# Cliches in crime thrillers **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 11, 2018, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliches-in-crime-thrillers/822798 "2018-10-11T10:26:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2018, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliches-in-crime-thrillers/822798/41 "2018-10-12T20:18:35Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > This is one I hate, and the main reason I don’t read police crime thrillers. > > If one of the main detectives has a family unrelated to the investigation, they will become targets of either a) the insane but crafty serial killer, or b) the crime organization being investigated. > > To me this seems like cheating, a cheap and easy way to add suspense. I prefer those kinds of detectives like in Midsomer Murders I don’t know about the books but in the BBC series how many times was Joyce Barnaby involved? I can think of at least three: when she thought she hit someone with her car but no body or blood was discovered; when the actor she was onstage with cut his throat because the razor was real instead of a prop; and the time she went in a spa’s pool and found a floating corpse. And that doesn’t even count how many dinners, birthdays, evenings out or vacations were interrupted by cases. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2018, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliches-in-crime-thrillers/822798/42 "2018-10-12T20:20:56Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > …F’rinstance, Columbo referring to gunshot residue as “powder burns.” I saw him on Wagon Train from 1963 this week. He deserves a break. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2018, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliches-in-crime-thrillers/822798/43 "2018-10-12T20:25:13Z")
The moment the detective solves the case, the murder goes out stalking his next victim. ---
**Author:** ![Rough\_Draft](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@Rough\_Draft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rough_Draft)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2018, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliches-in-crime-thrillers/822798/44 "2018-10-12T20:43:23Z")
> [@Sangahyando](#): > > I’m a big Diamond fan – Lovesey can’t turn them out fast or frequently enough for me. So far as I’m concerned, even the less-good ones are pretty good – _Stagestruck_, for example, I found rather far-fetched. Oh yeah, I wasn’t expecting the big subplot reveal to be a memory of a cow at the window! ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2018, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliches-in-crime-thrillers/822798/45 "2018-10-12T20:50:39Z")
I appreciate this thread. I’ve been wanting to vent about this stuff for some time. The killer is particularly vicious and has threatened the main witness and the lead detective. The cops put a protective detail on the witness or else take the poor bastard to a so-called safe house. Those houses are never safe. That witness is toast. The Chief wants to put a protective detail on the lead detective who objects strenuously, “I don’t need a babysitter,” " I can take care of myself, " blahblahblah. Right. Closely related is the scene where the detective has been seriously wounded, has just seen his partner blown to smithereens, or has been forced to kill the killer who was a teenager. The Chief wants him to “talk to someone.” " I don’t need a shrink! I’m not crazy! I need to get back to work! " ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2018, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliches-in-crime-thrillers/822798/46 "2018-10-13T13:11:28Z")
And anyone who goes on the computer will get the exact information they need in 2 seconds. “The suspect brought a .45 caliber gun illegally in Tijuana, and that gun was used in fourteen separate killings in three different states and two other countries)” I wish I had their search engines! And suspects always run from the cops, and they will always be caught. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2018, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliches-in-crime-thrillers/822798/47 "2018-10-13T14:17:35Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > " I don’t need a shrink! I’m not crazy! I need to get back to work! " There’s a kernel of truth in this. When my wife died I didn’t need time off, I desperately needed some remnant of normality. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2018, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliches-in-crime-thrillers/822798/48 "2018-10-13T14:35:49Z")
One of the things that drives me the craziest (this applies to TV more than to a novel) is when the cops are driving or walking around looking for their suspect and they spot him. They stop a good \*half a block \*away, flash their badges and yell, “Bob Jones! Police! We just need to talk to you!” and of course, he takes off running. I know they have to identify themselves, but why not wait until you’re a little closer? And then when they catch the guy and have him on the ground, he shouts, “I didn’t do anything!” What’s the next question? You all know this… “THEN WHY DID YOU RUN??” :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2018, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliches-in-crime-thrillers/822798/49 "2018-10-13T14:38:06Z")
