How Bloody
Is Your Mystery? How Much Violence is Too
Much
By Lauren Carr
Is your book suitable for twelve year old?
A few years ago, I had written
a play, which was performed at a local dinner theater. Of course, my books were
on sale at the theater, and I was thrilled to be asked to sign copies for
members of the audience.
At one point, a woman asked me
to sign It’s Murder, My Son for her
granddaughter. “Is it suitable for a twelve year old?”
“Why of course,” I replied
without hesitation and signed away.
Moments later, a friend who had
been standing nearby chewed me out. My books, she asserted, are not suitable
for twelve year olds. They include murder in them.
Gee, I thought, the grandmother
had to already know the book had a murder in it. First Clue: It’s Murder,
My Son
I’m not the person to ask if a
murder mystery is suitable for a twelve-year-old. My mother read Perry Mason to
me at bedtime before I was even old enough to read. I was reading Earl Stanley
Gardner and Agatha Christie by the time I was ten years old.
When asked about if my books
are suitable for twelve-year-olds, I scan the contents in my mind:
ü Sex?
Yes, there is premarital sex, but it all happens behind closed doors. What
happens behind the closed door is left up to the reader’s imagination.
ü Violence:
Yes, people are killed. They are murder
mysteries. But I don’t have body parts and blood flying all over the place.
ü Swearing:
Not unless it is suitable to that particular character. None of my main
characters use foul language.
I have determined that my books are clean, and several
reviewers have done so as well.
Selecting a murder mystery for a twelve year old is a
difficult task.
First, we need to look at the twelve year old in
question. How sophisticated is this pre-teenager? The daughter of the friend
who chastised me out has a very sheltered life. However, I know other twelve
year olds who have read all of the Fifty Shades
of Grey books. Does the child in question watch CSI on television, or is she still into The Big Red Dog on PBS? That’s something the author at a book event
can’t answer.
A parent can’t simply go by the genre tag of “Mystery.”
Beneath the genre of mystery, there is a whole breakdown of sub-genres, too
many for me to post here. So, whether it be for a pre-teenager or yourself if
you are squeamish about gore and violence— when looking for a mystery you need
to look closely at the book and the sub-genre it falls under.
When considering what type of murder mystery is suitable
for a pre-teenager, I suggest looking at the book’s focus.
Is the plotline focused on the murder or the mystery of
solving the murder?
I have found that some mystery sub-genres focus on the puzzle of solving the murder. Authors of
these books seek to challenge their readers to solve the murder before the
killer is revealed. Not only does the protagonist need to solve the puzzle to
catch the killer, but they are also challenged in catching the killer in such a
way that the evidence will stand up court and the killer doesn’t walk away.
Cozies are almost always a safe bet. The general rule
for a cozy mystery: Amateur Investigator and murder happens off-stage. Among
the cozies, you can find further sub-categories, which have become sub-genres
of their own: bumbling detective, furry detective (I guess Gnarly can be called a furry detective), culinary
detective, and hobby mysteries. If the twelve-year-old has a particular hobby,
most likely you can find a cozy mystery in that area. There are tons of other
murder mysteries under this subgenre.
Other mystery sub-genres focus on the murder itself. In
an effort to thrill their readers, authors will push the envelope with graphic
murders, which will happen “on-stage”. They will contain scenes of torture or
rape. Many times, these mysteries will also contain graphic sex, which may also
happen “on-stage” and foul language. Like amusement parks constantly coming out
with the next biggest baddest roller coaster to outdo their last one, authors
of these types of mysteries are challenged with each book to make it more
suspenseful and sensational than the last one. Generally, many mysteries that
fit into this category will be stalker, serial killer books, and police
procedurals. These graphic murder mysteries will be bloody and violent—not
suitable for twelve year olds, in my opinion.
Notice, I said generally.
The wave of authors publishing independently of
commercial publishers has freed mystery writers from writing inside a box
forcing them to stick to the rules of genres and sub-genres. For example, I have
had reviewers refer to my books as “gritty cozies”. Because some murders do
happen on-stage, they are grittier. However, I make an effort to make these
murders quick and “polite”.
How do you pick a mystery for a twelve-year old?
ü Think
about the child in question. Find out what he or she is reading now. If she’s reading Fifty Shades of Grey, then anything goes and you have nothing to
worry about (literature-wise, that is).
ü Take
a look at the book you are considering. Read the book description and study the
cover. These are both good indicators for the tone for the book. Does it have a
fluffy dog on the cover? Or does it have a comical tone? If so, it’s probably a
cozy, which is safe.
