Thrillers are mostly fast-paced, page-turners that tire out the reader as much as they do the characters in the story.
Janet Lynn and I are writing in this genre for the first time, with our first effort being STONE PUB. We are writing under the name Will Janns, and we’ve learned there are many flavors of thrillers on the shelves.
What kind of a thriller holds the reader’s attention? Every reader is different (just like every writer.)
Some of the best-selling novels in the thriller category have been spy or political thrillers that involve political corruption or terrorism. Plots can center on both real and fictional political events. The stakes are always high and often suggest that life, as we know it, in our nation (or another nation) could end or change for the worse.
But right up there with political or spy thrillers are supernatural/sci-fi/techno-thrillers. I don’t mean to lump them together, but in these stories, crossovers may occur. They may feature fantasy and horror elements and involve some aspect of the supernatural, including fantasy beings, aliens, or time-travelers. The setting might be in the future and imply technology or AI run amok.
Getting back to earth, and I mean way back, are historical thrillers. These thrillers take place sometime in the recent or not-so-recent past. Some thriller novels are set as far back as medieval times.
The Historical Novel Society, an organization promoting historical fiction open to readers and authors alike, defines historical novels as set at least fifty years ago. For books published today, the settings would need to be 1973 or earlier to count as historical fiction.
This fact means the reader will not be reading about contemporary technology such as cell phones, computers, satellites, or high-speed communications. Verbal communications will also be affected by issues of current slang and other contemporary social behaviors.
Next come crime thrillers, which are sometimes variations on whodunits, but often rely on a “ticking clock” or hard deadline to add tension and force the investigator (whether amateur or professional) to solve the crime before the clock runs out. The crimes might involve kidnappings, ransoms, serial killers, hostage-taking, or creative heists. The motives of the antagonists can be as varied as the plot lines.
A natural segue from crime thrillers is the legal thriller, where, many times, the integrity and morals of the lawyers are tested when confronted with unusual circumstances. The legal knowledge required to make these stories believable is what keeps a reader turning the pages.
The mind, both “normal” and “abnormal,” takes center stage in Psychological thrillers. Two brilliant minds are sometimes pitted against each other in an intense battle of wits. These plot-driven thrillers often involve the basic emotions of fear, greed, guilt, lust, and revenge.
In medical thrillers, the characters include medical professionals or scientists who often race against a burgeoning worldwide pandemic or a modern medical advancement gone wrong.
Military thrillers are the final choice when deciding what kind of thriller to read (or write). The protagonists in this subgenre have some connection to the military, or are active members themselves. Combat missions, whether sanctioned or covert, are the setting for these novels. The settings and plots will be based on the intimate workings of military life. The stories often feature military slang, acronyms, specific conflicts, and organizational hierarchies. Active duty and veterans alike will see right through a weak plot or poorly researched storyline, and the author will lose a reader and even a whole audience.
You can see from this, far from complete, listing that there are action-packed, edge-of-your-seat thrillers for almost every taste. If you have been comfortable reading one subgenre, try another and surprise yourself.
Will Zeilinger and Janet Elizabeth Lynn writing as Will Janns
Other Titles by Will and Janet
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I thought it would be fun to look back at the popular toys given for the holidays during the 1960s. This research brought back a flood of memories as both receiving them for gifts and buying them for the younger ones in my family. Hope you enjoy this walk down memory lane, also.
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In the 1950s, Spade Cooley was a beloved national treasure and one of the greatest stars of Western swing. But he soon became famous for something very different when he suspected his wife of having an affair and beat her to death.
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Thrillers are mostly fast-paced, page-turners that tire out the reader as much as they do the characters in the story. Janet Lynn and I are writing in this genre for the first time, with our first effort being STONE PUB. We are writing under the name Will Janns, and we’ve learned there are many flavors […]
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The genre of novels that seems to endure are the spy thrillers and stories of behind-the-scenes government scandals. Here are some very interesting and I’d even say, “watershed” novels about the cold war that have colored our vision of the past and the future. After researching some, I’ve made a list of just a few of the more influential titles and included a short synopsis of each:
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Partners in Crime, Janet Elizabeth Lynn and Will Zeilinger write the Skylar Drake Mysteries, hard-boiled detective stories set in the 1950s.
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