THE WORLD OF MYSTERIES

WHAT IS A MYSTERY?

• A story where characters are faced with a problem/crime
• The clues are spaced throughout the story, slowly revealed as the story progresses
• A mystery is meant to keep you guessing until when the culprit is revealed
• Mysteries can vary from "Who stole my sandwich?" to "Who killed Sally May?"
• Many authors are famous for their thrilling mysteries that leave you hanging on the edge until the very last word

WHAT DOES A GOOD MYSTERY HOLD?

• Strong characters (Include the investigator, victim, suspects and other important people)
• Locations (The investigator's office, crime scene, other places that are important)
• Plot (What happened? Who did it? Why? The 5 Ws and H of questions)
• Clues (Small pieces of evidence that the perp left behind)
• Red Herrings (False clues!)

WHAT ABOUT RESEARCH?

• Actually visit police officers and view court cases to get an idea of the system
• That's if you want to publish a book
• Otherwise, a good source would be other mystery novels, tv shows, and movies
• Every TV show and movie put in a lot of work into their research
• That way, you know it's a trusted resource

VOCABULARY LINK

MYSTERY INSPIRATION

• Edgar Allen Poe
• Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
• Agatha Christie
• John Grisham
• James Patterson