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What are some good mystery plots?

Author

Michael King

Updated on March 07, 2026

What are some good mystery plots?

50 Mystery Story Ideas: Plots and Writing Prompts!

  • A woman asks a writer to write the story of her life.
  • Murder victims are found buried with some of their wordly goods, Viking style.
  • Three people close to the murder victim have confessed.
  • Notes and gifts from her “Secret Santa” at work take a strange turn.

How do you plot a mystery short story?

Here are a few tips for creating an unforgettable mystery story:

  1. Read other mysteries often.
  2. Know every detail of the crime.
  3. Open with intrigue.
  4. Construct convincing characters.
  5. Make a list of suspects.
  6. Lean into your locations.
  7. Let the reader play along.
  8. Misdirect your reader.

What do you write in a mystery short story?

Know the scope of your story.

  • A crime of some sort, usually a murder.
  • A sleuth or detective.
  • A criminal.
  • Clues that the writer will drop along the way for the sleuth to find.
  • The other elements of a short story include: location (or setting); time period; dialogue; character development.

What is the best mystery novel of all time?

10 Best Murder Mystery Novels of All Time

  • The Complete Sherlock Holmes. by Arthur Conan Doyle.
  • The Da Vinci Code. by Dan Brown.
  • The Alienist. by Caleb Carr.
  • Death on the Nile. by Agatha Christie.
  • Mr. Mercedes.
  • The Yard. by Alec Grecian.
  • In Cold Blood. by Truman Capote. Twenty years following O.J.
  • Strong Poison. by Dorothy L. Sayers.

How do you start a murder mystery book?

9 tips for writing your own murder mystery, from a published…

  1. Read your favourite crime fiction author to see how they do it.
  2. Get that ‘killer hook’
  3. Start with an incident.
  4. Create tension in every scene.
  5. Play fair.
  6. Create an unusual detective.
  7. Give your characters rich backstories.
  8. Add that *big* twist at the end.

How long should a mystery story be?

The ideal count for a mystery is a 70,000 and 90,000 word novel.

How do you write a fantasy novel?

10 Tips for Writing Fantasy Fiction

  1. Read and re-read. You can only write as well as you read.
  2. Know your market. For first-time fantasy writers, it’s especially important to consider your audience.
  3. Start small.
  4. Next, go big.
  5. Choose a point of view.
  6. Meet your characters.
  7. Outline your story.
  8. Make, and keep, rules.

How do you write a detective mystery?

How to Write a Simple Detective Story

  1. Work out a crime. Don’t make this in any way mysterious.
  2. Now begin to cover it up.
  3. Leave three definite and accurate clues.
  4. Develop at least three ‘red herrings’ or false clues.
  5. Now invent your detective.
  6. Invent some other potential culprits.
  7. Create a scenario.

What is the most important element in a mystery?

The plot is the most important part of a mystery. The plot must be believable but also progress at a fast enough pace for the reader to stay engaged. Clues must be interwoven throughout the plot and must unfold in a way that the reader may have slightly picked up on it.

How do you plot a murder mystery?

Essential Tips for Writing a Murder Mystery Novel Get your timeline right (especially in the discovery of the body). Know the expectations that go with your subgenre. Leave several clues to your murderer’s identity (but don’t make them too obvious). Use red herrings — but don’t use them to cheat your reader.

What is a cozy mystery novel?

Cozy mystery (or cosy mystery, in British English) is the gentlest subset of the broad genre of crime writing. As its name suggests, it’s a comfort read that leaves you satisfied and at one with the world, rather than scared to sleep alone with the lights out.