How to Write a Mystery (Paperback)

by Larry Beinhart (Author) "Narrative Drive is what sells books..." (more)
Key Phrases: narrative drive, legal thriller, New York, American Hero, Dick Francis (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
In this entertaining and instructive guide to writing mysteries, Edgar Award-winning mystery writer Beinhart (No One Rides for Free, Avon, 1987) covers such subjects as narrative drive, plotting, openings, character development, and a host of other writerly techniques. He includes many examples from his favorite mystery writers, among them Le Carre, Higgins, Fleming, and Beinhart's wife, Gillian Farrell. The style is chatty and breezy and the content informative. This is not really a step-by-step manual but a book that writers and would-be writers might turn to for advice and a thoughtful discussion of a particular problem area. Recommended for public libraries and academic libraries supporting writing programs.?Denise Johnson, Bradley Univ. Lib., Peoria, Ill.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description
WHODUNIT? YOUDUNIT!
So you want to write a mystery. There's more to it than just a detective, a dead body, and Colonel Mustard in the drawing room with the candlestick. Fortunately, Larry Beinhart--Edgar Award-winning author of You Get What You Pay For, Foreign Exchange, and American Hero--has taken a break from writing smart, suspenseful thrillers to act as your guide through all the twists and turns of creating the twists and turns of a good mystery.
Drawing on advice and examples from a host of the best names in mystery writing--from Raymond Chandler and Mickey Spillane to Scott Turow and Thomas Harris--plus some of his own prime plots, Larry Beinhart introduces you to your most indispensable partners in crime:
*Character, plot, and procedure
* The secrets to creating heroes, heroines, and villains ("All writers draw upon themselves and their experience. While the whole of yourself might not be capable of being either a serial killer or an FBI agent, there are parts in each of us that are capable of almost anything.")
* The fine art of scripting the sex scene
*The low-down on violence ("A crime novel without violence is like smoking pot without inhaling, sex without orgasm, or a hug without a squeeze." )
*And much more!
From the opening hook to the final denouement, Larry Beinhart takes the mystery out of being a mystery writer.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1 edition (July 9, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345397584
• ISBN-13: 978-0345397584
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #440,970 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best "how to write" books I have ever read., May 16, 1999

By	[e-mail] (athens, georgia) - See all my reviews

Simply put, Beinhart's book is one of the best "How to Write..." books I have ever read. Unlike many books in which the author mostly inspires the reader and/or shares what has worked for him or her, Beinhart gives multiple examples from contemporary and classic works, as well as from his own experiences. I knew that this book had fire in it when I found myself outlining my plot, characters, etc. as I read along. I was also pleased with the Beinhart's honesty about the business and politics of the publishing industry. This book deserves a space on the shelf of every mystery writer--published and unpublished.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Helpful, witty, and wonderful, but biased--not for cozies!, March 18, 2003

By A Customer

The things I love about this book are that it's clever, formally interesting, and fun to read, and that it is irreverent. It doesn't tell you to scrutinize the market and write only the sort of book that is viable and popular. It identifies the structures and details that make for pleasurable reading, and it encourages you to be innovative and unique. It sets you in the direction of thinking about the specific choices you've made for your book and how you can make them more compelling. However, this book should be called How to Write a Crime Novel, since the author is not concerned with traditional cozy mysteries--a huge portion of the mystery market, I would imagine--and admits that he doesn't understand their appeal. I would guess that if you are interested in hard-boiled crime fiction, you could get a whole education about its best and brightest here, since Beinhart's examples and analysis mine hard-boiled fiction for some amazing and entertaining material. He also offers many lists of exemplary hard-boiled writers and books. But the things the author says about cozies (and quotes others as saying about them) are unjustifiably paltry and cliched. As someone who is trying to write a cozy mystery series, I found this book extremely helpful, but not ideal.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars General, January 1, 2006

By	J. Koski - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book falls into the big category: Too general and vague to be any good for a mystery writer.

Sure, it holds some information about good writing, but for that purpose there are tons of better books. As for mystery, this book does not give you any good plotting instructions, any good storytelling etc.

Buy another book or save your money.