Crime, Mysteries & Thrillers discussion

When reading a book, and you're pretty darned sure you've figured out the who done it or mystery part, do you continue until the end or do you skip pages, skim pages, or turn pages until you see it in writing that you're correct in your thinking? Or do you just quit and find another book?

I read every word moving forward so I can recalibrate just in the smallest chance that I'm not correct. When I get to the end and I AM correct I feel a flood of vindication if it was a tricky and clever mystery. As if some of the brilliance gets transferred to me through my fingers and eyes.
--Anna E. Bendewald

I'm never good at figuring out the who done it. Usually, when I start to get an idea of who it was I'm already near the end of the book, so I continue reading until I know for sure.

I never skip or skim unless it's a book I'm really not enjoying. Even if I think I know whodunnit, there is often so much more to enjoy in terms of characters or setting - and besides, there is always that possibility that I'm wrong. Or even if I'm right about the who, sometimes there's a nifty reveal about the why or the how.

I keep reading.
There's always the chance I'm wrong.
I like to see if I 'got' all the clues that pointed to the guilty party or if I missed some of them.

Seems we all do the same. Think it's because we like to read? I like to try and figure out the mystery but I like knowing for sure and I like to see how things are woven throughout the story.

I very seldom guess the killer. The one time I did I was disappointed there was no twist.

Karen wrote: "I very seldom guess the killer. The one time I did I was disappointed there was no twist."

not a single twist? well that's a bit borning.

I don't typically guess either. And I don't skip or skim, and rarely give up on a book. I should have on that darn Brothers Karamazov!

Rarely, but there’s occasions when I do. Usually only if it’s killing me (mind the pun) to know.

Beth Buning wrote: "I don't typically guess either. And I don't skip or skim, and rarely give up on a book. I should have on that darn Brothers Karamazov!"

I do guess. I always try to figure it out as I read.

Sheri wrote: "When reading a book, and you're pretty darned sure you've figured out the who done it or mystery part, do you continue until the end or do you skip pages, skim pages, or turn pages until you see it..."

If it's a pretty good book I'll read every page to the very end until it's finished before starting another book. If it's a darn good thriller I'll skip chapters just to stay with the one part of the character in the same action scene when an author changes a scene in the next chapter. I also have a hard time not finishing a book to the end before starting another one. It's so easy to get bored with a book in the middle and with it's chacters to keep reading it to end and just starting another one. I don't care to guess who done it just takes away from the whole story when and you the read can missout on a major twist in the plot. On that note just who is S. and who is real V.M. Straka?

Well Scott. I'd say together we should discover it in time. lol