Last blog, I wrote about why I write mysteries: the puzzle aspect; the chance to deal with
death, which is the center of all our maps; the opportunity to re-create geographies I’ve known and loved; the chance to live through characters that are stronger, smarter, more courageous than I am; the chance to explore my own inner world, including the darker side; and the chance, almost like a folktale, to clarify the differences between good and evil – and more: the confusion of the two.

What about you? Why do you read mysteries, or why don’t you read mysteries? If you
do, when did you start reading them? Or did you pick one up, start reading, and decide the genre’s not for you? What do mysteries offer you that other genres don’t? What subgenres (thrillers, cozies, detective novels, police procedurals, etc.) do you read? Or, what is it mysteries lack that you find in other genres? Who are your favorite writers of mysteries? Why? Who your favorite writers of other genres?

I hope you’ll send a line or two – or whole paragraphs – and tell me your thoughts on
mysteries.