--- title: "12 Mystery Novel Quotes by 11 authors" description: "Browse 12 Mystery Novel quotes by 11 authors. Discover the best Mystery Novel sayings and thoughts." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7a/patricia-cornwell-6812_books_has-all-the-trappings-of-a-mystery-novel_1095631.jpg" --- > [Has all the trappings of a mystery novel, doesn't it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-cornwell/has-all-the-trappings-of-a-mystery-novel-doesn-t-it/) [Patricia Cornwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-cornwell/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7a/patricia-cornwell-6812_books_has-all-the-trappings-of-a-mystery-novel_1095631.jpg) > [Secrecy can be sexy. It's essential to any good mystery novel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-brooke/secrecy-can-be-sexy-it-s-essential-to-any-good-mystery-novel/) [Heather Brooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-brooke/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c8/heather-brooke-9035_any_secrecy-can-be-sexy-it-s-essential-to-an_3174242.jpg) > [A mystery novel localizes the awesome force of the real death outside the book, winds it tightly in a plot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/a-mystery-novel-localizes-the-awesome-force-of-the-real-death-outside/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64f/don-delillo-294_book_a-mystery-novel-localizes-the-awesome-fo_987873.jpg) > [“The solution, once revealed, must seem to have been inevitable. At least half of all the mystery novels published violate this law."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/the-solution-once-revealed-must-seem-to-have-been-inevitable-at-least/) [Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eae/raymond-chandler-629_craft_the-solution-once-revealed-must-seem-to_3003071.jpg) > [If you're reading a mystery novel, you kind of want the character to solve the crime instead of completely bumble their way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-shaffer/if-you-re-reading-a-mystery-novel-you-kind-of-want-the-character-to/) [Andrew Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-shaffer/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/396/andrew-shaffer-9890_books_if-you-re-reading-a-mystery-novel-you-ki_2727005.jpg) > [There are two ways to approach the writing of a mystery novel: adhere to the rules, or break them with glee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/there-are-two-ways-to-approach-the-writing-of-a-mystery-novel-adhere/) [Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be0/sarah-weinman-7655_books_there-are-two-ways-to-approach-the-writi_2388091.jpg) > [It's important to write a mystery novel where the takeaway is not a giveaway - where something could be read over and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimenez-lai/it-s-important-to-write-a-mystery-novel-where-the-takeaway-is-not-a/) [Jimenez Lai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimenez-lai/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b6/jimenez-lai-17092_books_it-s-important-to-write-a-mystery-novel_1796129.jpg) > [“Great mystery novel for the beach. Just when you think you know where the plot is going, it goes somewhere else. Big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-a-milman/great-mystery-novel-for-the-beach-just-when-you-think-you-know-where/) [Harry A. Milman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-a-milman/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fab/harry-a-milman-241597_big-sur_great-mystery-novel-for-the-beach-just-w_200818.jpg) > [I don't believe that murders can be "solved." I think that this is the big lie of the mystery novel, that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pelecanos/i-don-t-believe-that-murders-can-be-solved-i-think-that-this-is-the/) [George Pelecanos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pelecanos/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/880/george-pelecanos-3616_believe_i-don-t-believe-that-murders-can-be-solv_1552529.jpg) > [I had thought for years, probably 30 or 40 years, that it would be a lot of fun to try my hand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bradley/i-had-thought-for-years-probably-30-or-40-years-that-it-would-be-a/) [Alan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bradley/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/827/alan-bradley-1571_book_i-had-thought-for-years-probably-30-or-4_2982579.png) > [Although we might think of Holmes as the Ur-sleuth, the seminal inspiration for many writers comes not from the chronicles of Baker…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/although-we-might-think-of-holmes-as-the-ur-sleuth-the-seminal/) [Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eca/sarah-weinman-7655_bleak-house_although-we-might-think-of-holmes-as-the_2232826.jpg) > [“There is only one motive for writing a novel: to be published and read. To me there is no distinction between the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-franklin-bardin/there-is-only-one-motive-for-writing-a-novel-to-be-published-and-read/) [John Franklin Bardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-franklin-bardin/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11d/john-franklin-bardin-75051_books_there-is-only-one-motive-for-writing-a-n_2044057.jpg) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery-novel/#itemlist", "name": "Mystery Novel Quotes", "numberOfItems": 12, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Has all the trappings of a mystery novel, doesn't it?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Patricia Cornwell" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-cornwell/has-all-the-trappings-of-a-mystery-novel-doesn-t-it/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7a/patricia-cornwell-6812_books_has-all-the-trappings-of-a-mystery-novel_1095631.