Please welcome author Justin Murphy to the
blog today…
Why Mystery and Detective Series Should Include Disabled Characters by Justin Murphy
In recent
years, there are quite a few Crime, Mystery, or Detective novels with disabled
or Autistic characters. Whether be the investigator or such character somehow
included in the story. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close depicts a boy with
Asperger’s Syndrome named Oskar Schell who searches the five boroughs of New
York City for a key belonging to someone in the area. One given to his father
who fell from a window at The World Trade Center on 9/11. The Curious Incident
of The Dog In The Night-Time is set in England and centers on an Autistic,
Christopher John Francis Boone investigating the murder of a neighbor’s dog.
One he, at first, is arrested for. Another instance is House Rules where
adolescent Theo Hunt looks after his older brother Jacob, who also has
Asperger’s, one accused of killing his social skills tutor. There’s also the
recent success of The Maid, which portrays a domestic servant at a hotel who
also has Autism and probes into a murder where she works.
The success of
the above titles prove readers are willing to explore stories in the genre
depicting characters with disabilities or on the spectrum as either active
investigators or wrapped up in a crime, possibly with said individual as the
perpetrator. Yet as a self-published author with Cerebral Palsy caring for an
Autistic brother, I yearn to see a series of novels tackled involving such
topics. An author and reader in my position should wonder, ’’Why isn’t there
one?’’. There are many novel series featuring detectives and criminals from a
wide array of racial and ethnic backgrounds as well as gender and sexual
orientation. Where are series in this genre representing the disabled in any
fashion?
It's ironic how
everyone is afraid of offending people to the point of bowing to the above forms
of diversity and inclusivity. Yet seem to live in fear of many topics related
to disabilities or those with special needs. In my eyes, lack of inclusion for
the latter is far more offensive than any anxiety over the former ever could
be. Why can’t agents, editors, or publishers understand this? Are they THIS
scared of authors portraying a disabled person the wrong way to the point they
won’t even take the risk of signing works including such characters? There are
quite a few factors to consider, and this article will examine them.
The Notion That
Disabled (Or Any Minority) Characters Don’t Make Money:
First and
foremost, like with any other profession, publishing is a business designed to
make profits for agents, editors, and publishers. If the talent or authors they
signed have titles that don’t make a return on their investment, these
novelists or writers are left to find work elsewhere, or even leave for another
profession. This financial risk is often why the above invest in brand names
such as Stephen King, James Patterson, or J.K. Rowling. Such authors are brand
names with proven track records who can deliver beyond said return. Regardless,
King has written about characters from all walks of life, including a disabled
African American character named Edgar Freemantle, an amputee who’s the lead
character in his novel Duma Key. The author himself suffers from macular
degeneration and dealt with many injuries from a hit and run accident in the
late 1990’s.
Likewise,
Patterson has also written a bestselling series of novels around the African
American police detective Alex Cross. Both he and King are Caucasian authors
but have succeeded in including different minorities. The former has also
written the female centric series, The Women’s Murder Club while the latter’s
debut novel, Carrie, revolved around an adolescent girl discovering she has
telekinetic powers. If anything, these authors are very conscious of diversity
or inclusivity of minority characters. Like how J.K. Rowling, a female author
herself, found success writing about a boy wizard named Harry Potter. Since
publishing is a business, they each realized the need to tell a marketable or
entertaining story first. Although the downside of this is they could be
accused of cultural appropriation with said inclusion. Allegations of this
nature were hurled against Rowling toward her use of Native Americans in
subsequent works and was also criticized for her comments regarding the
transgender community. It should also be noted neither Jonathan Safran-Foer,
author of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, nor Mark Haddon, who wrote The
Curious Incident of The Dog In The Night-Time, are known to be disabled or
served as caregivers for those with such needs. The same goes for House Rules
writer Jodi Picoult and Nita Prose, who penned the recent hit novel The Maid.
However, minority authors do achieve success by merging their diverse
backgrounds with a mystery and detective series. Such as biracial Jewish and
African American author Walter Mosley with his long running Easy Rawlins novels
and Tess Gerritsen, author of the female centric Rizzoli and Isles books.
Successful
Standalone Novels Might Not Sustain Well As A Series:
It’s true while
a story can be successful as a novel, it doesn’t mean subsequent installments
will do well. Either the author may not pursue such avenues, or said agent,
editor, and publisher doesn’t elect to go down this road. Above all, a
successful book may not justify such. On top of these factors, the
aforementioned novels – Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, The Curious
Incident of The Dog In The Night-Time, House Rules, and The Maid tend to be
bundled in more with Literary works or Children’s/Young Adult fiction. While
not always the case, these genres don’t often lend themselves to continuation
in a series the way crime, mystery, or detective stories do. Also, these
standalone works explore the unique viewpoints of said characters and their
special needs. Such attributes might get lost as a series progresses.
Another issue in the event of a series would be the
question of, ’’Would this be plot driven and focus on the cases, or be
character based and show how the disabled and their caregivers navigate through
life with investigations being secondary?’’. Such paths can go either way and a
series is sometimes better when a balance of both is managed. Yet as I
mentioned above, this can become hard after an initial period. Conversely, such
attempts may have a rough go at first and find its footing after the first few
installments. Of course, the main factor in the scenario is the character’s
disability, no matter whether it's the cases or characters that get emphasized.
The crux of such tales will be how his or her special needs will affect the
story.
Active
Investigator Who’s Disabled vs. Investigator Who’s Also Caregiver for a Special
Needs Person:
This might be a debate that will rage on regardless of
the approach taken with any written works involving disabled characters. There
are those who portray them as active and capable lead characters in their own
story, along with other authors depicting them as supporting players who need
help throughout their lives. Possibly with the lead taking care of them.
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, The Curious Case of The Dog In The
Night-Time, and The Maid emphasize the former while House Rules somewhat
focuses on the latter. As someone with a mild case of Cerebral Palsy who cares
for an Autistic brother, my life occupies both ends of this spectrum. Maybe the
true answer lies somewhere in the middle by including disabled characters who
are somewhat independent and can help with the investigation or disclosed as
being involved in a criminal act. Along with depicting a detective or
perpetrator caring for a disabled person in their family life.
In closing, I want to reiterate the four above novels have now set the tone. Three of them have a disabled investigator in a mystery while one feature a protagonist caring for a disabled brother suspected in a criminal act. Despite being pegged as either literary novels or fixtures of the Children’s/Young Adult genres, they began the progression of including characters and issues of disability in the context of crime, mystery, or detective novel. Authors writing series in these related genres pertaining to or involving disabled characters are the next step. Regardless of whether said writers are disabled themselves, care for someone with these ordeals, or simply including the topic in their stories. This craft and business always presents an evolution with such issues.
Justin Murphy ©2022
Justin Murphy has self-published many works of Fiction and Non-Fiction through Amazon Kindle and Audible. For many years, he has also attempted the leap to traditional publishing and is now trying to get noticed in mystery magazines and anthologies. He deals with a mild case of Cerebral Palsy and helps care for a young brother who is Autistic. He considers him to be the joy of his life and wouldn’t have it any other way. He also dabbles in Photograph. They and their mother have traveled cross country, even making it to Yellowstone. All three are nomadic, doing so full time. Here are my pages for Amazon and Audible: Justin Murphy Amazon Page and Justin Murphy Audible Page
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