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BOOK REVIEW | CRIME | PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLERS

Where Do The Crimes Spring From In Crime & Psychological Thrillers?

Crime, Mystery & The Complexities Of Human Behaviour

4 min readAug 25, 2023

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Photo: Penny Grubb

A Fine Balance Between Drama & Absurdity

Crime fiction and psychological thrillers explore the darker aspects of human nature. Writers delve into the motives behind criminal behaviour and the intricacies of solving mysteries. A satisfying aspect of these genres is often the ingenuity with which the mystery is pieced together, a process that must walk a fine balance; heightening tension whilst maintaining credibility, and avoiding the trap that will tip the story into absurdity.

These stories are rarely just about the crime; they are about understanding the human psyche and knowing why individuals were driven to commit these acts.

There’s a fluid dividing line between these two genres; psychological thrillers could be said to focus more heavily on the emotional states of the characters, with stories that play on a reader’s fears and anxieties. However, the battle between sanity and madness can be a central theme in both types of books.

the genres blur

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Penny Grubb
Penny Grubb

Written by Penny Grubb

An award-winning crime novelist & long-time amateur poultry keeper, who specialised in teaching methods, healthcare & software engineering as an academic.