Why is it we love a good mystery? by Pascal Scott
Why is it we love a good mystery? Whether it’s called a whodunit or a thriller or a crime novel, the mystery demands our attention in a way that other genres do not. From the first page, a well-written mystery engages us by asking questions that beg to be answered. Who did it? How? And, most importantly, why?
In every mystery, there is a social order that has been upset. It is the task of the hero, the detective, to restore order so that we, the reader, can rest assured that justice has been served, our lives have purpose and make sense, and the earth will continue spinning on its axis. Romance is not assigned this task; neither is the western, sci-fi, erotica, nor any other genre.
In following the journey of our hero, the mystery offers us a safe thrill, and thrill-seeking, according to neuroscientists, is in our DNA. During a stressful situation, the most primitive part of the human brain, the amygdala, releases a rush of dopamine, adrenaline, and endorphins, resulting in a natural high. When mystery fans say the reading of their favorite authors is addictive, they may not be speaking metaphorically.
As readers, the mystery gives us permission to be pulled temporarily into that thrilling and messy existential state we call the human condition from the safety of our beach chairs. For a little while, we can lose ourselves in the solving of a crime and in the uncovering of secret lives.
“It is the function of the novelist to reveal the hidden life at its source,” wrote E.M. Forster. For those of us who write lesbian mysteries as well as read them, there is an additional challenge in following that dictum. We are asked to reveal the hidden life of lesbians, without overstepping the cultural norms of our age. We must navigate these notional passages, respecting current standards and identity considerations, while remaining true to the genre and our individual creative visions.
We do this for only one reason. Because like you, we love a good mystery.
Pascal Scott is the author of Hard Fall: A McStone and Martinelli Thriller. Her next book in the Hard Fall series, Hard Luck - The Elizabeth Taylor Bundy Mystery to be released on fall of 2019.
