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jeudi 13 novembre 2014

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By Christa Jarvis


Romance is a big seller, as are thrillers full of tension. Romantic suspense authors like Nora Roberts have the best of both genres. Readers have two themes to intrigue them - the interaction between hero and heroine and the fear that a villain will get one of them. With a very skillful writer, there's the fear that the villain will be one of them.

The mystery is a fairly new twist in what many think of as romance novels. Contract authors retain the central theme of a beautiful, naive woman meeting a strong, enigmatic male. The mystery angle brings in private eyes, law enforcement officers, or government agents rather than the usual cowboys, boys next door, or exotic millionaires.

However, novelists like Nora Roberts offer a lot more to their readers. Roberts has set a high standard with believable characters in real-life dilemmas. Her dialogue is intriguing and the struggles of her characters absorbing. There are no throw-away scenes that advance the plot or fulfill a formula.

Roberts moved from straight romance novels to mysteries, writing under the name J. D. Robb. Her New York police detective's relationship with her husband is the key theme, although crime moves the plot along.

Of course, suspense does not always involve a crime being committed. Dorothy L. Sayers created Lord Peter Whimsey, a British nobleman who solves problems for family and country. After breaking many hearts, he eventually falls for a woman charged with murder, and the question of whether they will ever surmount the obstacles that separate them is tension enough for several books.

Police are favorite characters, but this doesn't eliminate the romantic angle. Martha Grimes writes the saga of Richard Jury, a melancholy detective whose desire for love is frustrated over and over. Devoted readers enjoy Jury's cleverness and his relationships with co-workers, friends, acquaintances, lovers, and a mysterious Londoner who may or may not have committed the crime Jury suspects him of.

Not all the good authors are women, either. Dick Francis wrote action books based on the world of thoroughbred racing. They are all mysteries, with a central character investigating dark plots among the aristocracy as well as the lower classes. Both worlds are expertly depicted, and the heroes narrowly escape death but never the mayhem that goes before it. However, some of his best books involve romance: Matt Shore falling for his Nancy or Sid Halley losing his first wife to his ambition to be leading steeplechase rider.

Roberts was the first author inducted in to the Romance Writers Hall of Fame, not only because of the popularity of her books but also because of the excellence of her writing. Martha Grimes brings astonishing originality to her novels. Dorothy L. Sayers created an immortal character who is more of a household name than many prime ministers. For more great writers, check the Best Seller lists for the past few decades. There is no reason to put up with substandard writing in order to get suspense and romance.




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