I'm writing my novel in the first person. However there seems to be no way to show 'behind the scene' in 1st person POV, because the hero isn't there. So I wrote those chapters in third person. Am curious if you agree or do the same.
Lots of writers do this. It's not at all unusual. But there are also a lot of writers who adhere to strict first-person narrative, and make that work very well, too.
So, I'd echo the caution Hapax gave, above. Without seeing your story, it's impossible to tell, one way or another. But beware of "the reader needs to know this" thinking. It can lead to all manner of morass for the writer. Among the worst is shifting to a different POV solely for the reason of providing the reader information. Why does your audience need to know something your initial first-person narrator doesn't?
caw
Good points from all. Thanks. I'm writing an espionage thriller. The key to this question, as some have pointed out, is does this 'hybrid' POV increase the suspense. I believe it does. Still, I have to do that without annoying the reader.
I agree with Flibble's astute comments, too. But, just for grins, I'll say that, as a reader, I find not knowing anything the first-person narrator doesn't know to be far more suspenseful than knowing what he doesn't know. Maybe that's because I read a lot of mysteries, most of which work suspense in that manner. But for some really good espionage/thriller novels that do NOT give the reader anything the narrative character doesn't know:
The Ipcress File, Len Deighton (made into an excellent movie with a young Michael Caine back in the late 1960s)
Watcher in the Shadows, by Geoffrey Household
The Spy Who Came In from the Cold, by John LeCarré
Six Days of the Condor, whose author slips my feeble mind at the moment, but also made into an excellent suspenseful movie starring Robert Redford, and reduced to only Three Days.
The Ministry of Fear, by Graham Greene. Greene had a background in Intelligence services, and transformed that experience into just about the finest body of literary work anyone ever has. Several others of his novels deal with espionage and suspense.
caw
Six Days of the Condor, whose author slips my feeble mind at the moment, but also made into an excellent suspenseful movie starring Robert Redford, and reduced to only Three Days.