Customer Reviews

Mystery Writing in a Nutshell

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The title of "Mystery Writing in a Nutshell - The World's Most Concise Guide to Mystery and Suspense Writing" says it all. A short, sweet guide to mystery writing that covers the bases from creating suspense to how to hook the reader, through character development and pretty much anything and everything else you might need to know to write a mystery. What sets this volume apart from many others is its brevity and, as the title says, its conciseness. It does all of this in a mere 90 or so pages. Consequently you don't have to wade through pages and pages of minutia to get to the point of each subject.

This is an excellent overview of the subject of mystery writing, but also of writing fiction in general because, after all, most stories are mysteries one way or another. And John and Andrew McAleer give you what you need to know the way a good mystery does with a few quick shots. There's no room here for excess baggage, as there shouldn't be in your mystery. I could cite examples from the book, but it's so short and accessible it would be just as well to pick it up and give it a read.

This book is destined to become a classic writing text, much like that other perennial favorite, THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE by Strunk and White. Instead of focusing on grammar and sentence structure, however, this book concentrates on how to assemble a suspense or mystery novel, from the first, throat-grabbing word, to a final denouement that is both surprising and inevitable.

It tells the writer how to create an atmosphere of suspense and mystery. It discusses narrative hooks and back stories. It opens the eyes and the mind to a myriad of ideas that surround a writer every day; the kind of ideas that are certain to hook the reader and reel him in. It covers the details of reality that are absolutely essential for any story. It stresses the importance of those critical components that are required for all genre: credibility and plausibility.

Clues, voice, point of view, plot, character development; all are spelled out in a clear and concise writing style that is almost impossible to misinterpret or misunderstand. Indirectly, this book also tells the writer, by example, how to edit, how to hone, and how to polish the words and make them shine by their own inner light. And it does all this in less than seventy pages!

The rest of the book includes the authors' insightful interviews with Rex Stout, Robert Parker, Margaret McLean and William Tapply.

If I could give this book a ten-star rating, I would quickly do it. Alas, five is the upper limit here so I will have to accept that.
But if you are interested in writing at all, regardless of genre, it is my pleasure to highly recommend MYSTERY WRITING IN A NUTSHELL. It is a joy to read and will surely become one of the writing community's "desert island" choices for many years to come.

Russ Heitz
russheitz.com

As an avid mystery reader (from Doyle to Fforde), I did not expect to find this peak behind the curtain to be so enlightening or entertaining. Mystery Writing in a Nutshell should be required reading (and kept handy as a reference guide) for anyone who is a mystery lover and/or writing/editing a mystery or supsense novel. I have been disappointed too many times by mystery writers who do not follow these most basic of rules (to paraphase, if sex is not important to the plot, don't use it). As a result, I don't seek out their next book.

Thanks to the authors for giving me an insight as to why I love the authors I do (and what they have done correctly to earn that esteem)!

This book was concise and full of helpful hints. The book was organized like a college professor organizing his lecture notes, which not all readers will appreciate. I would recommend this book as a companion to a meatier book on writing mysteries as there is not a lot of detail on voice and character development and such.

The combined effort of best selling author John McAleer (and a winner of the Mystery Writers of America annual 'Edgar' award) and Andrew McAleer (Professor of Crime Fiction at Boston College and the author of three published mystery novels), "Mystery Writings In A Nutshell: The World's Most Concise Guide To Mystery And Suspense Writing" truly lives up to its title as a 100-page compilation of succinctly presented tips, tricks and techniques for crafting good mystery fiction whether as a short story or a full length novel. From defining mystery and suspense, to the concept of a narrative hook, to diverse elements for story ideas, to enriching the context of the story, to the use of motives and weapons, to character development issues, to plotting out a story, "Mystery Writing In A Nutshell" covers it all in crisp, 'user friendly' detail. Of special note is the concluding section devoted to 'Miscellaneous' offerings that include a number of invaluable entries including 'Conversations About Writers and Writing' and 'A Short Essay on Writers Influencing Writers'. Any aspiring writer seeking to professionally establish themselves in this popular and demanding genre should read what John and Andrew McAleer have to say in the pages of "Mystery Writing In A Nutshell".

LITERARY PRAISE FOR
AMAZON.COM #1 BEST SELLER
MYSTERY WRITING IN A NUTSHELL

"In the minimalist tradition of Walter Mosley's This Year You Write Your Novel, you'll find that Mystery Writing in a Nutshell packs a lot of punch per page. As a veritable checklist for what a story should cover. . ." --American Society of Journalists and Authors

"The result of John and Andrew McAleer's collaboration is a slim, readable book (Mystery Writing in a Nutshell) that will guide anyone in the right direction and help them avoid the pitfalls if they just read it before sitting down to write. It is so full of good advice that one wonders how they managed to make it so concise." --Midwest Book Review

"Simple and straightforward. The nuts and bolts of mystery writing." -Kirkus

". . .short nuggets of good advice. . ." --Mystery Scene

"Excellent. Chock full of great ideas." --BookReviews.com

"In Mystery Writing in a Nutshell John and Andrew McAleer provide aroadmap as well as a collective wealth of information for the writer (or reader) of mystery." --Poisoned Pen Classic Crimes

"Mystery Writing in a Nutshell: your partner in crime to writing a great mystery novel." --MyShelf

"Mystery Writing in a Nutshell is superbly organized and very highly recommended as being one of the best introductory guides to writing commercially successful mysteries available to aspiring writers and novice writers today. --Jim Cox

"Mystery Writing in a Nutshell is so full of good advice that one wonders how John and Andrew McAleer managed to make it so concise." --Bookviews

"Andrew McAleer's Mystery Writing in a Nutshell is like brainstorming with a smart and savvy writing pal." --Hank Phillippi Ryan, Agatha Award-winning author of the Charlie McNally novels

"After all these years, I still learned a few things myself from these pages. I'm sure you will too." --Edward D. Hoch

"Like father, like son, is, in this case, a very good thing. Mystery Writing in a Nutshell combines the best of both McAleers, and is first rate." --Robert B. Parker, New York Times best-selling author of the Spenser and Jesse Stone novels

"Erudite. The most practical and thorough book on crime writing ever written. John and Andrew McAleer's Mystery Writing in a Nutshell is the Strunk and White of the genre." --Robin Moore, New York Times best-selling author of The French Connection

"John and Andrew McAleer share their collective wealth of information on the nuts and bolts of creating the ultimate page-turner. Suspense, structure, character development, voice--Mystery Writing in a Nutshell has it all. A staple for the established and aspiring crime writer." --Margaret McLean, author of Under Fire and Under Oath

"John and Andrew McAleer's Mystery Writing in a Nutshell provides an essential roadmap to the path of mystery publication. The Write Stuff for every crime writer's toolkit!" --Kris Neri, award-winning author of Never Say Die and Revenge for Old Times' Sake