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The answer is Yes.

When I picked up my pen and started writing again last year, my intention was to write strictly mystery.  But as I kept writing, I found romance creeping into my stories.  It wasn’t intentional, but it certainly felt natural.  So, I began to ask myself the same question I asked in the title: Does Romance Have Any Place in Mystery Books? The answer that came back to me at first was Maybe.

You see, the classic mystery writers I had followed for years were crime fiction writers.  I love crime fiction.  I think I have mentioned it more than once on this blog.  However, most of the stories I had read focused almost exclusively on solving a crime.  There was little or no room for romance, and if it was included, it seemed like an after-thought.

That is, until I discovered Tasha Alexander.

Tears of Pearl, by Tasha Alexander was a book I discovered about a month ago at a bookstore.  What caught my eye was this comment from the Denver post:

Infused with wit and charm, with just the right amounts of danger, romance, and detection blended in.

Say what?! Danger and Romance in one book? And Detection, too? I was surprised.  So, I opened it and began to read.  I was pleasantly surprised.  I realized as I read the book that it was possible after all to combine both romance and mystery in one book.  I am sure there is a balancing act there that seasoned authors have mastered, but I am willing to learn.

I am still reading Tears of Pearl, but when I eventually put it down, there is one conclusion that will remain unchanged: mystery and romance go hand-in-hand.  Undoubtedly.

Picture via Tasha Alexander Official Website

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