At the risk of criticizing widely known and respected practitioners of the craft … I’m of the view that many mystery novels are simply too long.
Perhaps that’s the fault of fans, who love to enter a world created by writers they love, and don’t want to leave.
I understand that. I’m a mystery reader as well as a writer.
And once you’re a bestselling author, almost anything you write will sell, even something so bloated with subplots that the reader doesn’t care what happens by the end.
Bu everyone should be edited, even the masters.