Comments on: How to Solve a Whodunit

on 11/22/2005 The villain is often someone who appears every now and then, but doesn't seem to have a major role in the proceedings. It won't be the person picking a fight with the detective, or the shifty-looking person who never liked the deceased anyway. It's never the person whom the author seems to be trying to make you think it is. It's more likely to be the person next door who pops in from time to time, says a few words, and is generally nice and helpful. Of course, the author may be bluffing, and it is actually the person who seems too obvious!

on 11/22/2005 In Whodunits, a common trick by writers is "whenever there is a list of 3 or more things, one of them is bound to be a clue, one is a red herring and one means nothing at all."

This power of three goes even further by stating "the culprit must be introduced by chapter 3." Standard formula goes like this: introduce the main character (usually the detective) in chapter 1, bring in the body by chapter 2, and bring in the culprit (along with a mish-mash of clues and suspects to keep you guessing) by chapter 3.

This theory falls apart, however, if you're dealing with true crime or forensic fiction. But with living-room, amateur detective and Gothics (a variation on the living room) it remains pretty much standard.

on 11/22/2005 Pay attention to them. Don't worry about yourself. Consciously plan to remember their names by repeating it during conversations and you'll remember. With practice, it's a skill that becomes second nature.

on 11/22/2005 The perpetrator is almost always introduced within the first quarter of the book, if not within the first couple of chapters! He/she is hidden in plain sight, as they say.