6 of the Most Polarizing Mystery and Crime Books Ever Written

Certain genres of books tend to drum up more controversy than others, even though it may seem like just about any kind of book can be under fire in the current era. Novels that are designed to screw with the reader’s perception of reality or chain of events within a narrative, such as horror, thriller, or mystery (or all of the above), have a higher chance of polarizing readers than a cozy romance series. Much of this polarization can even be among readers in the literary community and not necessarily on a larger cultural scale, which can also mean that just because a book is considered polarizing does not automatically mean it’s bad or not worth reading. The mystery genre is vast and includes several subgenres, including but not limited to noir, cozy mystery, and crime fiction, with the latter being more common among mystery novels that can be interpreted as disturbing and therefore lending itself to polarization. Similar to book bans, if you tell someone not to read something or tell them that a particular book generated a fuss online, that might just increase the book’s appeal — especially if it involves plot twists that will blow your mind or a fast-paced storyline that will ha...