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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True crime books which have been adapted for the small and big screen

We often discover many real-life mysteries through TV series and movies, but many of those works are based on excellently-researched and well-written books. Here are a couple of true crime books which have gone on to be adapted for the small and big screen.

Black Klansman

The 2018 movie adaptation of Ron Stallworth’s books won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, which should make the book itself a must-read. Black Klansman tells the real-life story of Colorado detective Ron Stallworth who starts out investigating the activities of the Ku Klux Klan by posing as an interested potential and ends up going undercover in the notorious white supremacist group.

In the book, Stallworth details how he and a fellow detective gathered information about the Klan by attending meetings and speaking to members on the phone and subsequently sabotaged many of their activities.

At times, it paints a bleak picture of a divided America, but also details the extraordinary efforts of Stallworth and his colleagues to confront the hate.

Dirty John (and Other True Stories of Outlaws and Outsiders) by Christopher Goffard

The book is a collection of writings by LA Times journalist Christopher Goffard, who began writing about the underbelly of LA life a decade or so ago. One of the stories he uncovered was that of the conman who terrorizes a family in California and which formed the basis of the 2017 podcast Dirty John. From that sprang the Netflix series starring Connie Britton and Eric Bana, which is a fictionalized account of the Dirty John. In this book, readers can discover the origin of that story, as well as many other, told in Goffard’s unique and compelling writing style.

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Mystery fiction which peels back the layers

One thing we know for sure in mystery fiction is that nothing is ever as it initially seems. If it was, the police would have everything wrapped up in the first few chapters. However, what is also apparent is that when they tug at one little thread, a lot of different things can start to unravel. Here are a couple of mystery novels which involve peeling back the layers.

Deadly Secrets by Terry Odell

Gordon Hepler didn’t bank on a desk job when he joined the police force and rose through the ranks, but Mapleton, Colorado is a quiet town and his promise to his former boss and mentor means he has to deal with the mundane day-to-day stuff.

However, it isn’t long before he’s back on the street when a series of traumatic events rock the sleepy down and Hepler quickly makes the connections. First a fatal car accident, then a mugging, a burglary and then a gruesome murder all throw a spotlight on Mapleton. Hepler must find out what’s behind it all while uncovering some pretty dark secrets about the town’s inhabitants.

The Dark Town I: When You’re Gone by Marguerite O'Callaghan

The first of a new mystery trilogy, When You’re Gone begins with the disappearance of Lydia’s twin sister Kate. She alerts that police and the CCTV footage shows that she was at a London nightclub shortly before her disappearance.

While the police pursue a sex-trafficking lead, Lydia does some investigating of her own and discovers some dark secrets about her sister which involve some seeding places and people. Can Lydia get to the bottom of Kate’s secret life before it’s too late?

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Researching your family tree: Some useful tips

Researching your family tree can be a daunting, yet ultimately rewarding process. Digging into your families past can unearth some fascinating stories but how do you go about it? Here are a few tips to get your start in your genealogical quest.

Start with the here and now

It may sound pretty obvious, but take the present day as your starting point and work backward from there. Use what you do know to find out what you do. As you go back a generation, you will gradually find the holes in your research that need to be filled.

Talk to ask many family members as you can

Some people may not be able to remember exact times and dates, but they may be able to help point you in the right direction. Find out if people were known by other names if there was something noteworthy about them which may lead on to something else. Even amusing stories or memories which seem pretty superficial or unimportant can contain valuable nuggets of information and can place a person at a certain time and place.

Write it all down

It’s important to make a note of everything you find out as you don’t know when some piece of information is going to come in handy. Trying to recall some detail from memory alone will be almost impossible so it’s much better to write everything down.

Check out official documents

Finding out about relatives from 100 years may seem daunting, but there is a good chance their name might crop up in official documents somewhere. Check census records, military records or if they were a member of a professional organization or trade Union.

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