Suspense novels are deservedly popular, but very hard to define. They are not murder mysteries. They are not just straight novels, because something nasty and frightening is bound to happen. That is the promise to the reader. They are not spy stories, and they are certainly not police procedurals. In a suspense novel, the element of character matters very much indeed. The hero/heroine is pitted, not against organized crime or international terrorism, but against a personal enemy, a personal problem; the conflict is on an individual, adversarial level.
Joan Aiken in The Writer's Handbook, edited by Sylvia K. Burack, 2004
Joan Aiken in The Writer's Handbook, edited by Sylvia K. Burack, 2004
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