ü Visit
the author’s website. Websites tell a lot about the author and their books.
That’s their purpose. Often, you can download sample chapters from the author’s
website for free. There is no better way to know if the book is suitable than
to read part of it yourself.
I guess this also begs another question, which the
friend who chewed me out was actually suggesting: Are murder mysteries suitable
for twelve year olds? Well, the only way I can answer that is by pointing out
that I was readying murder mysteries when I was twelve and I turned out okay. …
I think. … Depends on who you ask.
Book Description:
It’s election time in Spencer, Maryland, and the race for mayor is not a pretty one. In recent years, the small resort town has become divided between the local year-round residents who have enjoyed their rural way of life and the city dwellers moving into their mansions, taking over the town council, and proceeding to turn Deep Creek Lake into a closed gate community—complete with a host of regulations for everything from speed limits to clothes lines.
When the political parties force-feed two unsavory mayoral nominees on the town residents, Police Chief David O’Callaghan decides to make a statement—by nominating Gnarly, Mac Faraday’s German shepherd, to run as mayor of Spencer!
What starts out as a joke turns into a disaster when overnight Gnarly becomes the front runner—at which point his political enemies take a page straight out of Politics 101. What do you do when you’re behind in a race? Dig up dirt on the front runner, of course.
Seemingly, someone is not content to rest with simply embarrassing the front runner by publicizing his dishonorable discharge from the United States Army, but to throw in a murder for good measure. With murder on the ballot, Mac Faraday and the gang—including old friends from past cases—dive in to clear Gnarly’s name, catch a killer, and save Spencer!
Author's Bio:
Lauren Carr is the international best-selling author of the Mac Faraday, Lovers in Crime, and Thorny Rose Mysteries. The twelfth installment in the Mac Faraday Mystery series, Candidate for Murder will be released June 2016.
Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. She lives with her husband, son, and four dogs (including the real Gnarly) on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.
Tour Schedule:
June 20 - Working Mommy Journal - book spotlight / giveaway
June 20 - My Journey Back - book spotlight / guest post
June 20 - Books for Books - book spotlight / guest post
June 21 - Christy's Cozy Corners - book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
June 21 - fuonlyknew - book spotlight / giveaway
June 22 - Book Crazy Scrapbook Mama - book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
June 22 - Book Reviews Nature Photos - book spotlight / author interview
June 23 - Writers and Authors - book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
June 23 - Rockin' Book Reviews - book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
June 24 - Thoughts in Progress - book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
June 24 - bookmyopia - book spotlight / guest post
June 27 - The Travelogue of a Book Addict - book spotlight / giveaway
June 27 - Nighttime Reading Center - book spotlight
June 28 - Stranded in Chaos - book spotlight / giveaway
June 29 - Stormy Nights Reviewing & Bloggin' - book spotlight
June 29 - The Autistic Gamer - book spotlight
June 30 - Katie's Clean Book Collection - book spotlight / giveaway
June 30 - Tea and A Book - book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
July 1 - Brooke Blogs - book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
July 1 - Cheryl's Book Nook - book spotlight / giveaway
July 4 - Ali - The Dragon Slayer - book spotlight / giveaway
July 4 - Book and Ink - book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
July 5 - New Horizon Reviews - book spotlight / author interview
July 6 - Jaquo Lifestyle Magazine - book spotlight / guest post
July 6 - Library of Clean Reads - book spotlight / giveaway
July 7 - T's Stuff - book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
July 8 - Words And Peace - book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
July 11 - StoreyBook Reviews - book spotlight / giveaway
July 12 - Carole's Book Corner - book spotlight / giveaway
July 13 - Cassidy Salem Reads & Writes - book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
July 14 - Christa Reads and Writes - book spotlight
July 15 - Bound 2 Escape - book spotlight
July 18 - #redhead.with.book - book spotlight / giveaway
July 18 - Puddletown Reviews - book spotlight
July 19 - 100 Pages A Day - book spotlight / giveaway
July 19 - A Mama's Corner of the World - book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
July 20 - Mystery Suspense Reviews - book spotlight / guest post
July 21 - Heidi's Wanderings - book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
July 22 - 3 Partners in Shopping - book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
July 25 - Celticlady's Reviews - book spotlight / giveaway
July 26 - A Soccer Mom's Book Blog - book spotlight / giveaway
July 27 - Reading Authors - book spotlight / giveaway
July 28 - Deal Sharing Aunt - book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
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Thank you so much, Books for Books, for welcoming me to your site today for the fabulously fun guest post! Always great to visit and I love meeting your followers! Hope everyone enters the giveaway for a chance to win the Kindle!
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