This holiday, I recommended to my friend that she read a psychological thriller by a well-known author in the genre, who has written hit after hit. I am a big fan of theirs, and given how much I enjoyed the book, I thought she would have a similar response, but when she finished it in the early hours of the morning; she had thrown it across the bedroom in annoyance. The next day at breakfast, all she could do was rant to me about how cross she was.
This book had blindsided me. I just hadn’t seen the antagonist coming. I like to think I’m fairly good at spotting them. (Although this might just be my ego!) Either way, this book shocked me in a way that one hadn’t for quite a long time, and I loved that about it. My friend, on the other hand, did not. Not at all.
The fact that she hadn’t seen how the story panned out had been the most disappointing aspect of the book. She likes to work them out. That’s where her joy in thrillers comes from. Which is why I wanted to come here and ask the question: breadcrumbs or blindsided?
Are you a reader who likes to fastidiously work out who you think is responsible as you go along? Do you get a great sense of satisfaction when you arrive at the last chapter, knowing you have it all figured it out, or are you disappointed if you manage to do that? Do you want a read where twists and plots are so unexpected that you just don’t see them coming? Or are they just a part of the ride that you hope doesn’t derail you too much?
Personally, I love the guessing game. I love piecing clues together and being so sure I know exactly who is behind all the devious shenanigans, only to have a red herring throw everything I thought into the abyss. That is what I hope to do in my books: to put the readers on one path so that they are distracted from the faint footprints that lie hidden in the grass just beyond.
I like to be able to throw up my arms at the end of the book and go, “Of course, how did I not see that coming?” But that, of course, is my own personal preference, and as the incident with my friend taught me, we all have, and are entitled to, our own preferences. So, what’s yours?