Tropes: Murder Mystery

In researching various murder mystery novels, I found that many of them use a similar red color to place emphasis on the fact that its a murder mystery, since red symbolizes blood and anger. If they're not using red, then they're likely placing emphasis on a weapon (like in Agatha Christie The Murder of Roger Ackroyd) or using sharp shapes to give the feeling of a weapon (Patricia Cornwell Body of Evidence). Some may also feature a grungy texture in the background or over the text (Kathy Reich Deja Dead and Brigham and Reed Math is Murder).

You can find more popular murder mystery books over at Goodreads.com.