Important Elements of Mysteries

by J.R. Lancaster, @jrlauthor 

For those of you who don’t know me yet, mysteries are my jam so there couldn’t be a more perfect topic for me to chat about. More so, let’s talk about important elements in mysteries.

Could there be anything more gratifying than reading a mystery where you have no clue who did it or why, but the resolution makes so much sense? Not at all. Now, I could say a million things about what should be in a mystery according to the experts, but I think I’d rather share what I think makes a good mystery. This is purely from a reader’s standpoint because, after all, we are supposed to write the book we want to read, right?

First up, foreshadowing.

Give me all the things I wish I would have seen along way and reveal it to me at the end! A great mystery has you fooled into thinking you can solve the puzzle when in reality, you haven’t the slightest hint of what’s in front of you. It’s like a magician tricking you with the left hand while the right one is doing all the work.

Next, is layering on the suspense.

For a good mystery I need to feel something is coming without seeing it.  This is the ultimate distraction from the clues peppered within the plot. I want to be distracted by the feeling of fight-or-flight. That’s all part of the fun.

Give me all the Red Herrings.

This really goes beyond someone being a great writer and boarder’s common sense. We need clues not to seem out of place, they have to make so much sense, the reader has no idea you’ve already given them the key to unlocking it all. As a reader, I want to be led astray, tricked, and thrown off course. Why? Because you bet your bottom dollar, I will be paying attention. Not to mention, when I figure out that I’ve got it wrong I’ll be hooked until I find out the truth.

This is a big one, pacing.

I have found the secret for me is to begin a chapter with a inciting incident and end it with a question. The middle is filled with all the action to get from point A to point B. When writers do this, I have that good ol’ fashioned feeling of ‘just one more chapter.’

And lastly, a strong finish.

At the end of the novel a riveting mystery needs to line it out for me. What were the clues I missed? What might I have figured out? Why was wrong in my first theories? And what are you going to do about it? All I am looking for is a resolution to the game of cat and mouse that we’ve been playing from cover to cover.

When you combine all of these elements you have the making of an immersive experience for readers. And that’s really the goal. Think about it like the board game CLUE or CLUEDO. Almost everyone has played it, and even if you haven’t, you’ve certainly heard of it. How did it become so popular? It gives players an experience not just a storyline.

I hope you have had fun exploring this with me! It was really interesting to compare and contrast my favorite mysteries in order to identify what hooks me as a reader. I would love to hear what you would add to the list!

J.R. Lancaster is a published journalist, Editor and CEO of Musings & Company Creative Agency. She lives in the Midwest with her husband and children. J.R. is a graduate of Southern New Hampshire University and possesses an MFA in Creative Writing and Teaching Degree in English. She has a passion for writing that is only rivaled by her love of reading. In her spare time, you can find her outside with her family or behind the pages of a book. Connect with J.R. on Twitter @jrlauthor or Instagram @authorj.r.lancaster.

Book Blurb:

Basil Billingsly has dedicated more than ten years to flying under the radar of everyone in Badger’s Hollow.

He employs Mrs. Greene to do his bidding  while he sets to work with clients far from prying eyes in the Village. He answers to no one and there isn’t a soul alive that relies on him either. Everything was perfect, until it wasn’t.

Now, a decade later, the killer has struck again, and Basil is forced to revisit the unsolved murder of his mother. Torn between love and lies, Basil must sort out his feelings before it’s too late. Old habits die hard, will he break them to save his friends, or will solitude call him home?

Image by Dorothe from Pixabay