How Do You Rank Suspense?

I tend to listen to books either on Audible or on my Kindle devices while I'm driving. That can sometimes be a little dangerous. LOL! There have been some stories, claiming the genre of suspense, that have nearly put me to sleep. Off they go! And still others are so intense, my accelerator finds it's way well above the speed limit! Yikes! Off they go, too! 

But seriously, today's suspense stories have quite a range, from psychological thrillers to stalkings, serial killers to police procedurals. Some of the suspense can be considered rather mild or only seen in certain places in the story - like the end. Others can be so intense that there is little time to breath. And then there is everything in between. 

In this article, I'm not really dealing with the types of suspense, just the intensity of it. And my rankings have nothing to do with how good a book or an author is, just where he or she falls in the intensity of their suspense. So here is my scale: 

😕 1❗ 

    This type of story is more confusing than intense. It doesn't have much suspense to speak of or the suspense is contrived or fake. For instance, the main character might imagine all sorts of issues, but then realize there is nothing there but her imagination. Books like this can be billed as psychological intrigue, but when everything is imagined until something real might happen at the end, the book gets monotonous. Often, any mystery involved is obvious or non-existent, and I LOVE a good mystery! 

    This type of book can only affect my driving if it makes me drowsy. If I'm on a long trip and can't turn it off, I'll actually finish one of these books, but I never review them. In this case, the ranking generally mirrors my opinion of them as well. 

Low intensity: CONFUSING OR UNINTERESTING.

😯😯 2❗❗

    I grew up reading Phyllis A. Whitney, Trixie Belden, and Nancy Drew. I loved how the authors,especially Whitney, would piece together a twisted mystery where the main character became a target for one reason or another. The suspense didn't carry throughout the book, usually close to the end, but it was just enough to get the juices going! Maybe a little like Murder, She Wrote and Diagnosis Murder did in the TV world. 

    These stories don't usually affect my driving, but since I LOVE a good mystery, I eat these up - especially if they have a bit of clean romance to share. They aren't quite general suspense, and I don't have many other authors to share in this realm, though I would include Roxanne Rustand and many of the Love Inspired Suspense books. I would call them mystery romance stories that incorporate suspense. They don't fall into the more popular cozy mystery genre because of the romance and the suspense that amplifies as the story unfolds. If you have some favorites that fit here, feel free to share them with me! 

Medium intensity: DELICIOUS

    😬 3❗❗❗

    This is a suspense where a character seems to have a target or is being manipulated in some way all tied up with a great mystery. These books typically start with a pretty intense scene - an ignition or an inciting incident that starts up the trouble. The main character might not even be aware of the ongoing trouble until it amplifies toward the middle of the story. And this type of story does amplify with a good balance between intensity and breathing periods. 

    I find I have a little bit of a heavy foot on the accelerator peddle when I listen to these, but not so much that I'll get pulled over. These books settle right into my favorite zone and most of our Suspense Sisters write in this groove as does former suspense sisters, Robin Patchen and Elizabeth Goddard - two of my faves! I try to write in this realm myself. A few of my favorite books in this mode include the Elite Guardian series by Lynette Eason and the Natchez Trace series by Patricia Bradley, but there are lots of others! Do you have a favorite book or series in this intensity ranking? I'd love to hear about it. 

Medium High Intensity: SPARKLING

 😨 4❗❗❗❗

    This is suspense that teeters on the creepy with serial killers or stalkers. Often these have mysteries,but not always and they can touch on the psychological suspense realm. The intensity of these stories begin with the first page and only give short breaths throughout, but the breaths are usually perfectly placed. Sometimes, I don't even realize that I'm holding my breath until I find a resting place in the story. 

    These, like the last rating, don't typically put me in danger of getting a speeding ticket - well until the last couple of chapters! But when I'm listening to them late at night, every shadow in my backyard tends to catch my attention. 

    To me, this is Nancy Mehl's queen-dom! She weaves such spine-tingling stories that I work to read them only in the daylight! Do you have other authors or particular stories or series that would fit into this ranking? I'd love to hear about them!   

High Intensity: ELECTRIFYING

😱 5 ❗❗❗❗❗

    Yikes! This is suspense that literally doesn't allow me to breathe. They don't begin with an incident as often as they begin with catastrophes - often tragic ones that can send me over the edge. The action seems non-stop, almost without allowing me to even think through what has happened. Often there is a tricky mystery involved with these, but they can be overwhelmed by the adventure with one disaster after another. 

    The catastrophes of these suspense stories come so quick and are so huge, that I don't realize how fast I'm going in my car. When I do, I have to turn the books off completely. In fact, I seldom complete books in this realm. I can handle a two-hour movie with this type of suspense (think Eagle Eye, Raiders of the Lost Ark, or Cellular), but a book of 7-10 hours is too long to keep me in that mode.

    I confess, I don't like being quite that tense. I've been recently disappointed when a few former favorite mystery/suspense authors have delved into harder levels or suspense or thrillers instead of remaining with the genre that made them so popular.  

Too High: OFF-THE-CHARTS

As you can probably tell, my happy place is in the 2-3 level with a few 4s from some of my favorite authors. What about you? Where is your happy place? Share your thoughts and authors or books and you might win an e-copy of my GRIME BEAT. It settles right in between the 2 and the 3 ranking. I hope you LOVE it!