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7a/patricia-cornwell-6812_books_has-all-the-trappings-of-a-mystery-novel_1095631.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7a/patricia-cornwell-6812_books_has-all-the-trappings-of-a-mystery-novel_1095631.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Has all the trappings of a mystery novel, doesn't it?” — Patricia Cornwell", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Secrecy can be sexy. It's essential to any good mystery novel.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Heather Brooke" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-brooke/secrecy-can-be-sexy-it-s-essential-to-any-good-mystery-novel/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c8/heather-brooke-9035_any_secrecy-can-be-sexy-it-s-essential-to-an_3174242.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c8/heather-brooke-9035_any_secrecy-can-be-sexy-it-s-essential-to-an_3174242.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c8/heather-brooke-9035_any_secrecy-can-be-sexy-it-s-essential-to-an_3174242.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Secrecy can be sexy. 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At least half of all the mystery novels published violate this law.\" ( Casual Notes on the Mystery Novel , 1949)”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Raymond Chandler" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/the-solution-once-revealed-must-seem-to-have-been-inevitable-at-least/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eae/raymond-chandler-629_craft_the-solution-once-revealed-must-seem-to_3003071.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eae/raymond-chandler-629_craft_the-solution-once-revealed-must-seem-to_3003071.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eae/raymond-chandler-629_craft_the-solution-once-revealed-must-seem-to_3003071.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The solution, once revealed, must seem to have been inevitable. At least half of all the mystery novels…” — Raymond Chandler", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 5, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you're reading a mystery novel, you kind of want the character to solve the crime instead of completely bumble their way through it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Andrew Shaffer" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-shaffer/if-you-re-reading-a-mystery-novel-you-kind-of-want-the-character-to/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/396/andrew-shaffer-9890_books_if-you-re-reading-a-mystery-novel-you-ki_2727005.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/396/andrew-shaffer-9890_books_if-you-re-reading-a-mystery-novel-you-ki_2727005.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/396/andrew-shaffer-9890_books_if-you-re-reading-a-mystery-novel-you-ki_2727005.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you're reading a mystery novel, you kind of want the character to solve the crime instead of completely…” — Andrew Shaffer", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 6, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There are two ways to approach the writing of a mystery novel: adhere to the rules, or break them with glee.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sarah Weinman" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/there-are-two-ways-to-approach-the-writing-of-a-mystery-novel-adhere/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be0/sarah-weinman-7655_books_there-are-two-ways-to-approach-the-writi_2388091.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be0/sarah-weinman-7655_books_there-are-two-ways-to-approach-the-writi_2388091.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be0/sarah-weinman-7655_books_there-are-two-ways-to-approach-the-writi_2388091.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There are two ways to approach the writing of a mystery novel: adhere to the rules, or break them with glee.” — Sarah Weinman", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 7, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's important to write a mystery novel where the takeaway is not a giveaway - where something could be read over and over.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jimenez Lai" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimenez-lai/it-s-important-to-write-a-mystery-novel-where-the-takeaway-is-not-a/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b6/jimenez-lai-17092_books_it-s-important-to-write-a-mystery-novel_1796129.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b6/jimenez-lai-17092_books_it-s-important-to-write-a-mystery-novel_1796129.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b6/jimenez-lai-17092_books_it-s-important-to-write-a-mystery-novel_1796129.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's important to write a mystery novel where the takeaway is not a giveaway - where something could be read…” — Jimenez Lai", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 8, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Great mystery novel for the beach. Just when you think you know where the plot is going, it goes somewhere else. Big surprise ending!”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Harry A. Milman" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-a-milman/great-mystery-novel-for-the-beach-just-when-you-think-you-know-where/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fab/harry-a-milman-241597_big-sur_great-mystery-novel-for-the-beach-just-w_200818.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fab/harry-a-milman-241597_big-sur_great-mystery-novel-for-the-beach-just-w_200818.