The Secrets of Great Mystery and Suspense Fiction
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The Secrets of Great Mystery and Suspense Fiction
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Narrated by:
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David Schmid
About this listen
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, LLCListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about The Secrets of Great Mystery and Suspense Fiction
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- K. Williams
- 10-05-23
So far, more like a history rather than any secrets…
It’s interesting, but not riveting. So far, and looking at the chapter headings, it seems to consist of discussions about various aspects of crime stories, which is fine - as I say, interesting.
The lecturer is quite engaging. I do however think that there is a bit too much reference to Poe - he may have been the first person to write anything recognisable as a crime story, but his whole output doesn’t amount to more than a very few crime stories (3!?), a fraction of the output of Conan Doyle or Christie, and nowhere near as good.
That said, if you’re interested at all in mystery stories, this is definitely worth a listen.
When I have completed listening, I will add to this review if my opinion changes!
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- EmilyK
- 01-08-21
Rare miss by Great Courses
I found this a slog. That’s really odd for me with GreatCourses which usually are my first choice of listen. I’m not sure what all bothered me. There was way too much on Edgar Allan Poe. Even though I’ve been a mystery reader my whole life, I didn’t actually find much coverage of authors that I was expecting. And I felt the professor’s delivery was more reading his notes than either a lecture or an audiobook.
I did learn some interesting things. And I can see from other reviews that it really hit the mark for other listeners. So I don’t want to totally pan it ~ but I would listen to a sample before buying.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 02-05-17
Excellent Depth and Analysis
Fantastic listening to these lectures. Provided great insight into the history and how great mysteries are written. will enjoy them much more now. only thought is that he missed a section on medical mystery stories.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Miss H. L. Clark
- 26-09-22
Some good information
Overall, Schmid provides a good amount of information regarding suspense and mystery fiction. It was helpful and I’ve learned a lot that I can apply to my own writing. However, and I don’t know if there’s an underlying issue, Schmid’s heavy inhaled every few sentences were very distracting. I found myself inhaling deeply as a result and getting very lightheaded. When I could ignore it, I was fully immersed in his love for the topic.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Philip Saunders
- 06-01-19
Chapters skipping and out of order
The chapters are jumbled and out of order. Would have expected better from The Great Courses. The content itself is good and well put together, so this review is more about the presentation and structuring of the audio book itself, which spoils it.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Adrian Marriette
- 30-06-17
Disappointing
What would have made The Secrets of Great Mystery and Suspense Fiction better?
Shorter more focussed course or a wider choice of examples.
I reached the stage of gritting my teeth every time he mentioned Edgar Allen Poe. It felt like every few minutes. Whilst I grant the man the innovation in the genre he only wrote three stories !! I cannot see mysteries about crazed orangutans getting very far nowadays
Would you listen to another book narrated by Professor David Schmid?
No
What character would you cut from The Secrets of Great Mystery and Suspense Fiction?
Edgar Allen Poe
Any additional comments?
I really wanted to enjoy this
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10 people found this helpful