We proudly declare our love of mystery in each episode of Clued in Mystery. In the first episode of Season 10, we share why.
Discussed and mentioned
Louise Penny, author of the Inspector Gamache series
The Girl on the Train (2015) Paula Hawkins
Richard Osman, author of The Thursday Murder Club and We Solve Murders series
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Transcript
This transcript is generated by a computer and there may be some mis-spellings and strange punctuation. We try to catch these before posting, but some things slip through.
| Sarah | Welcome to Clued in Mystery. I’m Sarah. |
| Brook | And I’m Brook, and we both love mystery. |
| Sarah | Hi, Brook. |
| Brook | Hi Sarah. Welcome to season 10. Can you believe it? |
| Sarah | I can’t. I was thinking about this last night that we have spoken a lot about mystery. |
| Brook | For hours and hours, and there’s still a lot to say. |
| Sarah | Agreed. I don’t think I will ever grow tired of it. |
| Brook | Well, we have opened and closed all of our more than 100 episodes the same way by saying that we love mystery. And today we’re going to celebrate the beginning of a new Clued in Mystery season by discussing our love for mystery and its unique way to carry us through life’s ups and downs in good times and bad. |
| Brook | It’s no coincidence that the Golden Age of mystery fiction, those iconic decades of the 1920s and 30s, emerged in the shadow of global hardship. The world had just endured World War One and the devastating influenza pandemic. People were grieving, rebuilding, and living through rapid change. And what did they turn to for comfort? |
| Brook | Cleverly plotted mystery novels where no matter how dark things got, there was always a solution, always an ending where order was restored. Fast forward a century, and here we are in the 2020s, facing our own uncertain times, a pandemic, economic shifts, and political upheaval. |
| Brook | And once again, mystery fiction is thriving. Cozy mysteries, psychological thrillers, cold case podcasts, people are craving these stories, not just because they’re entertaining, but because they offer something deeper, the promise that questions can be answered, secrets uncovered, and justice served. |
| Brook | But here’s the thing. Mystery fiction has always been there for us. In the best of times, it’s a joy, a challenge for the mind, and a clever escape. And in the hardest times, it’s a steady companion, reminding us that no matter how tangled the clues are or how dark the motives feel, there is a way through. |
| Brook | So, Sarah, let’s talk about why we love mystery. |
| Sarah | Ah Thank you, Brook. And I think you’ve done such a great job in that introduction touching on many of the reasons why people love mystery and why we love mystery, why we in particular love mystery. |
| Brook | Thank you. Yeah, it is something that is undeniable to look at the similarities between the 1920s and 30s and now our 2020s and in unfortunately probably into 2030s. |
| Brook | um The similarities are striking and I just am so interested in the fact that there was a Golden Age of mystery then and now kind of this revitalization of mystery now. |
| Sarah | Yeah. and And, you know, I think those reasons that you mentioned for why someone turns to mystery, those hold up, right? Like the style of mystery that people are reading now may be different. Although, you know, I remember in our conversation that we had with Frances from Chronicles of Crime, the bookshop, talking about during the pandemic when she had all sorts of people looking for Golden Age mysteries, um, that there was a real return to people reading those. And, you know, they are such a, um, such a great source of entertainment and comfort, you know, even though they were written during challenging times, they feel quaint, right? |
| Brook | Mm-hmm. |
| Sarah | And it’s, it’s just fun to read about what feels like simpler times. There were no cell phones, there was no internet. um it It was, you know, people spending time with other people and that always leads to trouble. |
| Brook | Yeah. Yeah. i I had forgotten that conversation, but you’re right. And she talked about how maybe people who were more into domestic thrillers or psychological thrillers were really leaning to a more traditional mystery or even a cozy mystery because they just couldn’t take, they wanted the puzzle they wanted the diversion, but they couldn’t take the heaviness of um anything very dark. |
| Sarah | Mm-hmm. |
| Brook | And, um and I think that that probably explains, you know, the world of cozies, even on television, the, the mysteries are more lighthearted, um less dark. And I think that that’s being reflected in what we’re seeing nowadays too. |
| Sarah | Absolutely. And, you know, for people who do want something a little darker, or a little heavier, those options are still out there, right? |
| Brook | Mm-hmm. |
| Sarah | um But, you know, when I think about kind of what our preferences at home for my husband and I to watch, it tends to be the cozier stuff. Right. We, and, and there was a period of time where we loved the like, um, Scandi noir, uh, which is, you know much darker and, and, um, very different from what you might get with an American mystery program, for example. But we are definitely turning to more cozier fare these days. |
| Brook | Right. Yeah. I find that we need to have something that makes us laugh when we’re watching television. |
| Sarah | Mm hmm. |
| Brook | You know, we want something with um some comedy in it. So, you know, you’re probably going to have lighter-hearted mystery if you’re in the in the mystery genre there. It reminded me of you and I discussed the Ted Danson a series that is on Netflix. |
