I assume most mystery novels begin with a murder. Mine, however, tend to start by asking whether a murder has in fact been committed. Is that a reasonable approach?
Murder, or Murder?
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Yes. I'm reading THE NARROWS, by Michael Connelly, which begins in exactly this way: a retired police officer is asked to investigate the sudden death of an old FBI colleague, whose death turns out to not to have been natural causes. It's also a sequel to his first novel THE POET, in which an intrepid reporter discovers that several suicides were in fact murders, including that of his brother.
In general terms, it's fine - you need some kind of hook to pull the sleuth into it, I think.
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[Maybe that's what I should do, reread The Poet, then dive into The Narrows.]
I've seen this approach in mystery and thrillers. The "sin" is not getting a dead body (or other serious crime) early enough.
Maryn, making herself sign off before heading for the bookcase downstairs
I've seen this approach in mystery and thrillers. The "sin" is not getting a dead body (or other serious crime) early enough.
Maryn, making herself sign off before heading for the bookcase downstairs
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The sleuths in the four mystery novels I've written are a young newspaper reporter in three of them (actually a team of reporters), and a female ex-police officer turned private investigator in the other. So, getting them involved with the incident wasn't a problem.
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I get to the first body by the third chapter, but other crime gets the nod right away. First chapter is the MC set up, second is the creepy other crime set up, then we get to a body only after we understand who is who and what has happened to get the two MCs in the same place at the same time. And how the puppy figures into it all.
This one's romantic suspense - first the MCs, then the bodies...!
This one's romantic suspense - first the MCs, then the bodies...!
My young reporter also narrates the novels, so we get to the body basically when he gets his story assignment. In the other, the possible murder is brought up in the second chapter, when my female PI is hired to investigate the death.
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