Mystery, Thriller, Hybrid? The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers in a Transmedial Narratological Perspective

This narratological study of Erskine Childersʼs The Riddle of the Sands aims to determine whether that early 20th-century crime novel is actually a mystery work, a thriller, or a hybrid. For the purposes of evaluating its generic intricacies and affiliation, a simple yet comprehensive transmedial taxonomy of crime works, directly inspired by Charles Derryʼs film-restricted one, will be proposed. In the course of the analysis, generic links to non-crime genres will also be taken into account. The article expands upon some practical considerations discussed in its authorʼs doctoral thesis.