Invisibles can be as important as what’s seen, and in Guide to Writing the Mystery Novel: Lots of Examples, Plus Dead Bodies, the number 3 plays an important but invisible role. First, there’s the triad of the author’s background — mystery reader, mystery writer, writing teacher. Gregorich draws on all three of her lifelong passions to produce a book that looks at mystery writing in a balanced way, paying particular attention to what readers want and ways in which writers can keep these wants in mind.
Good teachers, be they academic, athletic, business, or otherwise, employ the three-times method. They explain a concept . . . they give a concrete example of the concept . . . they explain the concept again. In Guide to Writing the Mystery Novel the author employs the same threefold method. In discussing dialogue, she explains what good dialogue is in fiction. She gives a two-page example. Then she explains how different parts of the example work, and why. The same is true of the many helpful charts, graphs, and lists throughout the book: the author introduces a particular concept, provides the example, then analyzes how and why the example works.
Guide to Writing the Mystery Novel: Lots of Examples, Plus Dead Bodies provides delightful insight into the mind of a writer whose purpose is to write satisfying, heart-warming stories that please the reader.