I spend a fair amount of time reading, and I enjoy exploring mystery fiction through many authors. My Book Nook is a forum to share some of the gems I have found along the way.

There are different ways of defining the many genres of mystery and crime fiction. As a tool to help people find authors and books they may enjoy, my reviews refer to six genres of mystery fiction.

Cozy/Classic Detective: No graphic{error} descriptions of violence or sex. The sleuth in these stories relies on logic and his/her intellect to solve a crime.

Hard-boiled Detective: Usually involving a private{error} detective, these stories have more grit and more emphasis on sex/violence in the story line. Sometimes these stories involve a “rough around the edges” police detective who {error}is either working outside the system or ignoring police procedure in order to solve a crime.

Police Procedural: Stories about a police officer/detective investigating a crime. These investigations rely on police resources and are constrained by police rules and regulations.

Spy: Mysteries that are set in stories about espionage.

Legal/Court Room: Mysteries that are set in stories about litigation.

Caper: Stories that are told from the perspective{error} of the criminals who are perpetrating crimes.