How does a literary mystery novel differ from other mystery novels?

Literary mystery novels tend to explore deeper themes. In a normal mystery, the focus might be mainly on solving the crime. However, in a literary mystery such as 'Gone Girl', it delves into themes of marriage, identity, and the power dynamics between men and women. Moreover, literary mystery novels may not always follow the traditional mystery structure. A common mystery novel often has a clear setup, investigation, and resolution. But a literary mystery like 'The Secret History' plays with the timeline and the way the mystery is revealed to the reader, making it a more complex and thought - provoking read.

Well, literary mystery novels usually have a higher level of language sophistication. They might use more complex vocabulary and sentence structures compared to ordinary mystery novels. For instance, 'In Cold Blood' by Truman Capote is written in a very detailed and evocative style. Another difference is that literary mystery novels can be more character - driven. Take 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' for example. The relationship between the journalist Mikael Blomkvist and the hacker Lisbeth Salander is as important as the mystery they are trying to solve. And they are complex, well - developed characters. In contrast, some regular mystery novels might be more plot - focused.

A literary mystery novel often has more complex characters. For example, in a regular mystery novel, the detective might be a simple good - guy - catches - bad - guy type. But in a literary mystery like 'The Name of the Rose', the characters are multi - dimensional, with their own beliefs, desires, and flaws that are deeply intertwined with the mystery. Also, the writing style is usually more elaborate. A regular mystery might be more straightforward in its prose, while a literary mystery can have beautiful and detailed descriptions like in 'Rebecca' where the setting of Manderley is almost a character in itself.