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  • Brian Stansell replied to the topic Murder mysteries for dummies in the forum Mystery/Suspense/Thriller Writers 4 years, 2 months ago

    I am very glad to have helped. Your insights have helped me many times, so I am pleased to return the favor.

    Another thing I would mention is to layer misdirection or false trails within the story. Sometimes these are called “red herrings” in the writer’s guides.
    Have several characters have reasonable motives for wanting to off the victims.  Some may not have the time or opportunity, but don’t let it become too obvious who the real killer is, nor should you make the real killer seem too innocent which can raise suspicion.  Only a true psychopath can maintain a sense of normalcy when hiding their crime, so you should layer in some other factor that might reasonably explain them seeming to be a little off or protective.

    One murder mystery I read had the main character assume the perp was away in one place rather than being present at the time of the murder, so you might find a way to hide their proximity or even put so many others in the time and location that they blend in with the other suspects.

    Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Purloined Letter” puts the desired object (the scandalous letter) in plain view of the searchers so that the assumptions made would misdirect them and cause them to discredit the obvious object being the very thing they are looking for.  EAP is considered “the father of the detective story” and for brilliant concepts like this.  This can be done with the villain as well.

    Some might seem to have an airtight alibi or no clear motive, or perhaps, a motive that seems to be the opposite of the result.  The movie “The Bodyguard” with Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner does this.  The shocking reveal (spoiler alert) is that her sister is the instigator.  Only at the end is her motive of envy and hidden resentment made clear.

    Also, think about what the killer might plant at the scene or unwittingly lose at the crime scene that may point to many potential suspects.

    As to whether or not the victim’s body was moved and left where it was found, look into the physical effects of “fixed lividity”.  When a person’s heart stops beating, their blood ceases to circulate through their body, and eventually, gravity pulls it to the lowest level of the body so that it appears darker against the skin or purplish.  The uppermost or highest part of the body will be the palest or grayish depending on how long the body lay at the actual scene of the homicide.

    Set a timeline for the commission of the crime, with this factor in mind.  Also, determine the physicality of your perp and the logistics of how or why they might move the body.  This physicality could factor in who the reasonable suspects might be, so if your villain is a small, petite female, you may consider they had an accomplice or some means of transporting their victim that might not be obvious.

    Also, consider the psychology of the villain willing to do, what may be termed “proximal wet work” (a hands-on killing).

     

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