The final secret is oneself. ~ Oscar Wilde

As a writer, I often find myself reading numerous books. It occurs to me that many are mysteries, though I do venture into other genres from time to time. So why do we enjoy reading mysteries? Reading the Sunday paper, I noticed how many bestsellers are mysteries. It seems I’m not alone in my reading preferences.

This led me to question why so many of us are drawn to mysteries. I hadn’t given it much thought before. Why now? Perhaps it’s just one of life’s mysteries. I conducted some research on people’s reasons for reading mysteries and discovered more reasons than I anticipated, as well as insights from fiction authors.

PD James considered mystery novels to be about the “restoration of order.” She believed we wished our lives were as orderly as solving a fictional crime. Umberto Eco viewed this type of reading as the process of moving from mystery to resolution. Critic David Lodge stated, “A solved mystery is ultimately reassuring to readers, asserting the triumph of reason over instinct, of order over anarchy…”

Readers perceive mystery reading as an opportunity for thrills, escape from everyday life, the challenge of solving a puzzle, a chance to utilize problem-solving skills, logic, math, and pattern recognition. Some enjoy discovering how authors adhere to or improvise on the conventions of the genre, much like appreciating Chinese art. Readers of mystery series relish getting to know and love characters such as Jack Reacher and Kay Scarpetta.

So, what does this say about us? Like everything else we do, we might all engage in the same activity for different reasons.

Our most common desire seems to be witnessing logic working through messy details and making sense of them. Many of us yearn for an orderly world. We enjoy watching characters piece together clues and matching wits with them to see if we can solve the mystery before they do.

Our lives often seem off-kilter, unbalanced, and nonsensical. We might prefer predictable lives and want to know what to expect next. Of course, not all of us do. Some of us enjoy surprises and desire our lives to be a continuous adventure. Sometimes what happens in our lives seems logical and expected, while other times, events remain mysterious and lack a satisfactory explanation. I consider these life’s mysteries. Though they may not be earth-shattering, they certainly keep us on our toes.

We seek understanding in religion, science, conversations with friends, and the arts. As long as we continue to be curious about life, we remain alive. What could be more interesting than finding our lives fascinating rather than plodding along like robots?