Detecting a love of mysteries

“Give me problems, give me work…I abhor the dull routine of existence. I crave for mental exaltation”- Sherlock Holmes, The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle.

This is to be the first in a series of posts where I write about the various genres I have loved throughout my life (any excuse to fanboy). I could not think of a better place to begin than a genre I have been an avid consumer of since before I could even read: mysteries. (elementary my dear readers)

It all began as so many stories often do, with watching cartoons as a kid; becoming familiar with the mystery story structure with Scooby Doo: a monster is causing trouble (“jinkies!”), split up and look for clues (“zoinks!”), catch and expose the villain. I was also a big Batman fan (my first cosplay at age 6),  considering the fact that The Dark Knight (2008)  is my favourite film I still am. This was when I began to admire characters who were incredibly intelligent (though it helps if you’re also a billionaire, martial arts master with access to cutting-edge technology). This would continue into my teenage years as my pop-culture interests and general nerdiness expanded. BBC’s Sherlock starring Benedict Cumberbatch was central in properly introducing me to the most famous detective in fiction. I watched the series from its first episode back in 2010, fittingly I was in London at the time (I go there a lot, mostly for the West End shows) and I have been a lover of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s creation ever since, even visiting The Sherlock Holmes museum at 221b Baker Street during a later trip to the English capital. The Holmes mysteries would also be important during my undergraduate years; while studying the writers of Romance and Realism I wrote an essay on the famous The Hound of the Baskervilles. Other titles studied on the module included The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins and The Adventures of Caleb Williams by William Godwin (father of Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein). This was another one of the most memorable modules of my undergraduate degree and I recall it fondly (though to this day I regret not wearing my deerstalker hat to the Conan Doyle lectures). As the Literature Scholar years continued I branched out into other mystery writers, in particular the works of Agatha Christie have captured my imagination most recently. First brought to my attention when The Doctor met her during one of his adventures “The Unicorn and The Wasp” (season 4 episode 8 of Doctor Who) I have said it before and I will say it again, I love that my academic field is also my passion. I began with her famous story featuring the moustached Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot, Murder on the Orient Express, (which I funnily enough started reading on the train home when I was out for the day) and have been keen to get through as many of the works in her extensive collection ever since (the collector in me is also appeased).

So to conclude my investigation into my love of the world of mysteries, whether it is the edge-of-your-seat plots, the charming protagonists who use brain power and logic to save the day or just simply the vastness of this popular genre, I have always been an avid fan and am always eager to live my childhood detective dream from the comfort of my couch.

Featured image: Me outside The Sherlock Holmes Museum in London (taken 2016)