In the Midwest, crime fiction takes up a huge share among novels of all genres. Over the years, it has won the hearts and minds of readers, regardless of their age. Right from teenagers to the elderly, many individuals enjoy reading crime fiction. The Midwest has produced some of the best authors in this particular genre.
It is their brilliant use of all the elements that keep you interested in stories of crime. Although many would never admit it, the fact remains that most of the readers of fiction love crime novels. Now, let’s explore the reasons behind the popularity of these books:
1. Every scene is linked
You’ll notice that every scene must be justified in the world of crime fiction. Each event in the plot has an important reason or purpose in the story. This is mainly to present every scene as a potential cause of an effect that may be revealed later. A certain scene may also be placed in the novel to mislead the reader. So, even if a scene may appear unwanted in the book, it definitely serves a purpose.
If such scenes are placed in novels of other genres, the audience may not like them. The scenes in a crime novel work like stones of an arched bridge. Every stone is held in place by the other. If you take away one of them, the whole bridge collapses. This is exactly how scenes work in a crime novel.
2. The search for the culprit
There is this law of cause and effect in the universe. However, not everyone can see it in action owing to the universe’s vastness and complicated nature. Behind every action done is the doer of that action. So, every crime committed has a certain individual who is responsible for it. In crime novels, the search for this individual is constantly on.
The entire story is built around discovering who’s the real culprit behind the crime. This is what keeps you and the other readers interested in the novel. You know that there is someone who has committed the crime and this generates a heightened curiosity. When there are multiple suspects in the story, your curiosity increases even more.
3. The reason for committing the crime
Just like the other readers, you might be interested in knowing why the culprit committed the crime. There may be a particular purpose behind the crime, though it might not be apparent. Every good crime novel reveals the reason behind the act.
Generally, the common belief is that crime fiction is all about knowing who committed the crime. In reality, readers are also interested in knowing the ‘why’ behind the crime. After all, you’d certainly expect the motive of the crime to be revealed somewhere in the novel.
4. The need for justice
Whenever a crime is committed, you always want justice for the victim or victims. This is mainly because you tend to empathize with the victim or the ones affected by the crime. So, the need for justice keeps you interested in the novel.
You want the culprit to be caught and the matter resolved. You turn every page to know who’s the culprit and why he or she has committed the crime. Above all, you turn the pages with the hope that justice would be done in the end.
