This One Goes Out to the One I Love
Because February is the month of love, we thought this was the perfect time to tackle the debate among mystery readers, as well as mystery authors, as to whether romance belongs in crime fiction. Or not.
In this age of genre-bending, there seems to be two camps: those who are all in on blending the two, and others who’d prefer a clear line between the two genres.
Arguments for inclusion of romance include making protagonists more relatable and adding tension to the story with personal stakes alongside the mystery-solving. Also, romance can act as a counterpoint to the dark nature of crime fiction.
On the other side of the coin, critics argue that romance can feel like unnecessary filler or even serve as a distraction from the main plot.
Both sides agree that the love interest in a story should not conveniently act as a constant rescuer to the protagonist. We like our main characters strong and competent, thank you very much. Or at least most of the time.
Because we write what are considered cozy mysteries, our viewpoint skews a bit more light-handed and lighthearted, both on the murders and the romance. And frankly, it never occurred to us not to have a sprinkle of love in the storyline. Though not as dark and gritty as real life can often be, our storylines do deal with realistic issues of murder and mayhem. But ultimately, our stories are about people. We hope to write characters that are relatable for our readers, and to do that, our story people need to have the full range of human emotions. So they need to feel anger, disappointment, disgust, anxiety, happiness…and love.
In life and in fiction there are different types of love. Sometimes the love is romantic. Other times it’s the love of a best friend or a cherished pet. Sometimes it’s giving and unselfish, and other times it stirs jealousy. Sometimes love creates more problems, and other times love solves them. It may be a matter of taste, but to our way of thinking, without it the story would be flat and the characters one-dimensional. So as we’re continuing previous mysteries and working on new ones, we’re probably always going to have a dash of love in the story.
What are your thoughts?
Do you prefer straight crime fiction without the love factor? Or do you like a bit of romance with your murder?
And what do you think is the proper mix?
Sparkle Abbey is actually two people, Mary Lee Ashford and Anita Carter, who co-write the national best-selling Pampered Pets cozy mystery series. They are friends as well as neighbors so they often get together and plot ways to commit murder. (But don’t tell the other neighbors.)
They love to hear from readers and can be contacted via their website – SparkleAbbey.com Also, if you want to make sure you get all the latest news, sign up for their newsletter on the website.
I believe in a touch of romance….building as the series goes…leaving a question perhaps in a standalone.
Debra – I agree. A touch of romance adds to the story but isn’t a distraction. 🙂
My Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery Series is now at 15 novels and 3 novellas. The series opened with my sleuth recently widowed. I realized early on that I wanted a long-tail story arc that would show character growth throughout the series. For me, that meant introducing a character who would evolve into a love interest. Although cozy readers read for the whodunit, they also grow to love the characters in their favorite cozies and want them fully developed. A little romance is often a great way to do that while still keeping the mystery front and center.
Lois – So right. A big part of the cozy appeal is the whodunit but also the characters.
I say love and murder are not contradictory elements–in fact, they go together almost as well as hate and murder! Love is a powerful motivator–for good and for bad.
Saralyn – Exactly! Both strong emotions which bring about powerful motivations.
Nice post, Mary Lee. This seems to be a hot topic now. My Sydney Lockhart mysteries have a touch of romance, but Sydney is strong and doesn’t depend on the man in her life. In my upcoming hardboiled detective novel, there is an element of broken love and letting go. If the writing is strong, I will read it.
Romance runs through my mystery series, though the road gets a bit rocky at times, which adds another layer of suspense to the story.
Storytelling as a whole is about tension, eg emotion and the human condition. Too much romance in a mystery turns off the hardcore mystery reader. To not relationships imo makes the book as dry as cardboard. You can have a great plot. If readers cannot feel, you have a problem. Great post, Mary Lee and Anita!