5 Tips to Writing Successful Mysteries

When writing a mystery, whether cozy, suspensful, or anything in between, there are a few key elements you need to keep your readers engaged. Solid characters, solid plot, solid mystery. But how to keep your crime-loving readers with you until the big reveal at the end?

Early Hook

Like any other book, you want to hook your reader in chapter one. But in a mystery, you're setting things up with a crime. By the end of chapter one you want to have your readers either: shocked ("What happened!" "Why did that happen?!") intrigued ("How did that happen?") or/and curious ("Which of these people is going to get killed?").

While we automatically think of mysteries as being murder mysteries, they don't always have to be. Never underestimate the power of something like a good jewel heist! Or a classic "important documents gone missing" story. You want your readers to be eager to learn more as soon as possible. But keep the tone to your genre. For example, if you're writing a cozy mystery you may not necessarily be trying to shock and terrify the reader.

Make It Personal

Who's solving your crime? If you have a professional detective, is there an aspect of the case that can touch them personally? Does it remind them of a past case—one with deep emotions tied to it? Will it connect them to someone they know—for better or worse? If you write amateur detectives, this is even more important. There's nothing worse than reading a mystery where the amateur decides to solve the crime "just because". Give them a reason to need to solve it. Are they accused of murder? Is their brother accused of theft? The more personal finding the truth is to them, the more believable it will be to your readers that they will stick with the case when things get difficult, let alone dangerous.

Always keep your characters' whys in your mind when you plot out your crimes. Keeping it personal for both the sleuth and the criminal means you know exactly what they are willing to do as you go forward.

Who Are Your Suspects?

Who are your suspects? How many do you have? Why are they suspects? Depending on your plot and subgenre you may have a closed circle of 4 or 5 people, each with motives to murder someone; or a victim without an enemy in the world. Both options make it tough for your detective (and reader!) to trust what they are being told as they gather clues. Who's lying? What are they lying about? Misdirection and red herrings may help you lead your reader the wrong way, but make sure you play fair with them. Sprinkle all the clues they'll need to see who is guilty and who couldn't do it (even if they wanted to) as you go along without actively hiding anything from your reader. Make sure you know from the beginning who your criminal is so you can plant the right clues. Are they the least likely person, the one so obvious it can't have been them?

Raise The Stakes

Probably around the halfway point in your book, you may want to think about raising your stakes. Up the suspense!

Depending on your plot this could mean something personal for your detective or something for the crime (or both, but don't overdo it). Is your detective under a lot of pressure at work? Does their job depend on them solving this case—and in a certain amount of time? Do they have a promotion on the line? Is their marriage on the rocks because of how much time they focus on work instead of a personal relationship? Or, is the case itself getting hotter? Has crucial information been leaked? Something important been stolen? Someone else been murdered? Raising the stakes for your detective puts more pressure on them (and your reader) to solve the case before things get even worse. What does the added stress do to your characters?

Race The Clock

A "race against time" can go along with "raising the stakes" and often depends on the kind of mystery you're writing. A psychological thriller is going to have a very different set of expectations than a cozy mystery—which may not necessarily worry about racing the clock at all. But plenty of mysteries put an element of running out of time as a way to up the suspense. It could mean someone has been kidnapped and the detective is trying to save the day. Or the criminal is trying to get out of the country and the detective is trying to stop them before they are out of reach! Is there a hostage situation or a race to find evidence before it can disappear? Whatever the case, if you add this element, you want to make sure it is realistic to the situation.

For example, in Murder on the Orient Express, Poirot has to solve the case before the tracks are cleared and the police arrive. The stakes are high because everyone knows they are trapped on the train with a killer who could kill again; but also the police will detain everyone, which no one will enjoy. In the Kenneth Branaugh movie the stakes are raised with the suggesion that various passengers would be arrested even if they were innocent, because of their nationality or skin color.

When planning your mystery, whether short story, novella, or novel; heist or murder, remember that you want your readers with you every step of the way. Keep them guessing, gasping, wondering. Keep the crimes personal, the detectives relatable, and, with these suspense tips in mind, you'll keep your readers with you to the very last page.

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