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There is an art to writing a good mystery that provides suspense, a puzzle to solve, exciting characters to interact with, an interesting setting, a good investigator, and justice done at the end.
Readers want to feel the mystery at the heart of it all. We want to see the clues, put together a theory of “who did it” and visit with the suspects. If we are surprised by the ending that is good as long as it is fair.
By the time we get to the grisly end of Macbeth we know that the witches have lured him to his end by dangling half-truths in his path, and his deeds will be punished. His ambition with his wife’s encouragement has caused so much suffering, it is a mercy that they are defeated. We come to the end with our hearts in our mouth with fear for Macduff and yet we are not surprised when the final witch prophecy is shown to be a double-bladed falsity.
The setting on the heath, the terror that the witches have caused others before they deal with Macbeth, the fog, the screams of an owl…all set the scene for horror. It is a fascinating, tragic story, and it is impossible to look away. Macbeth sees the phantom of his old friend Banquo whom he has murdered and speaks to him giving away to those present at the banquet the king’s unquiet mind and a hint of his murderous deeds.
Lady Macbeth who has matched him in ambition and spurred him to kill Duncan cannot sleep. Macbeth has not only murdered Duncan, he has murdered restful sleep. She, after all, cannot wash the blood from her hands as she has boasted they could do. A little water does not quit them of the deed as she had promised.
Nor once started murdering, can Macbeth quit. He must go on wading in blood. He must kill Banquo who has been given a prediction that his son would be king in place of Macbeth. Macbeth also feels he must kill the family of his opponent Macduff.
This old play about murder is similar to so many of the mysteries that have followed.
We demand to know the motive, the weapon, the opportunity before accusing a villain of the deed. In the meantime, the murderer finds it necessary to remove witnesses who are about to tell what they know. The investigator draws closer to the truth. The detective or PI may also be in danger. There is a time limit. A kidnapper has set up the trade off and there is no guarantee that the trade will be made in good faith or that the person to be returned is still alive. Traps are set on both sides. People are stalked. Tension reigns.
The reader hopes for the best. We hope the protagonist will win and not be hurt too badly trying to save the victim. We hope the victim is not damaged too badly physically or mentally. We are worried each time a car is turned on for fear it is wired to explode. We fear that the watchers on the street will follow the investigator home and attack in the middle of the night. We are afraid that the innocent person will go to jail in place of the true criminal. We fear a good person will be corrupted by a bad person and become an accomplice. We watch the fast talkers create mayhem in the lives of naïve people.
But the heart of the mystery is that moment when we truly become afraid that all of it will go wrong, that nothing we have come to care about can be saved. The pendulum scythe sweeps closer in the Poe story "The Pit and the Pendulum", the Phantom of the Opera sets the trap for Raoul, the traitor has set the timer on the bomb, and we grip the sides of our seat with white knuckles. It is dark, the detective’s hands and feet are tied, the fire begins in the scraps of paper, the basement door is closed. The reader yearns for a good resolution. Where will help come from? Will it come in time? Can the hero overcome fatigue, drugs, and pain one more time to triumph?
All seems lost. Macbeth cannot be defeated by one born of a woman. The poisoned sword scratches Hamlet. Richard the III is unhorsed.
The hunting cheetah is set loose on the baby princess’ pet so the princess will run to save it and be mauled, the pirate ship rakes the hero’s ship with cannon balls and destroys the mast, the tiger pit trap gives way beneath the traveler’s feet, the arrow is loosed, the dragon opens his mouth and roars out flame. We watch in horror and hope for the victim’s safety.
We rejoice when some of the characters we love escape and reach safety, when the evil doers are undone, when the real crook is caught with plenty of evidence to put him away. We feel the need to see justice done.
All is well that ends well or if it does not end well, it is better if we can mourn the loss of a favorite character knowing that the hero put up a good fight. If we have had foreshadowing that the end is not happy, we can deal with it better than an abrupt ruthless demise of the protagonist. We are comforted a little if the lost one has won the day saving others, has some form of insight or at least has company when he dies so he is not alone.
We read mysteries to escape and to have an end to a story after following the journey of the search for clues. We walk into the heart of mystery and we return. We close the book and want to read more by the author. Cadfael has become our friend. Falco is funny and scary and intriguing. Spenser will make us dinner. Hercule Poirot will be sure the right person is charged and the innocent protected. Holmes will remove his disguise and amaze us with his thinking.
Many of my readers have mentioned favorite mystery writers over the years and new books are coming out all the time unless the author has died. Old favorites have been renewed in paperback and sometimes a new author has created a new series using a favorite old investigator and bringing him back to life. Laurie King has given us new stories about Holmes and his brother, for example.
There are books that are stand alone mysteries such as Eco’s The Name of the Rose, Tey’s Daughter of Time, The Moonstone by Collins, Snow Falling on Cedars by Guterson, and The Eight by Neville.
Dana Stabenow has a new book with Kate Shugak called Though Not Dead, Charles Todd’s most recent with Ian Rutledge is called A Lonely Death, and Steve Hamilton has a new Alex McKnight story called Misery Bay.
Let us chat about why we like mysteries, who has a new book out, favorite detectives and PI’s, favorite settings and twists. It is amazing how many great mysteries there are to read.
There are also true crime stories, psychological thrillers, court room dramas, and police procedurals to enjoy.
Diaries of the week
Write On! about those form rejections
by SensibleShoes
http://www.dailykos.com/...
R&BLers: "How Should One Read a Book?"
by Limelite
http://www.dailykos.com/...
Limelite says:
e-Readers and Book Lovers Club will meet THU at 2PM ET for our first discussion of Tinkers, a book that I am still digesting.
plf515 has a book talk on Wednesday mornings early.
sarahnity’s list of DKos authors
http://www.dailykos.com/...