“Love interest nearly always weakens a mystery because it introduces a type of suspense that is antagonistic to the detective's struggle to solve the problem. It stacks the cards, and in nine cases out of ten, it eliminates at least two useful suspects. The only effective love interest is that which creates a personal hazard for the detective - but which, at the same time, you instinctively feel to be a mere episode. A really good detective never gets married.”
--Raymond Chandler, "Casual Notes on the Mystery Novel" (essay, 1949), first published in Raymond Chandler Speaking (1962)
Erotica author, aka Elspeth Potter, on Writing from the Inside
Sunday, July 25, 2010
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Heh. Shows what he knows! How Chandler would shudder at how popular romantic suspense has become.
ReplyDeleteI was VERY amused when I found this quote.
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