by Jackie King
Romance in mysteries seems to be
anathema to some readers and writers, and I have no problem with that. Everyone
should read and/or write any type of book they like. I, myself, enjoy some of
these mystery novels from time to time. However, for me, a touch of romantic
love adds that special human touch.
Even hard-edged thrillers such
as the remarkable Val McDermid writes, usually have an affair of the heart
touching the story. I just finished Cross
and Burn, and the angst Tony Hill endured while thinking of Carol Jordan,
added much tension to this mystery.
Including a touch of romance is
something I do in my own B&B cozy mystery series featuring Grace Cassidy. After
publishing the second in the series I got remarks from readers who were annoyed
that I left the relationship between Grace and Sam Harper, hanging in the wind. They were right. If I had it
to do over, I’d add one last chapter that would give readers a bit of
satisfaction.
In the third novel of the
series, The Corpse and the Geezer Brigade,
their romance picks up again, and I got better reviews. (I’m a late bloomer and
probably a slow learner—but I do try to improve my writing skills in each
book.)
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In her autobiography, Agatha
Christie mentioned that if she added a bit of romance to her novels, the books to
sold more copies. Now I think that most mystery fans will agree that writing
romance wasn’t the great Dame Agatha’s strong suit. Her surprising plot twists were
what caused her books to fly off the shelves. But the famous lady of mystery was an astute business woman; therefore most
of her stories have some kind of love interest.
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Writers have now become adroit
at blending a love story with pure mystery. In Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone mysteries,
our heroine always seems to have bad luck with men. But when Grafton penned G Is for Gumshoe and added an anti-hero
type guy named Robert Deitz, the book sizzled for a few pages.
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Historical mysteries also feature
love. One of my favorite authors, Anne Perry, uses two different hero types. William
Monk, brilliant and ambitious, fancies helpless, very ladylike women. Our
protagonist, Hester Latterly, who served with Florence Nightingale in the
Crimean War, is a prototype of the early feminist. When these two characters
are pierced by Cupid’s arrows, the excitement mounts.
Another of Perry’s popular
series features Thomas Pitt, a poorly paid policeman who weds Charlotte
Ellison, the daughter of a well-to-do family. The union is definitely a no-no
in the class-conscious Victorian setting. The marriage and the complications
that arise from it, make Perry’s plots deep and believable.
Even hardboiled mysteries
feature strong love stories. The Elvis Cole series, written by the grand master
Robert Crais, is a perfect example. Elvis’ love match with Lucy Chenier is
enough to melt your teeth. And even though the two have parted for the safety
of Lucy’s young son, her memory still lingers with Elvis and adds an extra dimension
to Crais’ books.
Joe Pike, that hour-and-a-half
hardboiled egg, and my personal favorite hero (also created by Crais) is not
immune to love. When he falls, he falls hard.
This list could go on and on, and
I haven’t even mentioned the popular romantic suspense novels. So I’m going to
go out on a limb and say that adding romance to mystery just makes the story that
much richer and more fulfilling.
If you have a favorite mystery that
also features romance, I’d like to know about it. I will also love any comment
you care to make, favorable or not.
