my mystery in your latest newsletter. I'm trying to develop into a published mystery writer. Trying . . .
It's harder than it looks!
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