Private eyes are in vogue again. Female detectives and sleuths are extremely popular. Consider Marcia Muller's Sharon McCone and Sue Grafton's Kinsey Milhone.
Historical mysteries have risen in popularity as have supernatural tales. P.N. Elrodd's Dark Sleep is an example of an historical mystery. A Navajo vampire is the protagonist in David Thurlo's supernatural tales.
Sleuths of various ethnicity and professions, some unrelated to police work, abound in bookstores. Robert O. Greer's black bail-bondsman and reluctant sleuth, C.J. Floyd, solves crimes in The Devil's Hatband.
Social, sexual, religious and political issues are being explored openly in ways never done before.
Use of some profanity and vernacular dialog is now a standard in most mystery writing, even in the traditional cozy.
Realistic descriptions of murder scenes have replaced antiseptic, bloodless, one-bullet death scenes.
Mysteries laced with humor have risen in popularity. Consider Janet Evanovich's bungling, inept heroine, Stephanie Plum.
