Mysteries have been around for about 175 years, are responsible for an estimated 30 percent of annual fiction sales in the nation — and tend to be mainstays of summer beach-read recommendations.
What accounts for their enduringly popularity?
Murder mystery writer David Freed says one main appeal is that they invite reader engagement.
“A well-constructed murder mystery offers the pleasure of solving a puzzle,” said Freed, who has written seven thrillers and teaches a course on how to write them at Harvard Extension School. “It’s an intellectual exercise, and entertainment at a minimum.”
But Freed, a former journalist, also thinks the tales appeal to readers on a deeper, almost primal level.
