The world of mystery can be divided roughly into three groups: hard-boiled mystery, traditional mystery, and cozy mystery (once called chick-lit, but that expanded into geezer-lit, etc.)  I write in two of those.

Hard-boiled mystery is tough and often violent. I don't do that. Can't might be a better word.

Peg Herring's mysteries are traditional. The protagonist is in search of a criminal, possibly hired to do so, possibly working to protect an innocent party, sometimes herself. Violence is not graphic or extended.

My alter ego, Maggie Pill, writes cozy mysteries, which are lighthearted in their approach to crime-solving. Yes, people die, but the murder is usually off-scene and sometimes a little wacky. Emphasis is on the character of the amateur sleuth(s) who can't seem to leave a puzzle alone. Settings are often small towns, with a charmingly eccentric supporting cast. Cozies aren't the least bit realistic, since the vast majority of us depend on the police to solve crimes, but we'd all like to think we could do it if called upon.

I read hard-boiled mysteries occasionally, because some noir writers are good enough to get around my dislike of beatings and torture and such. I read cozies occasionally, because some cozy writers are good enough to get past my objections to overly cutesy plots and irritatingly zany characters. I read mostly traditional mysteries, pitting my investigative skills against the author's plot devices to see who wins.

When I write, either as Maggie Pill in cozy mystery or Peg Herring in traditional, the main character(s) will be decent people, and there will be a satisfactory conclusion to the crime. For me, that's required: playing fair with my readers.