I write mysteries. But, in a way, so does every other writer. Every good story, in every genre, contains some element of mystery. There has to be tension, conflict, or suspense and the reader is left wondering how that is going to be resolved. Maybe it isn’t who done it but, in a Romance, who will the heroine pick—the rich playboy or the boy next door? In a thriller, how will the hero save the day? Or in a comedy, where will the next pie come from? I oversimplify, but every genre will keep you wondering about something.

But with a good mystery there is an extra element. The author needs to give the reader a chance to figure out who done it by leaving a trail of clues along the way. Near the end of the mystery, Ellery Queen turned to the reader (or the audience) and asked if the reader had figured it out. And that is where a mystery differs from the other genres. A reader can read just for fun or can try to figure out the puzzle.

The art of leaving clues is not easy. There have to be enough to give the reader a chance at solving the puzzle, yet too many will make it obvious and take away the challenge. And there have to be the infamous “red herrings” to mislead the reader (herrings turn red when they are cured and were used by fugitives back in the 1600s to throw bloodhounds off the scent). The clues have to build in a timely fashion…the author doesn’t want to give it away too early. And the author can’t cheat and pull the culprit out of thin air. I have thrown away several books where a character appeared in the last chapter.

You have to give the reader a chance to solve the mystery before it is revealed. And if readers don’t get it right, they have to be able to look back and, with a slap to the forehead, realize which clues they missed. Not an easy task, but lots of fun if done well.

 

She walked into my office wearing a red dress and a look of confusion, sat down, and asked, “Are you Spencer Manning?”

Resisting the urge to point out the lettering on the door, I just put on my best warm smile and nodded.

She looked around nervously and said, “I don’t have much money for…”

Keeping the smile, I replied, “Why don’t you just tell me what the problem is—the first hour is free.”

A small smile replaced some of her confusion. “I’m trying to decide on a book to buy and there are so many to choose from. And, like I said, I don’t have much money so I want to spend it wisely.”

“Any books in particular?”

“Yes, mysteries. That’s why I came to you. I thought you might be able to recommend something.”

I folded my hands on top of the desk, leaned forward, and said, “I can do better than that. I do have one to recommend, but why not read the first chapters before you spend your hard-earned money?”

She looked at me with a gleam in her eye. “I can do that?”

“Yes. The first chapters are free—just like my first hour. If you like it—and I think you will—then spend your money. And let me know what you think of my suggestion.”

She took one of my cards, thanked me, and said she hoped to see me again. I hoped she would too. It could be the start of a long and beautiful friendship.

 

 

 

Before I could read, my dad read mysteries to me. His favorite authors were Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. So my first exposure was to Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe, two definitely hard-boiled P.I.s. In my early teen years I expanded my reading list to Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie, Rex Stout, Dorothy Sayers, John MacDonald and others—a wide variety of mysteries having detectives with a wide variety of styles. After having read over a thousand mysteries, my favorite has become Robert Parker and his character Spenser, certainly a more easy-going P.I. than Sam and Philip. So when I started writing mystery novels, I realized my own character had evolved in my head, and he was a lot like Spenser. And as my homage to Robert Parker, I named him Spencer Manning.

Learning as he goes, Spencer Manning is compassionate, far from perfect, and not afraid to take risks. He doesn’t carry a gun and would rather not fight but will do both if he has to. Highly motivated by what he thinks is right, Spencer follows that path wherever it leads. He is partly who I am, partly who I would like to be, and is my homage to Dad who got me started down this road many moons ago.

Part of the fun of writing has been watching Spencer become more confident and better at his job. He has evolved from a new P.I. who wasn’t sure where that path would lead him (Change of Address), into a more experienced detective who still makes mistakes but fewer of them and recovers from them faster.

Spencer is a guy you would enjoy having a beer with at your favorite pub and whom you’d want on your side if there was trouble. He’s no Sam Spade tough guy, but he still gets the job done in his own style and I’ve had a lot of fun bringing him to life.

---