Fiction readers love mystery and romance. Putting the two together, as romantic suspense authors like Nora Roberts do, is a way to the top of the bestseller lists. With two themes to weave into the story, it's not hard for a skilled writer to keep the reader in thrall. It's fun to wonder if the romantic lead is the hero or the villain. The best stories keep the tension going until the end, which is hard to do without sacrificing the integrity of plot and characters.
This is a new segment in the mass-produced romances that used to be called 'bodice rippers'. The main theme, which shows up practically on page one, is the strong attraction between a beautiful young girl and a generic male character. The recent twist is to have the inevitable misunderstanding complicated by a mystery. It does make things more interesting than the old boy-meets-girl, girl-runs-away plot.
However, novelists like Nora Roberts offer a lot more to their readers. Roberts has set a high standard with believable characters in real-life dilemmas. Her dialogue is intriguing and the struggles of her characters absorbing. There are no throw-away scenes that advance the plot or fulfill a formula.
Roberts was a romance writer for years before starting a series about a New York city policewoman. For the 'In Death' novels, Nora uses a pseudonym, J. D. Roberts. Although crime moves the plot, the true story lies in the relationship between the detective and her husband.
Of course, suspense does not always involve a crime being committed. Dorothy L. Sayers created Lord Peter Whimsey, a British nobleman who solves problems for family and country. After breaking many hearts, he eventually falls for a woman charged with murder, and the question of whether they will ever surmount the obstacles that separate them is tension enough for several books.
Martha Grimes has characters so complicated that some readers lose patience. Others, however, get absolutely addicted to her morose, handsome hero, Inspector Richard Jury. His friends, acquaintances, and fairly numerous lovers are funny or ridiculous, driven or inhibited, rich and poor - but never boring. Even her bad guys are complex. One of them is a perennial suspect, with Jury never quite sure of the whole story.
Dick Francis wrote thrillers based on steeplechase racing in England. One character is a private investigator, but others are architects, pilots, stud farm owners, and the like. These heroes encounter terrifying bad guys, but many fall in love in the midst of murder and mayhem. Sometimes the ins and out of love follow a character through more than one novel.
There's no need for readers to sacrifice their love of good writing when they look for mystery and romance. Many fine writers create memorable characters. It is not unusual to have a bestseller show up in the cinema and on television, . Millions of readers carry these men and women around in their heads and their hearts, little wisps of fantasy that liven up everyday doldrums.
This is a new segment in the mass-produced romances that used to be called 'bodice rippers'. The main theme, which shows up practically on page one, is the strong attraction between a beautiful young girl and a generic male character. The recent twist is to have the inevitable misunderstanding complicated by a mystery. It does make things more interesting than the old boy-meets-girl, girl-runs-away plot.
However, novelists like Nora Roberts offer a lot more to their readers. Roberts has set a high standard with believable characters in real-life dilemmas. Her dialogue is intriguing and the struggles of her characters absorbing. There are no throw-away scenes that advance the plot or fulfill a formula.
Roberts was a romance writer for years before starting a series about a New York city policewoman. For the 'In Death' novels, Nora uses a pseudonym, J. D. Roberts. Although crime moves the plot, the true story lies in the relationship between the detective and her husband.
Of course, suspense does not always involve a crime being committed. Dorothy L. Sayers created Lord Peter Whimsey, a British nobleman who solves problems for family and country. After breaking many hearts, he eventually falls for a woman charged with murder, and the question of whether they will ever surmount the obstacles that separate them is tension enough for several books.
Martha Grimes has characters so complicated that some readers lose patience. Others, however, get absolutely addicted to her morose, handsome hero, Inspector Richard Jury. His friends, acquaintances, and fairly numerous lovers are funny or ridiculous, driven or inhibited, rich and poor - but never boring. Even her bad guys are complex. One of them is a perennial suspect, with Jury never quite sure of the whole story.
Dick Francis wrote thrillers based on steeplechase racing in England. One character is a private investigator, but others are architects, pilots, stud farm owners, and the like. These heroes encounter terrifying bad guys, but many fall in love in the midst of murder and mayhem. Sometimes the ins and out of love follow a character through more than one novel.
There's no need for readers to sacrifice their love of good writing when they look for mystery and romance. Many fine writers create memorable characters. It is not unusual to have a bestseller show up in the cinema and on television, . Millions of readers carry these men and women around in their heads and their hearts, little wisps of fantasy that liven up everyday doldrums.
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