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fab/harry-a-milman-241597_big-sur_great-mystery-novel-for-the-beach-just-w_200818.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Great mystery novel for the beach. Just when you think you know where the plot is going, it goes somewhere…” — Harry A. Milman", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 9, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't believe that murders can be \"solved.\" I think that this is the big lie of the mystery novel, that you should close the book and feel that the world is back in order and everything's all right. I want the reader to know that the world is not all right, and maybe we ought to do something about it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Pelecanos" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pelecanos/i-don-t-believe-that-murders-can-be-solved-i-think-that-this-is-the/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/880/george-pelecanos-3616_believe_i-don-t-believe-that-murders-can-be-solv_1552529.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/880/george-pelecanos-3616_believe_i-don-t-believe-that-murders-can-be-solv_1552529.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/880/george-pelecanos-3616_believe_i-don-t-believe-that-murders-can-be-solv_1552529.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I don't believe that murders can be \"solved.\" I think that this is the big lie of the mystery novel, that…” — George Pelecanos", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 10, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I had thought for years, probably 30 or 40 years, that it would be a lot of fun to try my hand at a classic English mystery novel... I love that form very much because the reader is so familiar with all of the types of characters that are in there that they already identify with the book.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alan Bradley" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bradley/i-had-thought-for-years-probably-30-or-40-years-that-it-would-be-a/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/827/alan-bradley-1571_book_i-had-thought-for-years-probably-30-or-4_2982579.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/827/alan-bradley-1571_book_i-had-thought-for-years-probably-30-or-4_2982579.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/827/alan-bradley-1571_book_i-had-thought-for-years-probably-30-or-4_2982579.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I had thought for years, probably 30 or 40 years, that it would be a lot of fun to try my hand at a classic…” — Alan Bradley", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 11, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Although we might think of Holmes as the Ur-sleuth, the seminal inspiration for many writers comes not from the chronicles of Baker Street but from the intricately plotted novels of Charles Dickens and his colleague Wilkie Collins, who in works like 'Bleak House' and 'The Moonstone' established the modern, character-driven mystery novel.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sarah Weinman" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/although-we-might-think-of-holmes-as-the-ur-sleuth-the-seminal/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eca/sarah-weinman-7655_bleak-house_although-we-might-think-of-holmes-as-the_2232826.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eca/sarah-weinman-7655_bleak-house_although-we-might-think-of-holmes-as-the_2232826.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eca/sarah-weinman-7655_bleak-house_although-we-might-think-of-holmes-as-the_2232826.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Although we might think of Holmes as the Ur-sleuth, the seminal inspiration for many writers comes not from…” — Sarah Weinman", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 12, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“There is only one motive for writing a novel: to be published and read. To me there is no distinction between the mystery novel and the novel, only between good books and bad books. A good book takes the reader into a new world of experience; it is an experiment. A bad book, unless the writing is inept, reinforces the intransigent attitude of the reader not to experiment with a new world. Since there are criminals and psychopaths and sociopaths in all my novels they are in a way psychological thrillers.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Franklin Bardin" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-franklin-bardin/there-is-only-one-motive-for-writing-a-novel-to-be-published-and-read/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11d/john-franklin-bardin-75051_books_there-is-only-one-motive-for-writing-a-n_2044057.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11d/john-franklin-bardin-75051_books_there-is-only-one-motive-for-writing-a-n_2044057.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11d/john-franklin-bardin-75051_books_there-is-only-one-motive-for-writing-a-n_2044057.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There is only one motive for writing a novel: to be published and read. To me there is no distinction…” — John Franklin Bardin", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } } ] }, { "@type": "CollectionPage", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery-novel/#webpage", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery-novel/", "name": "Mystery Novel Quotes", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery-novel/#itemlist" }, "primaryImageOfPage": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7a/patricia-cornwell-6812_books_has-all-the-trappings-of-a-mystery-novel_1095631.jpg" }, "description": "Browse 12 Mystery Novel quotes by 11 authors. 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