Appendix C
Student Reference Handout
Detective Fiction Conventions
The Whodunit
The writers in this genre demonstrate great ingenuity in telling their tales, in giving the details of the crime (usually a murder) and the events surrounding the investigation and in keeping the identity of the criminal secret until the very end. It is then that they surprise the reader with not only the identity of the criminal but the unlikely way in which the crime was perpetrated. These stories feature a complicated process involving intuition, logic and observation by an astute investigator to identify the culprit. Usually, this process takes precedence over the crime itself. There are several classic features often found in these stories. They include a country house robbery, an "inside job," a celebrated investigator, bungling local constabulary, detective enquiries, false suspects, the "least likely suspect," a rudimentary "locked room" murder, a reconstruction of the crime, and a final twist in the plot.
The English Golden Age Whodunit
This branch of detective fiction has a puzzle at its center and solving this puzzle is the main goal of these stories. In this subgenre there is usually a layperson that solves crimes that veteran police officers cannot. Typically, social class plays a very important part in these tales and a member of the aristocracy or one of the wealthiest citizens is the hapless victim
The Police Procedural
The author attempts to depict the routine of the police officer. Typical features are a detective who arrives after the uniformed officers, the emergency personnel and the public, and the investigator's wait for the forensic reports of the crime. The reader is also given of the rules and regulations the detective is expected to follow and is introduced to suspects who are arrested and kept in custody, even if some of them are innocent and there is usually pressure from senior officers to solve the crime quickly or to show progress in the investigation. An investigative team to which the detective and his superiors give orders is another basic. The detective will often visit bars to discuss or think about the case and will "lean on" informants. There will be political pressure brought to bear if the primary suspect is a prominent figure or, if a police officer is a suspect, internal hostility will run rampant. Also, there will be media coverage increasing the pressure the detective is under to come up with an answer.
The Hardboiled Detective Whodunit
These stories are directly related to the socio-economic circumstances of the times they depict. The characters find themselves in a world gone awry where the law is being manipulated for profit and power. This world seems bereft of light and is cloaked in a darkness that has nothing to do with night, which is the result of the actions of a nefarious villain. These actions cause a traumatic event .to occur and the world, as the characters know it, is changed. It becomes unpredictable and chaotic. The mores and norms are altered. Morality is at a minimum and disaster looms. Into this morass, a detective appears who seeks to return the world to normalcy, to stop the burgeoning crime, to bring peace and prosperity for the citizenry to the forefront of a world where disillusionment reigns and economics and politics have contrived together to deprive the populace of control over their own lives. There is little hope for the characters in these stories and their weaknesses either lead them to commit crimes or make them the victims of others. The detective,
Detective Fiction Conventions
who bears the traits of the criminal element or understands them to a great degree, uses the methods employed by these same criminals to bring about their destruction and a solution to the problems which plague the populace. This subgenre is characterized by graphic violence and the darker side of human nature.
The Thriller Whodunit
It is "characterized by investigation, fast pacing, frequent action, and resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more-powerful and better-equipped villains . . . [Here] suspense, red herrings, and cliffhangers are" used extensively. Also, there usually exists an exotic setting and a hero who is, more than likely, a "hard man;" however, women are becoming increasingly common as the protagonists and an ordinary citizen accidentally thrown into the mix is likely to become our hero The thriller generally occurs on a
"grand" scale: mass murder or, possibly, a serial killer on the loose, terrorism, political assassination, or governmental coup d'état attempts. There will be jeopardy and violent confrontations and a thriller climaxes when the hero finally defeats the villain, saving the lives of others" and, maybe, his own. The stories are defined by the mood evoked, i.e. the aura associated with the thrill. It focuses on the criminal(s) rather than a policeman.
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