Tuesday, July 25, 2017
Little Big Crimes Review: An End in Bath by Janet Laurence
Little Big Crimes: An End in Bath, by Janet Laurence: "An End in Bath," by Janet Laurence, in Motives for Murder, edited by Martin Edwards, Crippen and Landru, 2017. Irene Woott...
Friday, July 21, 2017
Sunday, July 16, 2017
Little Big Crimes Review: The False Inspector Lovesey by Andrew Taylor
Little Big Crimes: The False Inspector Lovesey, by Andrew Taylor: "The False Inspector Lovesey," by Andrew Taylor, in Motives for Murder, edited by Martin Edwards, Crippen and Landru, 2017. ...
Thursday, July 13, 2017
Sunday, July 9, 2017
Little Big Crimes Review: What could Possibly Go Boing? by Mat Coward
Little Big Crimes: What could Possibly Go Boing?, by Mat Coward: "What Could Possibly Go Boing?", by Mat Coward, in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, July/August 2017. Nutty Mat Coward is ...
Friday, July 7, 2017
Guest Post: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Murder by SMFS Member Peter DiChellis
It has been awhile,
but SMFS member Peter DiChellis is back today with some thoughts about humor in
mysteries…
A
Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Murder
By
Peter DiChellis
I
enjoy reading and writing mysteries peppered with humor. Counterintuitive as it
might seem, fictional tales of appalling crimes and their life-crushing
consequences are often enhanced by hoots and yuks from humor. How can that
possibly be? For me at least, there are several reasons.
1.
Humor provides breathing space, a touch of comic relief from the so-often
dismal themes in mystery and crime stories. To paraphrase an old political saw,
these stories ain’t beanbag. Humor can deliver a welcome break in the tension.
2.
Humorous passages give camouflage for clues. This is your brain on humor: Giddy
and giggly and distracted, but not focused on rational analysis. Could you
overlook an important clue during a bout of head-shaking, eyeball-rolling
chortling? Count on it.
3.
Humor is just flat-out entertaining. Among the many splendid reasons to read a
good mystery, or any engrossing fiction, is simply to enjoy an entertaining
diversion. Humor amps up the entertainment.
4.
Humor creates likeability. In real life, we tend to like and appreciate
good-humored people who can make us laugh. Why wouldn’t we feel the same about
fictional characters and stories?
5.
Injections of humor might help a story stand out in a crowded field. By
definition mystery and crime stories, like all genre fiction, typically
incorporate common elements that readers have come to expect. Humor is one way
to add a distinctive element that helps a story stand apart.
6.
Humorous incidents can erect unusual and revealing obstacles for characters to
overcome. Fictional detectives already endure wily suspects, unreliable witnesses,
contaminated evidence, and other impediments to success. Frustrate them with
some funny stuff too and see how they handle it.
7.
Mysteries provide lots of creative opportunities for humor. The cast of
characters, from detectives to sidekicks to suspects to witnesses, is rich with
eccentric possibilities. Strange clues and weird circumstances abound. Settings
range from seedy barrooms to stately mansions, from trailer parks to office
towers.
Finally,
I hope those who enjoy humorous mysteries will take a look at the July issue of
Mystery Weekly, an extra-large humor
edition. The issue includes my story (“Darkness, Darkness”) about a blind man
who witnesses a murder and offers detectives a peculiar assortment of puzzling
clues.
Peter
DiChellis © 2017
Peter DiChellis concocts sinister and sometimes comedic tales for anthologies, ezines, and magazines. He is a member of the Short Mystery Fiction Society and an Active (published author) member of the Mystery Writers of America, Private Eye Writers of America, and International Thriller Writers. For more, visit his site Murder and Fries at http://murderandfries.wordpress.com/
Peter DiChellis concocts sinister and sometimes comedic tales for anthologies, ezines, and magazines. He is a member of the Short Mystery Fiction Society and an Active (published author) member of the Mystery Writers of America, Private Eye Writers of America, and International Thriller Writers. For more, visit his site Murder and Fries at http://murderandfries.wordpress.com/
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