The Secrets of Great Mystery and Suspense Fiction

By: David Schmid, The Great Courses

Narrated by: David Schmid

Great mystery and suspense writers have created some of the most unforgettable stories in all of literature. Even those who don't consider themselves fans of this intriguing genre are familiar with names such as Hercule Poirot, Sam Spade, Hannibal Lecter, and Robert Langdon, and understand the deep and lasting impact this writing has had on literature as a whole. An utterly captivating and compelling genre, mystery and suspense has leapt off the pages of the old dime store paperbacks, magazines, and comic books onto big screens, small screens, radio serials, podcasts, websites, and more. You'll find elements, characters, and references permeating popular culture and news reports worldwide, and bleeding into other literary genres such as romance, political thrillers, sports stories, and even biographies. Nearly 200 years old, the genre of mystery and suspense literature is only growing more popular.

How did it become so prevalent? Why is mystery and suspense a go-to genre for so many around the world? What makes the dark and sometimes grisly themes appealing? In 24 lectures of The Secrets of Great Mystery and Suspense Fiction, Professor David Schmid of the University at Buffalo examines these questions, as he guides you through an examination of the many different varieties of the genre, including classic whodunits, hard-boiled crime fiction, historical mysteries, courtroom dramas, true crime narratives, espionage fiction, and many more.

Fans of the genre will be delighted by the breadth and depth of information presented, guaranteed to uncover gems they had not yet discovered. But anyone, whether they are admirers of mystery on radio and film, or simply fans of literature, history, or pop culture, will find something to enlighten and entertain in this study of a genre with such tremendous impact.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2016 The Great Courses (P)2016 The Teaching Company, LLC

Insight into both the history and craft of mystery and suspense fiction

If nothing else this is a wonderful source of recommendations of great stories and writers on the genre. I was a little disappointed to see John MacDonald and Michael Connelly left out but it could be argued they are mostly adventure than classical mystery writers. I did enjoy the way the lecture drills down to various subgenres as his way of presenting the material. Certainly I have a more formal understanding of the genre. The PDF provided helps absorb some of the details.

Very informative/Intelligently narrated.

While I lost patience with the question why, the narrator clearly knows the subject. I learned a lot. Thanks.

Wow. So much!

No quality is lost in this stretch for quantity. I never thought there were so many genres of mystery and suspense.

Great ear food. Brain fodder too. Itchy to write? You'll get itchier and itchier and then.....

Super Fun

Now i have a huge list of books to find and read. The teacher obviously has a lot of passion and enjoys talking about mystery and suspense fiction.

Mis-titled

What made the experience of listening to The Secrets of Great Mystery and Suspense Fiction the most enjoyable?

Interesting enough material, but it wasn't instructive for someone wanting to learn how to write about the subject matter.
It was an entertaining overview of how Mystery and Suspense is and has been written. A great selection of authors analyzed, but it didn't actually concern itself with the listener writing. It was a reader's study.

Would you be willing to try another book from The Great Courses? Why or why not?

I take them on occasionally. Generally I find them instructive, often entertaining.

What does Professor David Schmid bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

This question is irrelevant to the nature of the title being reviewed, since it was an academic study, not an actual story.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

This question is irrelevant to the nature of the title being reviewed, since it was an academic study, not an actual story.

Any additional comments?

Re title the series: How Mystery and Suspense Is Written. It lack the necessary instruction about beats and high points, timing and other details of story construction. Thirty-six half hours later I found myself still wondering how to do this. The various "lessons" I've found for writing "genre Romance" have been much more helpful to that end. Was hoping for something like here.

Excellent Read!

Very in depth & detailed. I learned a TON that I will apply to my writing style!

Excellent Course!

This was one of the Great Courses best presentations. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to learn more about the genre of mystery and suspense fiction!

good look

this is a good look at the mystery genre. check it out if your interested

Disappointed, But Maybe My Fault

When I downloaded this Great Course, I thought it would be about WRITING mystery and suspense. It isn't. It's sort of an overview of the literature, from "Murders in the Rue Morgue" to "The Da Vinci Code.' If you are already a devoted reader of mysteries and suspense, there will be little fresh material here, though I did get some leads on mystery authors I haven't yet read. If you want to discover new authors, keep a pad and pen with you--I have forgotten most of the authors and book titles already.

On the plus side, the lecturer knows his material backward and forward, and is a true devotee of the genre. He talks about Sherlock Holmes as though he knew him personally, and his depth of knowledge about these writers and their work is phenomenal. It just didn't happen to be what I wanted, which is not the fault of the course.

not what I expected but enjoyable

I wouldn't say it's the secrets of mystery and suspense. this is more a history and complete treatise on the elements of the genre.