Mysteries and Thrillers Set on Islands

Mysteries and Thrillers Set on Islands_NovelSuspectsIslands have been an ideal setting for countless mysteries and thrillers over the decades. Agatha Christie set some of her classic mysteries, such as Evil Under the Sun and And Then There Were None, on islands with limited transportation.

Countless other authors down through the decades have set their stories on islands: both real-life and imaginary. They’re ideal settings for mysteries and thrillers because means of ingress and egress are limited: bridges, tunnels, boats, and planes. Without at least one of those things, no one has any way of getting on (or, more critically, off) of the island. If a murder takes place, the list of suspects is narrowed down to whoever was on the island at the time. It also means that the characters are trapped with a murderer somewhere among them. And one of them may well be the next victim.

In the hands of a skillful storyteller, the island becomes a character in its own right, setting the mood of the story, and becoming either a help or a hindrance. An island could be a luxurious, exotic getaway for a vacation or someone’s peaceful home by the sea. It could also be a desolate, isolated place cut off from the rest of the world.

 

Erin Roll is a freelance writer, editor, and proofreader. Her favorite genres to read are mystery, science fiction, and fantasy, and her TBR pile is likely to be visible on Google Maps. Before becoming an editor, Erin worked as a journalist and photographer, and she has won far too many awards from the New Jersey Press Association.

Erin lives on the top floor of a haunted house in Montclair, NJ. She enjoys reading (of course), writing, hiking, kayaking, music, and video games.