What Makes a Good Crime Story? An Investigation of a Genre

Crime fiction is a broad concept, and one especially relevant in our home country of Germany where crime novels, TV series, and movies are all affectionately referred to as “Krimi.” It’s such a big deal here that it has its own holiday, Krimitag, on December 8th when fans get together to celebrate the mysteries they love so much. And what could possibly make it better than great audio? But because it represents so many subgenres, we decided to write an article about everything from whodunits to Nordic Noir.

What exactly is crime fiction?

From the broadest possible perspective, crime fiction encompasses any story that centers around a criminal act. Generally, the act in question is something more on the severe end such as murder or bank robbery, and the narrative attempts to find out how it happened, who is responsible, and what subsequently becomes of those involved. In order to understand what differentiates it from other gripping forms of entertainment, take a look at a few related genres:

Thriller: more focus is put on a direct threat, pacing, and action.
Horror: plays more strongly with fear, body elements, and often supernatural elements.
True Crime: strictly speaking, these are also about crime, but not fictional.

This article is primarily about creative crime stories in the form of TV series and movies. If you’re more into listening, check out our blog list on great true crime podcasts.

Whodunit – the Big Mystery

One of the absolute classic kinds of crime fiction is the whodunit, a truncated version of the question “who done it?” the central question around which this subgenre revolves. In other words, these are mysteries where it is unclear who committed the crime in question. Some common tropes include:

locked-room mystery – all characters are locked into a room or house, limiting the circle of suspects for increased drama
the crime is committed by one person
many clues and false turns
a final scene where all the puzzle pieces come together, solving the riddle

A good whodunit will start telling you something is off in the soundtrack. Classical or jazzy themes set the tone. Every new clue will be marked with an accentuated tone, often preceded by a moment of absolute silence to build tension masterfully.

Famous soundtrack composers such as Carter Burwell (Knives Out) and legends such as Nino Rota and Michel Legrand have left their mark on this mystery thriller sound. Modern whodunits tend to use minimalist scores that lay unobtrusively beneath the plot, yet still make you feel like something is about to happen.

The most famous author of this subgenre by far is Agatha Christie with her Hercule Poirot series. The fun for readers and watchers is of course in figuring out the mystery before anyone else.

And so you can investigate this genre further if you like, we put together a few of our favorites below:

Titel	Year of Publication	Film / Series	Trailer
Murder on the Orient Express	1974 / 2017	Film	TrailerOpens in new tab
Evil Under the Sun	1982	Film	TrailerOpens in new tab
Murder She Said	1961	Film	TrailerOpens in new tab
The Hound of the Baskervilles	1959	Film	TrailerOpens in new tab
Knives Out	2019	Film	TrailerOpens in new tab
The Thursday Murder Club	2025	Film	TrailerOpens in new tab
Death and Other Details	2024	Series	TrailerOpens in new tab
The Last of Sheila	1973	Film	TrailerOpens in new tab
Brick	2005	Film	TrailerOpens in new tab

Products from the Teufel Shop

CINEBAR 22 Power Edition for Dolby Atmos 5.1-Set

699,99 €In various colors

CINEBAR LUX Surround "5.0-Set"

799,99 €~~1199,99 €~~In various colors

CINEBAR LUX Ambition

799,99 €~~1199,99 €~~In various colors

Police Procedurals – Tracking Down the Truth

Police procedurals put the truth center stage.

You follow police officers, detectives, or forensic teams in their work.
Crime scenes, interrogations, files, lab results, internal conflicts – all that kind of stuff.
Tension arises when new clues emerge, old hypotheses collapse, or investigators reach their limits.

Unlike whodunits, the focus here is more on process and reality than on perfect puzzle mechanics.

Typical examples include series such as Broadchurch, Chasing Shadows, Dublin Murders, and, to take an example from Teufel’s home country, Das Verschwinden. Police procedurals and whodunits can sometimes overlap. One example of this would be Sherlock Holmes. Here, the circle of suspects is predetermined. The plot revolves primarily around how Holmes and Watson track down the murderer.

Teufel Tip: for something that’s somewhere in between whodunit and police procedural, check out Dexter, which includes police work, psychology and moral questions in an atmosphere that surpasses the bounds typical to the genre.

Here is a list of a few police procedurals that are classic examples of the genre and very watchable:

Titel	Year of Publication	Film / Series	Trailer
Broadchurch	2013–2017	Series	TrailerOpens in new tab
Chasing Shadows	2014	Series	TrailerOpens in new tab
Decision to Leave	2022	Film	TrailerOpens in new tab
Dublin Murders	2019	Series	TrailerOpens in new tab
Sherlock (BBC)	2010–2017	Series	TrailerOpens in new tab

Sherlock: a Crime Series with a Particular Soundtrack

The BBC series Sherlock exemplifies how strongly sound can shape the genre. The score by David Arnold and Michael Price combines classical elements with modern, rhythmic accents, giving the format its own unique tension.

