by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
Cozy mysteries offer a very quiet approach to death for mystery readers. The crimes are never described in gory detail. The methods aren’t ordinarily very grim (I’ve had a few victims pushed out windows and down staircases). And there’s usually not a very high body count.
But there is, often, a second victim. In my books, there is always a second victim.
Here are a few things to know about my second victims:
I like the second victim to be in the middle of the book. I never have a saggy book middle because I drop a body right at that point. It provides a nice break from the previous investigation and separates the mystery into two halves with two different series of suspect interviews.
I like the second victim to be the most-likely suspect for the first murder. This makes for a fun twist and helps keep the sleuth (and the readers) guessing.
The second victim is often someone who knows too much. This is a common theme in many cozy mysteries and in mysteries in general, both in books and on film. This victim could have tried blackmailing the murderer (never a wise idea). Or the victim could have suddenly put the pieces of the puzzle together and been about to go to the police with their findings…before they’re intercepted by the killer.
The second victim could also be someone who is murdered by a different killer than the first. I haven’t used two murderers very often, but it does provide a bit of a twist when I do.
Are you a mystery reader or writer? What have you noticed about second victims?
Writing the Cozy Mystery: Second Victims: Share on X
Image by Michael Kauer from Pixabay
Second victims can be tricky, Elizabeth. You want their deaths to fall out naturally from the plot. And as you say, their deaths can give clues (Oh, I guess he can’t have been the original killer, ’cause now he’s dead). But I do think it makes sense that there would be a second victim, especially if that person knows too much. And of course, it all adds to the suspense and pacing of the story!
It certainly does help with pace! The middle of the book can get a little saggy without one. :)
It does make it interesting when the second victim was the suspect. Takes the investigation back to square one.
It’s a setback, for sure!
I hadn’t thought of second victims the way you put it. But it sounds like a great way to keep the plot moving. I’ll have to watch for this issue more.
Great for pace and great for making the mystery a bit more murky!
Those 2nd murders are fun – for the reader, not the victim! When I read cozies, I try to figure out who might be the next victim as well as who is the villain :)
For some reason, I laughed at this. “I never have a saggy book middle because I drop a body right at that point.” I like that you drop a body. It’s true you don’t have saggy middles. Great article!
Teresa
I drop bodies very casually, don’t I? Ha!!
Two murders would be a twist all right.
They definitely help!
They definitely help!
Hi Elizabeth – I used to read lots, now I tend to watch those creations on tv … and do notice that quite often there’s another body added to the mix … interesting to learn how you do it … cheers Hilary
Its great for pacing in both novels and screens!