| Brook | And that’s even a mystery without murder. um And you and I both agreed that the mystery elements are light, but there again, I think that that’s a little bit what people need right now. They still want to give, you know, their brain something to work on, but in, in a lighter hearted manner. |
| Sarah | And I think you’re right. And and that puzzle whatever form it takes is what draws people to mystery, right? That what is, what is going on here? And, you know, I think about um some of the books that my son and I enjoy reading together and it’s often ones that, you know, have a ah mystery tale that’s being told. |
| Sarah | And we’ve been reading some lately that have that actually have puzzles as part of them. And so that’s been kind of fun to to read with him. And, you know, it’s a book for children. So it’s going to be much lighter ah in terms of the the the mystery. |
| Brook | Right. Yeah. You said, you know, what’s going on here? And I think that is one thing that sets mystery fiction apart from other genres, because any genre can be a diversion. It can be, give you something to think about instead of your own troubles. |
| Brook | That’s true for any fiction genre. But that sensation of what’s happening here, I want to figure this out, like, you know, kind of that interest and intrigue, that’s something that’s very unique to mystery. |
| Brook | And I think it gives us especially something for, you know, I feel like it gives my brain something to chew on instead of my own problems and um in a different way and in a more engaging way to me than any other genre. |
| Sarah | You know, I can think of two draws to mystery. One being particularly if you’re reading a series, you can take a lot of comfort in reading about the same characters, right? Whether it’s the same detective or I think about Louise Penny’s books and this cast of wonderful characters who all love each other, right? In this community of Three Pines. |
| Sarah | And there’s just some comfort that comes from reading about them, all while there’s, you know, some pretty dark mysteries happening that Gamache and his colleagues are are trying to uncover. |
| Sarah | But I think what makes that series in particular work is that connection that readers feel with those with those characters, that comfort that they can draw from them. |
| Sarah | And then I think about standalone mysteries, so like domestic thrillers, where, and this is a whole series that we do about, like, we wouldn’t make those same choices, right? And so you can read a book and think like, oh my goodness, why is she going down this dark alley by herself? |
| Brook | Yeah I would never do that. |
| Sarah | Right. Right. um Or, you know, whatever, whatever the scenario is. And so you can take some comfort in knowing that you are not as foolish as these characters. |
| Brook | Absolutely. Over the time, over time on our social media, um we’ve asked the question to some of our listeners, you know, like, “what do you love about mystery?” And your thought there reminded me of one of the quotes that I just really like. And um Lisa Stanton, who is another author, she said, “I like living vicariously through my reading, trying to solve the puzzle, but wouldn’t want to face a killer in real life.” And yeah I feel the same way. |
| Sarah | Yeah, it’s that um facing danger from ah from the safety of your couch. |
| Brook | Yes. And knowing, again, that by the end, it’s all going to be resolved. You’re not going to be left blowing in the wind at the end of this story, wondering you know whether good or evil prevails. |
| Brook | There’s going to be justice served and you’re going to have a feeling of closure. |
| Sarah | Yeah, absolutely. And I think that’s a really important element, particularly in times where things feel really uncertain, really unstable from day to day, don’t really know what’s going on. We can turn to a book and particularly a mystery book and say, well, I know at the end, the bad guy is going to get caught. |
| Brook | That’s right. Yep. In uncertainty, you can find certainty in mystery for sure. |
| Sarah | One of the things, Brook, that I miss the most um about my life before I was a parent was that opportunity to spend an entire afternoon or entire day just reading a book. And, you know, while I love spending time with my family, sometimes I think I should just book myself a weekend in a hotel just so that I can do that. |
| Brook | You have a reading getaway. |
| Sarah | Yeah, doesn’t that sound like a, just something that would be incredible? Maybe, maybe we should do Clued in Mystery reading getaways. |
| Brook | That’s right. When I was in grade school, we would have these days called read-ins and we’d get to bring our blanket and our snacks. And that’s what we did in the classroom all day long as we just read books. So we could have a Clued in Mystery read-in, Sarah. |
| Sarah | I love it, Brook. And people can bring whatever book they want. No judgment. Trade books. If you finish your book early, you can, you know, there will be lots of opportunity for um people to ah find a new author that they love. I love this idea. |
| Brook | I do too. But that’s a good point because, you know, we’re talking about a lot of um times when we feel like reading to get away from the world or when things are tough. |
| Brook | But I think that I have some of my best memories also reading mysteries. And like, for instance, I can remember, and this is, you know, a very happy time on a trip to Hawaii. |
