Mysteries VS Thrillers VS Suspense and subgenres of each

Mystery books take up a large portion of our library, but some people don’t realize that there are subgenres and not all mystery books are the same. Below we’ve outlined some basic subgenres of the mystery collection

In short, the Mystery novel is about a crime and bringing the criminal to justice. Thrillers are centered on the character’s safety and survival

Detective/Crime Novels/Amateur sleuth are the classic mystery stories. The crime is usually a murder, and takes place in a closed setting, like a small village or university. The murder is solved by someone with detective experience by asking questions and finding clues. The murder is solved and the murder is caught by the end of the book.

Caper/Heists place the criminal, or band of criminals in the role of the anti-hero.

Cozy Mysteries are generally cleaner stories, where violence, crimes, foul language and intimate encounters either don’t happen at all or happen off-stage. They are generally light, comedic, and comforting. It’s not too serious or scary. The crime solvers in cozy mysteries are usually average people with no background in detective work and make mistakes a long the way. The victim of the crime in these books is generally an unlikable character, so it’s not a tragedy that they died. The gore or violence is not the focus of the story, instead its the sluething and solving of the crime that is the focus here. There’s usually cutsey elements, such as cooking or baking, or a talking dog. It’s a quaint story.

Police Procedurals include a main character that is in law enforcement and involves the police investigation and forensic technology.

Legal/ Medical thrillers focus more on the legal or medical side of things. The characters will usually be involved in a court case or in the hospital.

Action Thrillers are distinguished by their focus on physical danger. There will be car chases, shoot-outs, or fist-fights.

Psycholical Thrillers are focused on the inner workings of the mind. There will be elements such as mental illness, substance abuse, and trauma present. The main narrator in these are usually unreliable. This helps to bend reality.

Political Thriller take place on the backdrop of the government or politicians. Conspiricy theory stories are usually political thrillers

Spy Thrillers/Espionage follow a spy, usually working for a government agency and the excitment comes from watching the spy navigate their mission.

There are, of course, many other subgenres, but these are some of the more popular ones.

TLDR:
Mysteries are about solving a crime or puzzle.
Thrillers are about action and danger.
Suspense novels are filled with suspense and dread.