Novela Negra, a wide scale of grays.

The crime novel arises with Edgar Allan Poe and curator Auguste Dupin in the streets of Paris with the book of stories titled The crimes of morgue Street. Since then the crime novel has evolved, it has diversified, localized, feminized, radicalized and has even come close to terror. So much so that even the most avid crime novel readers don't like all styles.

Is it possible that Miss Marple, Philip Marlowe, Pepe Carvalho, Lisbeth Salander and the civil guard couple Vila and Chamorro all belong to the same gender? It is. Same genre, very different styles.

For the purists: Classic Noir Novel.

American novel of the 50s and 60s with a male detective, a tough guy beaten by life, beautiful and ruthless women who tormented the protagonist and an environment in the depths of a big city. With Sam Spade by Dashiell Hammett and Philippe Marlowe by Raymond Chandler as first swords, or even our Pepe Carvalho by Manuel Vázquez Montalbán, now he joins the Cormoran Strike group, by Roberth Galbraith which is none other than the new pseudonym of Joanne Rowling known for all like JK Rowling.

For those who adapt to the times without losing tradition: Modern Black Novel.

It is, neither more nor less, the rejuvenation of the gender, with a male or female detective who works alone or in company, but with a tormented life and is set either in the underworld or in the luxurious and decadent and corrupt worlds of earned money. based on breaking the law and respect for other human beings, we frame many of the current novels. One of the forerunners of female detectives in the crime novel was Sue Grafton with her detective Kinsey Milhorne. In Spain, without a doubt, the first to transfer the American crime novel to our territory at the hands of a detective, has been Alicia Giménez Barlett with Petra Delicado. Other examples of this novel with great punch are Víctor del Árbol or Leonardo Padura with his martyred policeman, Mario Conde

For the classics: British intrigue novel.

Murders with little blood and solved with the only asset of the intelligence and cunning of the investigator, set in beautiful frames, have as their main reference Agatha Christie, with Poirot, Miss Marple or Tommy and Tuppence and, at present, the best example She is known as the Lady of Crime: Donna Leon and her commissioner Brunetti, in the incomparable Venice.

For those who study the twisted human mind: Nordic Noir Novel.

The Nordic crime novel lives its sweetest moment. Born in the 60s by the hand of Sjöwall and Wahlöö and their inspector Martin Beck, the boom of Henning Mankel with Inspector Walander and the international success of Stieg Larson with Lisbeth Salander, it is today represented by authors such as Jo Nesbro, Camila Lackberg and much more, since it is a very prolific area in this type of novels.

Violent murders and explicit descriptions, a dark environment favored by the climate and landscape of the area, few emotions or extreme emotions, and male and female detectives with tormented lives mark the characteristics of this subgenre.

For retailers: Detective novel.

They are those that focus primarily on research methods. Police team with different profiles, including judges and forensics investigating a crime. It is the genre most brought to the screen, which inspires series like CSI. Patricia Corwell or Arthur Connan Doyle are examples of this type of crime novel where investigation is the key.

In Spain, Esteban Navarro, a retired police officer, is the best example of this genre. In his novels we can transport ourselves inside a police station and the daily work of the police: collaborations with the civil guard, reports, statements ... they frame his novels.

For lovers of oriental culture: Japanese Noir Novel.

It is worth treating it separately because, although more unknown in Spain despite the fact that one of Getafe's black novel editions was dedicated to it, it has features that are unique.

• The lack of impulsiveness of the characters: Cold and calculating, they never act as prisoners of emotions, always from rest and coldness.
• In the setting of the Japanese novel, technology is ubiquitous.

It shares harshness with hard boiled, the classic American crime novel, full of squalor and hopelessness.

As exponents of the Japanese crime novel, we can cite from the most classics such as Seishi Yokomizo, Haruki Murakami or Yukio Mishima to current authors such as Natsuo Kirino, Masako Tokawa, Miysuyo Kakuta.

For those who adored The Indiscrete Window: Domestic Noir.

These are novels of intrigue that flee from serial killers, radical psychopaths and the recreation of violence. Crimes occur at home, in families, which makes them even more chilling. They explore the emotional side of the murderers, the motivations to kill of ordinary people, the protagonists explore and analyze their personal problems and delve into the inner world of criminals and victims, their motives and sufferings. Normally, the investigator is not a professional. They are exponents of this genre Steve (SJ) Watson, Roger Jon Ellory. In Spain, Clara Tíscar, Lorena Franco and María José Moreno are good examples.

Inside the Domestic Noir is the Grip Lit (gripping psychological thrillers literature), with more emotional overtones, in some cases close to the romantic novel and with writers who write about women: Gillian Flynn with Lost or Paula Hawkings with The Girl on the Train are the most international representatives.

For those of us who like to eat: Gastronomic Noir.

We cannot stop referring to a genre created at home, by our favorite chef and director of innovation at Arzak, Xabier Gutiérrez, with his trilogy El Aroma del Crimen. Gastronomic noir not only means giving a cooking touch to the crime novel as Stanley Gardner did with his unforgettable gastronomic lawyer Perry Mason, but the novels are set in the culinary world.

I do not know if they are all who are, but what I can assure you that all who are, are.