onegirlandtheworld asked: What constitutes as a romantic suspense?
I’m not well-versed in the esoterica of publishing, so I’m not sure if this is a specific subgenre. I find that “suspense,” as a genre, is rather broad—to put it mildly. Like “thriller,” suspense includes so much that it is nearly all-encompassing. Noir is sometimes classified amongst suspense—and for good reason. Good noir is suspenseful. But a film or book promising to be a “suspense” is no promise of noir.
There is also romantic suspense in a more general sense. Hitchcock made scads of these: Vertigo, The Birds, North by Northwest, etc. I’m of the opinion that romance can weaken bleak noir, but a few films noir can pull it off: Laura and Notorious come to mind. Jonathon King’s Acts of Nature isn’t quite noir, but is a damn suspenseful novel with a pair of romantically involved protagonists.
As always, other are invited to leave suggestions!
