The Lighter side of Mystery

It’s fair to say that one of the hottest trends in the genre at the moment is the hybrid commonly known as the “chick lit mystery.” What makes this combination so appealing to a great many readers? The Boston Herald’s Rosemary Herbert attempts to find out:

There was a time when the big names in mystery writing turned a cold shoulder to romance. Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha

Christie, Rex Stout and others valued puzzles over passion. And when

these writers described someone’s footwear, it was to deliver a clue

rather than to enthuse over shoes.

That’s

not true for some mystery writers today. In books that marry chick lit

to detective fiction, they embrace passion and fashion while still

spinning out baffling plots. Their female sleuths toss aside gumshoes

in favor of Manolo Blahnik heels, and they are just as keen to chase a

hot date as to nab a hotfooting criminal. (Of course, some of those

dates turn out to be heels, too.)

“It’s social interaction that’s as important

as the hard investigation,” said Sheryl J. Anderson, author of

“Killer Heels” (St. Martin’s MInotaur, $24.95). “My character, Molly

Forrester, tracks relationships – who’s sleeping with whom – in order

to track the mystery. In the midst of this, she’s trying to track her

own relationships and those of her bosom buddies, too.”

”“Our

heroines are on journeys of self-discovery,” added Julie Kenner,

author of “The Givenchy Code” (Down Town Press/Naughty Girls, $12).

As her title suggests, “Fashion is a major element, even while they’re

running for their lives.”

So

is humor. “Self-deprecating humor characterizes these works,” said

Sara Durand, senior editor at Morrow/Avon publishers. “A character who

can laugh at herself is so human and that makes these books

appealing.”

Of course, it would be nice to know where this trend is going from here, but I suppose choice folks will dish the dirt once Book Expo rolls around next week.