8 Rules for Writing Mystery Fiction

Mystery writing tends to follow standard rules, because mystery readers are looking for a particular experience: they want the intellectual challenge of solving the crime before the detective does, and the pleasure of knowing that everything will come together in the end.

1) Plot is everything. Many readers are playing a kind of game when they read a detective novel, so plot has to come first. Make sure each plot point is plausible, and keep the action moving.

2) Introduce both the detective and the culprit early on. As the main character, your detective must obviously appear early in the book. As for the culprit, your reader will feel cheated if the antagonist, or villain, enters too late in the book to be a viable suspect in their minds.

3) Introduce the crime within the first three chapters. The crime and the ensuing questions are what hook your reader. As with any fiction, you want to do that as soon as possible.

4) The crime should be believable. While the details of the murder — how, where, and why it’s done, as well as how the crime is discovered — are your main opportunities to introduce variety, make sure the crime is plausible. Your reader will feel cheated if the crime is not something that could really happen.