Typical elements include:

Strings and violin emphasizing Sherlock’s analytical precision
Rhythmic patterns that reflect his fast thinking
Playful motifs that make his intellectual superiority audible
Dark, tense areas in situations of danger or moral gray areas

In interviews, Arnold and Price emphasize that the score is intended to reflect Sherlock’s world on two levels: the classic detective tradition, immediately recognizable with string and violin motifs, and the character’s modern, analytical sharpness. That’s why they mix traditional orchestral sounds with contemporary rhythmic and electronic elements.

Nordic Noir – Crime Fiction from Northern Europe

Nordic Noir encompasses crime novels from countries such as Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Iceland. Typical features of this genre include a minimalist, often slow narrative style, investigators with clear inner conflicts, and a strong focus on social issues such as corruption, inequality, and structural violence. The landscape and weather often play a central role, shaping the atmosphere as well as the plot.

Series such as The Bridge (Bron/Broen), Morden i Sandhamn, Jordskott, and Bordertown have adopted this label proudly.

Music and sound design play a key role in creating the Nordic noir effect. Many productions rely on a very minimalist, almost sparse sound: quiet ambient textures, slow piano motifs, and lots of room reverb. Sounds such as wind, creaking floors, or empty corridors often take on the function of music. Deep drones reinforce the underlying tension.

If you want to delve deeper into this dark, Nordic narrative world, the following list provides perfect examples of how versatile Nordic Noir can be:

Titel	Year of Publication	Film / Series	Trailer
The Bridge	2011–2018	Series	TrailerOpens in new tab
Fargo	2014	Series	TrailerOpens in new tab
The Sandhamn Murders	2010	Series	Trailer (OV)Opens in new tab
Jordskott	2015–2017	Series	TrailerOpens in new tab
Bordertown	2016–2020	Series	TrailerOpens in new tab
Trapped (Ófærð)	2015–2019	Series	TrailerOpens in new tab
The Guilty (Den skyldige)	2018	Film	TrailerOpens in new tab

Why We Love Crime Fiction So Much

Crime stories captivate us because they constantly provide little nudges. A new detail, a glance that reveals something, a twist that suddenly casts a scene in a different light. Whether it’s a film or a series, you remain attentive because anything can take on significance at any moment.

1. Brain Puzzles

Crime stories are captivating because they appeal to our natural urge to organize and understand. We observe characters, notice small contradictions, sort through clues, and unconsciously form hypotheses. Good crime stories give us just enough information to keep us thinking, but never so much that the suspense is lost. This constant weighing up keeps the brain busy and ensures that we remain emotionally and mentally engaged.

2. Danger at a Safe Distance

Exciting stories allow us to experience fear, danger, and uncertainty without actually being in danger ourselves. Research into the reception of thrillers and true crime stories has given rise to the concept of “safe thrills”: we test in our minds how we would deal with danger while actually sitting on the sofa. This is useful for our brains: it trains them to recognize patterns of threat.

3. Order in Chaos

Many crime series and movies follow a similar pattern: crime – chaos – investigation – resolution. In the end, at least part of the world becomes understandable again. In a time when many things seem confusing, crime stories provide a sense of control and justice, even when the resolution remains ambiguous.

4. Moral, Empathy and Society

Crime stories are also experiments in morality: Why do people become criminals? How far would you go yourself? Who bears responsibility? Just the individual or an entire system? Stories like these help to train empathy and judgment because you are constantly switching between different perspectives.

5. And the Soundtrack?

Music and sound design reinforce all of this: pulsating rhythms reflect inner turmoil, deep drones create a feeling of unease in the stomach, silence makes you alert. And then there’s the soundtrack! This is familiar from many well-known film series and directorial styles, such as James Bond or the classic Tarantino tune.

If You Want Goosebumps: Experience Crime Sound with Teufel Audio

▶ CINEBAR 22 for Dolby Atmos 5.1-SetOpens in new tab: Want 3D sound, but not thrilled about adding clutter to your living room? Then this soundbar Opens in new tabis just the thing for you! This powerful 5.1 system delivers true cinema sound with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, which also comes from above – perfect for rooms up to 35 m². Thanks to side reflection speakers and clever Dynamore® technology, the sound is not only wider, but also more immersive.

▶ ULTIMA 40 Surround + DENON X3800H for Dolby AtmosOpens in new tab: Want to really turn up the volume? This ready-to-play 5.1.2home theater setOpens in new tab is the complete solution for epic sound in your living room. The latest generation of the ULTIMA 40 series delivers powerful sound with center, subwoofer, and rear speakers—and thanks to REFLEKT Atmos speakers, the sound also comes from above. The whole system is controlled by the high-end DENON X3800H AV receiver, which leaves nothing to be desired. Perfect for large rooms up to 35 m².

Summary: Crime Stories Have a Unique Impact

Crime series and films are fascinating because they combine mystery, emotion, and social issues – and with good sound, they have an even more intense effect.
Whodunits, police procedurals, and Nordic Noir demonstrate how versatile the genre is and how suspense can be conveyed in different ways.
Classic and modern productions offer powerful stories that, with the right soundtrack, become impressive viewing experiences.