What Is Mystery Fiction?
Mystery stories revolve around a main character on a quest to solve
a crime. Also known as a whodunit or detective story, a mystery
creates intrigue by revealing the identity of the antagonist only at the
climax of the story. Mystery writers drop clues throughout the plot
to invite readers to join in the investigation. A murder mystery novel
can be categorized as a subgenre of crime fiction or detective
novels.
10 Elements of a Mystery Story
The mystery genre has been entertaining readers for hundreds of
years. Edgar Allan Poe was a master of mystery writing, with works
such as his short story “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” from 1841.
A good mystery has certain literary elements to intensify the
suspense and build up to a big finale. These elements include:
1. A strong hook: A great mystery should invite the reader to
try to solve the crime, and a great opening is critical to piquing
their interest. A mystery should start with just enough
information about the crime to build intrigue from the first line.
This is the defining moment when a reader chooses whether or
not they want to continue. If the dramatic element is missing
from the beginning, the reader expects the rest of the book to be
the same. The first chapter should initiate the mystery, aligning
the reader with the central character on the crime-solving
adventure.
2. An atmospheric setting: Stories in this genre should create
an ominous, uneasy mood through setting to support the anxiety
of an unknown antagonist lurking in the shadows. Think of Sir
Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes slinking through the
London fog in search of a killer. Settings in mysteries also offer
opportunities to plant clues and red herrings.
3. A crime: A crime is the event that fuels the plot in a
mystery novel. Revealed in the first chapter, a crime creates the
central conflict that launches the investigation, sending the main
character on their quest and spurring the narrative arc.
4. A sleuth: At the heart of every mystery is a main character
determined to solve the crime. Mystery writer Raymond
Chandler created private detective Philip Marlowe to be a crime
solver in his novels. A writer can raise the stakes by making the
detective personally invested in solving the crime. Mysteries can
center around an amateur investigator—an average citizen who
solves the case. The character development of the sleuth is
important; they need a backstory that connects them to the crime
or the killer, and a motive that explains why solving this crime is
important to them.
5. A villian: A mystery is often called a whodunit because the
culprit is unknown until they’re caught at the end. The story
follows their movements, which propel the story forward. The
main character and the reader discover the criminal’s identity as
the plot reaches its climax.
6. Narrative momentum: A mystery plot is in constant
motion thanks to a cat-and-mouse narrative thread. The pacing
will quicken the closer the plot moves towards the climax and the
closer the main character gets to solving the crime.
7. A trail of clues: Clues are the literary element that allows
mystery stories to engage readers on a deeper level than other
types of fiction. The reader becomes an amateur sleuth, following
the trail of clues to try to discover the identity of the culprit.
When writing mysteries, an author needs to have an organized
writing process in order to keep track of what clues they’re
creating, when they appear, and who knows what in order to
make sure the plot lines make sense.
8. Foreshadowing: Mysteries often drop hints of things that
will happen in the future . This is known as foreshadowing. A
writer can hint at a future event with a small clue or through
character dialogue. Writers can be more or less direct with
foreshadowing, either subtly hinting at future events or explicitly
stating what will happen.
9. Red herrings: A good mystery throws the reader off
track. Red herrings are an essential element in mysteries . These
false clues build tension by creating other suspects and
distracting the detective—and the reader—and leading them
away from the real culprit. A writer creates red herrings by
placing extra emphasis on an object, event, or character that
catches a reader’s attention, making that element seem more
significant than it really is to the storyline. In Agatha
Christie’s And Then There Were None, there are 10 characters
who are all potential suspects. Christie creates red herrings by
killing off each character one by one, creating plot twists that
send the reader into new directions in search of the killer.
10. A satisfying ending: At the end of great mystery novels
there is the big reveal—the sleuth discovers the identity of the
culprit. An ending should also provide an alibi for any other
suspects to strengthen the identity of the real killer and eliminate
doubt, tying up loose ends.
