A good mystery novel can make a rainy day or night very exciting as their popularity will attest. A mystery novel has six basic tenants called literacy elements: characters, setting, plot, point of view, theme and tone. The most common mistake a new writer can make is to take an imagined story but not inject the elements above. Mystery novels can use these elements to give order to the plot with an outline which has a beginning, middle and satisfactory ending. A mystery may fall under several categories such as the “whodunit,” detective stories and the straight mystery genre to mention three.

The history of the mystery novel in America goes back to Edgar Allen Poe and his first five stories in which principals of horror and mystery are combined. England has many forms of the mystery which were labeled "cute" as characters like Miss Marple, for instance, became unlikely but clever detectives. These "cute" novels have no cursing or obvious sex scenes.
In American mysteries that can be true also, but large doses of horror and intelligent detectives are a must. Sex and cursing, when it moves a story forward, are acceptable.

Characters must be believable and have obvious credibility though even the heroes will still have their own oddities or shortcomings. The criminal or evil-doer can have some redeeming qualities also, which helps cover his misdeeds until the author wishes to have them known.

The mystery is a very popular genre. There are several book clubs and mystery clubs to keep a reader up-to-date on new books and authors. Writers are usually readers, too. This enables them to see what is currently successful. Mystery readers soon become addicts and can always enjoy the next novel.