mandalay said:
would anyone be able to help me brain storm a few pointers as to why crime fiction is so popular?
mystery, unravelling of a crime, action, suspence, psychological manipulations ( a form of red herrings)..., the ability this genre gives the authors to allow the readers to "willingly suspend their disbeleif", supernatural themes ( for example the evil hound in 'the hound of the baskervilles'), getting into the shoes of the detective, the love for violence, blood, torment and horror ( some traits that many crime novels/movies possess... for example the "oozing serrum" in "the skull beneath the skin".. or the battered face of clarrisa )....
there's heaps more... but not many i can think of right now