And two cops always walk up to the suspect’s house in a straight line, shoulder to shoulder, right next to each other, with no guns out. So the suspect can come out with a gun and shoot them both in two seconds. Real cops walk up from opposite sides in a V-formation, guns at the ready. If the suspect pulls a gun on one cop, the other one will shoot him. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2018, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliches-in-crime-thrillers/822798/50 "2018-10-13T14:45:43Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I know they have to identify themselves, but why not wait until you’re a little closer? Because then … THE SUSPECT WOULDN"T BE ABLE TO RUN! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2018, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliches-in-crime-thrillers/822798/51 "2018-10-13T15:00:09Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Because then … > > THE SUSPECT WOULDN"T BE ABLE TO RUN! > > :smack: 😃 On L&O:SVU\* last week, Olivia Benson gave chase and had to stop a couple of times because she was out of breath. Hel-LO! I thought surely the plot would detour into her having a heart attack. That show is known for going off the rails. (The latest episode was a “Strangers on a Train”-type plot involving incels.) \*Yeah, I still watch it. I’m a lost cause. Just leave me here on the side of the road and save yourselves… ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2018, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliches-in-crime-thrillers/822798/52 "2018-10-13T16:26:31Z")
When a perp is running down an alley only to be boxed in by a squad car ahead of him, it NEVER occurs to him to just jump up on the hood, then roof, then down the back. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2018, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliches-in-crime-thrillers/822798/53 "2018-10-15T22:48:06Z")
Not confined to thrillers, but… Question: Are you okay? Answer: \<_While bleeding profusely from a head wound and holding partially severed arm close to body_\> I’m fine! Question: What’s wrong? Answer: \<_Fists clenched, eyes bulging out of head, vein on temple visibly throbbing_\> Nothing! ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2018, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliches-in-crime-thrillers/822798/54 "2018-10-17T18:27:59Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > The Chief wants to put a protective detail on the lead detective who objects strenuously, “I don’t need a babysitter,” " I can take care of myself, " blahblahblah. Right. This reminds me of the closely related, detective tells witness “I’ll have a squad car sitting outside all night”. Yeah, those patrolmen will be dead way before dawn. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2018, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliches-in-crime-thrillers/822798/55 "2018-10-17T22:56:15Z")
> [@xizor](#): > > This reminds me of the closely related, detective tells witness “I’ll have a squad car sitting outside all night”. Yeah, those patrolmen will be dead way before dawn. You can tell because they’re wearing red shirts. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2018, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliches-in-crime-thrillers/822798/56 "2018-10-17T23:08:06Z")
My favorite: you know the story is over when the hero is sitting on the back of an ambulance with a blanket around his shoulders and a cup of coffee in his hand. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2018, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliches-in-crime-thrillers/822798/57 "2018-10-17T23:19:20Z")
> [@Stephe96](#): > > My favorite: you know the story is over when the hero is sitting on the back of an ambulance with a blanket around his shoulders and a cup of coffee in his hand. In the old days, he’d be smoking a cigarette, too. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2018, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliches-in-crime-thrillers/822798/58 "2018-10-17T23:47:37Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > In the old days, he’d be smoking a cigarette, too. I’ve been watching the first season of _ **Mission: Impossible** _ (1966-67) the last couple of weeks. It’s bizarre to watch a show where \*\*everybody \*\*smokes \*\*all \*\*the freakin’ time! Today, Carol O’Connor blew a plume of thick smoke out his nostrils. Yeccch! :mad: And they’re not faking it either, like they did in _ **Mad Men** _ with herbal cigarettes. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2018, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliches-in-crime-thrillers/822798/59 "2018-10-18T01:11:25Z")
> [@xizor](#): > > This reminds me of the closely related, detective tells witness “I’ll have a squad car sitting outside all night”. Yeah, those patrolmen will be dead way before dawn. Sometimes yes; but more often they’ll show up back at headquarters, and when the detective asks why they aren’t on station they’ll reply that they were relieved by a backup- who of course is the killer. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2018, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliches-in-crime-thrillers/822798/60 "2018-10-18T17:37:19Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Technical terms are often wrong. F’rinstance, Columbo referring to gunshot residue as “powder burns.” I will NOT have my main man Columbo unfairly maligned. Clearly, he knew the correct term, but was intentionally using the wrong one so as to appear less capable, making the perp underestimate him and thereby slip up and reveal the clue that lets Columbo nab him or her. > [@PatrickLondon](#): > > And then there’s the casual-seeming “Oh, just one thing” question as the detective leaves (which usually turns out to be what unearths a key fact). Ahem. Main man, maligned, etc. I think “signature, highly effective, move” is a better description than ‘cliche’. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliches-in-crime-thrillers/822798.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliches-in-crime-thrillers/822798.md?page=4)