Crime, Christianity, and suspense, Oh my! Will Christianity and crime novels work together? Let's dive into that.
Christian books are somewhat restricted under the guidelines of the genre itself. Cussing is out the window if you are under this umbrella. Some readers love it, others avoid it, but it still exists. Crime and suspense are a tough tightrope walk for some authors and writers. Others are not afraid to scare reality into their readers by showing them the dark forces at their worst, then piercing it with light. The contrast is rather perfect, actually, and wonderfully effective. Some go fluffy and cozy. Some get intense. It depends on your author and their publisher. With brick-and-morter Christian book stores closing, they now have to compete with nonchristian books.
An introduction to crime and suspense is in order here. We have books that
are formulaic- ending with an episode of Scooby Doo-like relief every novel, and others that end with your jaw on
the floor and your brain running like a caffeinated hamster. This, too, depends on your author and whether it is suspense or mystery. Mystery is the standard murder, evidence, detective, and solution seen in TV shows and cozy mysteries. Suspense is when your main character is in danger, and while there may be a mystery there, it doesn't end so logically.
You can get too much of it
Dark crime is something you should not consume for too long. Cozy mysteries? Go for it! Standard Agatha Christies and Raymond Chandlers? Sure! Dark crime and serial killers? Probably not for a long period of time. Your mind, if drawn to dark things, will be a little weird if you don't throw in some cozy books and Nancy Drews between your dark crime.
Why, you ask, should I not read this for too long? Glad you asked. Upon consuming this dark content on binge-watch mode your brain may skew your perception of life and create a little too much adrenaline and fear. Reading suspense creates adrenaline. When you add the edge-of-your-seat element you create an odd combination of fun, addictive fear. It's why you practically can't put the book down at that exciting climax scene, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Too much of it, however, and you begin to think the person beside you at the gas station is a serial killer (when the said human really just doesn't notice you at all). Simply put, if you are paranoid or can't sleep well you should put the book away and watch something light in content. Dark crime isn't a bad thing but it should be taken in small doses.
The interesting thing about suspense and mystery is that women are into it, majorly into it. Part of the reason why could be that we feel us women are more likely to be victims of crime. We want to know how criminals think and work to avoid harm. Identifying red flags of strangers and people around us can help us avoid being attacked or raped (extreme, I know, but look at our world). Unfortunately, if the criminals, police, and court systems are represented wrongly we get an incorrect picture. Dark crime is, personally, my reason for walking the mall with a man beside me - too many sexual predators represented by James Patterson roamed malls for victims. I am a living example of this concept.
Comfort in Justice
Despite the dark crime aspect of things, cozy mysteries and classic mysteries can comfort us. Mystery is a structured genre where we can predict that someone will die, the detective will solve the case, and the criminal pays for their crime. Justice is served nearly every episode or book. Scooby Doo, Nancy Drew, Agatha Christie and several others operate on this principle. It is predictable, logical, comedic (sometimes), and every action is explained in full detail (generally, but not always). We want to know it will end well, much like when we watch Hallmark or a kid's TV show. Familiar patterns are what us humans like.
Suspense, on the other hand, can be less comforting and leave you with less explained, less understood, and a charged-up mind. Watch some Alfred Hitchcock to get the full picture. Suspense has twists and turns to it. You can have justice here, but it won't be the same presentation. You read this for thrills, like one rides a roller coaster for the adrenaline rush. If you dislike predictable this is your genre. Some come dangerously close to horror. There is a fine line between suspense and horror that several authors jump to either side on, or straddle.
Violence - when is it too much?
Here is where Christians can wrestle with conviction. What does God think of your reading material? You may not be sure, even with persistent prayer. With ratings and TV shows you can usually pick and choose what you want to see. Violence, to be completely honest, is not anything new. Don't blame it on your media, parents, because our sin nature created it much earlier. Some blame books, TV, movies, and video games, but I say it is centuries old and media forms are merely reflecting back our history. Dark crime novels didn't create today's violence; way back when you could read about Jack the Ripper from a newspaper.
Yes, some serial killers have patterned kills after fiction. Sadly, even if we stopped unbalanced people from getting inspiration from fiction, it wouldn't end their tendencies. They would find a new source of inspiration, like fevered dreams, newspapers, and social media. Most sane minds don't imitate their fiction, frankly, so please remember that for the future. According to Psychology Today, "The more violent entertainment we've consumed, the more peaceable and law-abiding we become." There is practically no evidence connecting violence and media. It seems that we need to worry less about violence in fiction and more about how to handle real violence well. Panicking out of fear and pain gives the perpetrator media attention and fame, feeding the rush they may get from crime.
As Christians, we do have to consider (and obey) what God says. He is for justice and truth. He does care about our words. With that in mind, some advocate for "safe" TV and literature. Mystery is on a spectrum that goes from cozy to dark. You can find what you feel God approves there, for sure. It is up to what you feel God is telling you. Supporters of Christian mystery say that it teaches the gravity and unyielding nature of sin and how to restore harmony. Some look at the focus - whether it glorifies evil and the dark. It depends on what you can handle, too. If you can't handle it, it is wise not to pick up the book.
With writing, there are different styles of violence. However, without a purpose they are not worth putting on the page. It's like putting a sex scene in a romance that doesn't need it - it turns readers off and makes them want to return the book. Violence with purpose creates compelling stories, where God's light shines and obliterates darkness. Written well, violence can work toward a better storyline. You can describe it in great detail to make a gruesome point, or leave it up the imagination of your readers. (Jurassic Park is an example of leaving it to your imagination.)
"I think that the best books leave as much as they can to a rich reader imagination. So rather than spend my time focusing on the corpse or a murder scene, I spend time writing the perspective of my sleuths encountering that scene and usually it is enough to see it through their eyes to strike a reaction rather than a visceral description." - Rachel McMillan
In Conclusion
Hear me out before you close this webpage. The long quote below is from Ted Dekker, a Christian author that is as far from tame when it comes to thrillers.
"In my opinion, any gratuitous use of violence for affect alone is wasted space on the page. But worse is the inauthentic state of many gray novels which only pretend there’s no dark conflict in our world. Avoiding the valley of the shadow of death only leads Christians into inauthentic faith which denies the power of the light to abolish darkness. Did Jesus turn away from the leper’s sores because they were too gross to look upon? No. He kissed their faces. Did those closest to Him hide from his gruesome death? No. They stood by and watched with deep compassion. Delicate yet poignant use of violence is appropriate if it makes the reader cringe and then rise triumphant when that darkness is defeated. But if you have no darkness in your story, the light is lost. This is the fate of all gray novels. Christianity is the triumph of good over evil. Light into darkness. Let us not make a mockery of that triumph."
"I have no problem with Christians who find violence disturbing—it should be. We all find ourselves in different stages of life, and it’s perfectly fine to turn away from that which bothers us. I would only suggest that they not judge others who will benefit greatly from facing their own fears though a novel—a safe place to do so. We have to ask ourselves this question: Why are we afraid? Why do we fear the storm? The question is at the heart of true Christianity in which light has overcome all fear. To that end, all my novels resolve in staggering love and peace. So then, I would speak peace to all, regardless of their personal preferences."
I can't say it much better than Ted Dekker, dear blog readers, so I will leave you with one more quote, one that you can ponder this week.
"The horror story, beneath its fangs and fright wig, is really as conservative as an Illinois Republican in a three-piece pinstriped suit…It's main purpose is to reaffirm the virtues of the norm by showing us what awful things happen to people who venture into taboo lands. Within the framework of most horror tales we find a moral code so strong it would make a Puritan smile." - Steven King
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