A Mystery Writers Primer, for beginner or expert, a primer to help get to the next level

A mystery expert investigates how the giants of the genre pull off all those crimes and keep the twists coming page after page, then shows readers how they can do it too.

Who populates the pages of crime & mystery writing? Who are the characters we willingly follow into the mystery genre's uneasy imaginative territory? And who created those characters in the first place? What life experience & expertise informs their work? What are the sources of their themes, regional accents, & even the axes that some grind? Why do some wish to give us a good laugh, while others seem hell-bent on making us shudder? Here is info. on 100s of classic & contemporary characters & authors. Some -- such as P.D. James, Ian Rankin, Sherlock Holmes, & Kinsey Millhone -- are in separate entries. Still more are in articles about character we admire, i.e.: the Clerical Sleuth,Ó & in pieces about those we love to hate, incl. the Femme Fatale & Con artist.

The Elements of Mystery Fiction: Writing the Modern Whodunit has guided and inspired mystery writers -- veterans as well as beginners -- for nearly a decade. Here William G. Tapply, with more than 20 popular mystery and suspense novels under his belt, isolates the crucial "elements" of the mystery novels that publishers want to publish and readers want to read -- original plots, clever clues, sympathetic sleuths, memorable villains, multi-dimensional supporting characters, true-to-life settings, sharp narrative hooks, and, of course, smooth writing. In clear, readable prose using examples from many of our best contemporary mystery novelists, Tapply shows how the writer can create the pieces and fit them together to make a story you can't put down. This new expanded edition of Elements contains original chapters by some of our best contemporary writers and most prominent personalities in the publishing world discussing writing and business issues that are vital to mystery writers in the 21st century.

The Elements of Mystery Fiction: Writing the Modern Whodunit has guided and inspired mystery writers—veterans as well as beginners—for nearly a decade. Here William G. Tapply, with more than 20 popular mystery and suspense novels under his belt, isolates the crucial “elements” of the mystery novels that publishers want to publish and readers want to read: original plots, clever clues, sympathetic sleuths, memorable villains, multi-dimensional supporting characters, true-to-life settings, sharp narrative hooks, and, of course, smooth writing. In clear, readable prose using examples from many of our best contemporary mystery novelists, Tapply shows how the writer can create the pieces and fit them together to make a story you can’t put down. This new expanded edition of Elements contains original chapters by some of our best contemporary writers and most prominent personalities in the publishing world discussing writing and business issues that are vital to mystery writers in the 21st century.

"Roscoe Kane is one of the last - and, in Mallory's opinion, best - of the old-school mystery writers. Back in the day, he turned out crime thrillers filled with babes, bullets, and tough-guy banter. But today Kane is filled with bitterness over the nosedive his career took after he sued a publisher. For Mallory, who learned his craft at Kane's knee, it's tough watching his literary hero drown his sorrows in booze - but it's a million times tougher finding the old master drowned in a hotel bathtub. Some call it ironic that Kane meets his end in the middle of Bouchercon, the famed convention that's a mecca for mystery writers. The Chicago coroner calls it a drunken mishap. But Mallory spies treachery mingled with the tragedy. Just like a classic whodunit, there's a gallery full of suspects - from a scorned ex-wife and an ostracized gay son to an underhanded publisher and a roster of rival writers with axes to grind. Throw in a knockout dame who gives Mallory a private eyeful, an alluring widow who's not too sad to be seductive, and a clutch of thugs who let their knuckles do the talking, and Mallory has his hands full finding justice for his hero"--Author's website.