| Brook | And I did spend, I got to have that afternoon. And I remember where I was sitting by this beautiful pool. And I I think I read cover to cover The Girl on the Train. And so just remembering that day and that, you know, great mystery, ah you know, mystery is satisfying in those days too. |
| Sarah | Absolutely. Yeah. yeah And, and I think, um, you know, we think about reading being a ah solitary activity. And, you know, one of the things that I enjoy doing after I finished a book is looking to see what others have thought about it, right? Kind of having, it’s like a virtual book club, but it’s asynchronous. We’re not all, you know, in the same living room talking about it. |
| Sarah | And that sense of community, you know, if you’re on Instagram, for example, and someone has just discovered reading Richard Osman’s books or Louise Penny or someone whose books you have enjoyed so much and you just, you know, you’re like “yes!”. |
| Sarah | It’s such a great, it’s such a great feeling. and And I think there’s, you know, some community that comes from reading and and this is probably true of any genre but because it’s mystery that that that we read this is this is where I find it um and yeah like I I I love that. |
| Brook | And you’re so excited for them because you know that they’re in for a big treat. um I like doing that too. I rarely look at, let’s say, Goodreads or, you know, the reviews on whichever site until after I finish the book. |
| Brook | But I always enjoy when I find somebody who had the same opinion, like, and maybe it’s a bad opinion, right? And you’re like, oh, the ending totally fell flat. And then you get there and you read and, you know, somebody else had that same thought. I was like, yes, girl. You know, where it’s like the mystery book people are just really fun to connect with in that way. |
| Sarah | Yeah and knowing that you weren’t the only person who ah ah shared that opinion about often books that are really popular and and you’re kind of like, are we even reading the same book? |
| Brook | Right. |
| Sarah | Like how? |
| Brook | Yes, exactly. |
| Brook | So I’d like to share some more of the listener comments about why we love mystery. Elizabeth Michaels Monahan, who is a writer and editor, says, “Mysteries engage us emotionally via vicarious excitement and fear.” |
| Brook | And then Regina, the Southernista says, “I love the who, what, where, why, and following the clues to the culprit.” And then finally, author Carmen Amato says, “mystery is a workout for the brain. You use mental muscle to figure out all the clues, red herrings, and lies. Then at the end, you get the endorphin rush, and you don’t even have to go to the gym.” |
| Sarah | I love that. And, and that’s true. Like when you finish a, a great book and you’re just like, wow, this was amazing. And you want to tell everybody about it. |
| Brook | Yes. |
| Sarah | Like you have to read this, you have to read this. |
| Brook | But it is like finishing a great workout sometimes, isn’t it? |
| Brook | You have that little high that like, oh, that was really fun. That was great. I want to do it again. |
| Sarah | Totally, totally. And that and that’s why we return to authors and return to series, I think, because they give us that little rush when we finish them. |
| Brook | For sure. |
| Brook | Sarah, why do you think mystery is the genre that gets us so excited versus like why isn’t it romance or science fiction? What do you think it is? |
| Sarah | This is a great question, Brook. I think there’s a couple of things to your question. And one of them for me is that mystery is such a big genre. And that’s part of our podcast, right? Is talking about all of the different kinds of things that we can read or watch that fall under the mystery umbrella. |
| Sarah | And, you know, one day I might decide that I want to read spy fiction and the next day I want to read a traditional mystery and then, and you know, a um political thriller, right? And I can read all of those and kind of get the same satisfaction that the good guys win out in the end. um There’s, you know, there’s often morally gray characters and that’s okay because there’s morally gray people in the real world as well. |
| Sarah | And so I think it’s a reflection of life, but in a in a way that is a little bit more thrilling, right? I thankfully haven’t experienced any of the things that the main characters of the domestic thrillers that we’ve read, for example, I haven’t you know had the same experiences as them, but I could see those things happening. |
| Sarah | I can imagine those things happening. It’s not outside of the realm of possibility. And, you know, we, we hear about um ah different criminal cases and police investigations that happen in, in real life. And, and yeah, I think there’s just, you know, something about reading fictionalized versions of them that, that I love. |
| Sarah | So I think it’s that breadth of of entertainment that’s available ah and that satisfaction like that we talked about already and that comfort, right? that that they’re um Ultimately, it’s almost always good people who are in these books. |
| Brook | Yeah, I think that’s really well said. |
| Sarah | Okay. Well, Brook, thanks for talking about why we love mystery. And thank you for being part of this podcast. There’s, you know, it’s something wonderful about having someone that I know I can talk about mystery with because, believe it or not, not everybody in my life feels the same way. |
| Brook | I completely agree, Sarah. Having someone who enjoys this genre as much as I do is a just a huge blessing in my life. |
| Brook | And we’re looking forward to another season with you listeners. Thank you for joining us today on Clued in Mystery. I’m Brook. |
| Sarah | And I’m Sarah, and we both love mystery. |
