How to write a mystery novel

Mystery novels are packed with all the exciting things; thrills, suspense, crime, interesting characters and of course, the element of mystery. They can make for some of the most interesting reads for a variety of audiences. If you’re an aspiring author, here’s how to write a mystery novel.

Suspense - The number one rule when it comes to suspense is to give your reader information. You can’t expect readers to be worried or on edge if they have nothing to be anxious about. That’s why you need to feed the reader with information in order to experience suspense. For instance, if you tell readers a bomb will go off in 5 minutes, then they’ll be waiting for it to happen.

Contrast - You need to balance one extreme for the other extreme, for instance, having a bit of humor to balance out the level of suspense in the novel. If a novel is constantly one level of extreme, then it’ll soon lose that edge. You need to get the balance right to make it more relatable and interesting for the reader.

Setting - When it comes to the whereabouts of your book, don’t just use the setting as merely a background, you’ll want to incorporate it into the plot in some way. It’s essential to incorporate the background in the drama, and somehow connect it with the flow of the story. This can be to do with where a crime was committed for example.

Momentum - It’s important in any good book to keep the pace of the story interesting. This could be done by switching locations, a sudden drama or changing up the pace of the story, such as fast forwarding in time.

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Cracking the case: Why a murder mystery weekend may be for you

If you are the sort of person who loves reading mystery novels and often has it all figured before you reach the end, then you might also be the type to revel in a murder mystery weekend. It is a fun and challenging pursuit for fans of mystery fiction and invites those taking part to crack the case, while enjoying a break in a country house or other grand setting.

In England, many period properties are the settings for murder mystery weekends or dinners and have the advantage of evoking the works of Agatha Christie, with costumes and setting seeming to have leapt straight of the pages of her best known books.

The US also has a well-established tradition of murder mystery breaks, with historic houses, rural settings or indeed more central locations playing host to ‘whodunits’.

What happens at a murder mystery weekend?

Guests much work together in teams to solve a murder. Actors in costumes will often play out a scene and the guests themselves can be suspects. Different clues are given at it is up to the ‘investigators’ to pick up on them and use them to crack the case.

Murder mystery weekends not only promote teamwork, they also encourage critical thinking and are a great workout for the ‘little grey cells’ as Hercule Poirot would call them.

They are also a great way for friends to bond over a common interest while providing a stimulating exercise for a weekend away and the prevalence of this type of entertainment means they are often high-quality productions.

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Uncovering the mystery: The evolution of crime fiction

Like many genres, the world of crime fiction has evolved and changed quite a bit over the years. From the days of Sherlock Holmes, the mystery novel has undergone many different overhauls and changes, right up to the present day with more diverse and sophisticated characters and storylines.

Arthur Conan Doyle’s Holmes was seen as the quintessential Victorian detective and spawned many similar novels and characters. However, the advent of the 20th century saw a new wave of crime fiction, particularly from the United States with authors such as Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett creating characters such as Philip Marlowe and Sam Spade, who went on to achieve even greater fame on the big screen. This new approach of the hard-boiled police detective proved a big hit with readers.

However, there remained a popular and vibrant British mystery tradition, not least with one the first superstar authors Agatha Christie, whose novels featuring Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot, often mirrored a sense of adventure in her own life.

One of the major features of more modern mystery novels is that identity of the investigators and the duties the end up having to perform. It’s no longer just about studiously deducing clues and coming up with a well-thought-out conclusion.

Detectives these days often more closely resemble action heroes. The protagonist in a mystery novel isn’t always a member of the police force – they can be an FBI agent, a skilled amateur or a newspaper reporter seeking to get to bottom of something. Often, they are conflicted and flawed, blurring the lines somewhat between good and bad. However, what is clear is that crime fiction is no less engaging than it ever was.

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