How To Write A Classic Murder Mystery

by Dolores Gordon-Smith

If you've ever wanted to write a classic or cozy murder mystery, this is the book for you. Drawing on her own experience and that of such giants as Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers, Dolores take us through the whole process, from getting the initial idea to final submission, with submission advice from a top London agent. Entertaining and easy to follow, How To Write A Classic Murder Mystery will encourage you not only to start but finish your own classic mystery

Genres: Writing

144 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 27, 2017

About the author

Dolores Gordon-Smith is the author of A Fete Worse than Death, the first in the Jack Haldean series. She graduated from the University of Surrey in 1981. She lives in Cheshire, United Kingdom.

Extra info found on Wikipedia

Reviews

[Susi Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, I was hoping for more. A third of the book is general advice on writing, the author even admits this on page 39 when she states: ‘What I’ve said so far could apply to any genre of writing.’

No topic is discussed in detail and that’s what I really wanted, particularly when it came to structuring the book/story.

Finally, the book would have benefited from proofreading; it’s only 108 pages long but there are quite a few errors. On page 86 there is a sentence which starts with a lower case letter-it’s at the start of a paragraph so it really sticks out. On page 90 there is a quote with the word ‘opinioated’. And believe me, these are just two of the examples I could share.

I do love the cover, it’s what drew me to the book.

[Janice Dick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed learning about the writing of murder mysteries from an author who has succeeded at it. This book is written in a lovely conversational style that kept me interested. However, I thought the title a bit off: at least the first third or half of the book was about writing and the writing life, and only farther on did the author actually get into the specific art of murder mystery creation. Otherwise, a comfortable and informative read.