Suspense, a combination of anticipation and anxiety, is achieved when a reader cares enough about characters to want them to succeed, while their obstacles are great enough to threaten this success. The reader continues reading in order to relieve the anxiety provoked by obstacles. The suspense thriller differs from other subgenres in that it maintains the interest of the reader strictly through emotional investment in the protagonist.

Subgenres like the legal thriller sustain reader interest through legal maneuverings. In these stories, the minutiae of the law are the primary obstacle, and the reader follows twists and turns alongside the protagonist. The action thriller sustains reader interest through physical threats to the protagonist. There is often a time limit in addition to an antagonist who directly opposes the protagonist. The action thriller frequently employs a “MacGuffin”—a desired object that the protagonist must find or protect. The stakes are often raised by making many lives dependent on the protagonist’s success. Like the suspense thriller, the psychological thriller sustains reader interest through emotion. The movement of the story is mental more than physical, employing mood and

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