The Elements of Mystery Fiction: Writing the Modern Whodunit

by William G. Tapply

The Elements of Mystery Fiction: Writing the Modern Whodunit has guided and inspired mystery writers—veterans as well as beginners—for nearly a decade. Here William G. Tapply, with more than 20 popular mystery and suspense novels under his belt, isolates the crucial “elements” of the mystery novels that publishers want to publish and readers want to read—original plots, clever clues, sympathetic sleuths, memorable villains, multidimensional supporting characters, true-to-life settings, sharp narrative hooks, and, of course, smooth writing. In clear, readable prose using examples from many of our best contemporary mystery novelists, Tapply shows how the writer can create the pieces and fit them together to make a story you can’t put down.
This new expanded edition of Elements contains original chapters by some of our best contemporary writers and most prominent personalities in the publishing world discussing writing and business issues that are vital to mystery writers in the 21st century.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Reference, Mystery, How To

213 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2004

About the author

William G. Tapply (1940–2009) was an American author best known for writing legal thrillers. A lifelong New Englander, he graduated from Amherst and Harvard before going on to teach social studies at Lexington High School. He published his first novel, Death at Charity’s Point, in 1984. A story of death and betrayal among Boston Brahmins, it introduced crusading lawyer Brady Coyne, a fishing enthusiast whom Tapply would follow through twenty-five more novels, including Follow the Sharks, The Vulgar Boatman, and the posthumously published Outwitting Trolls.

Besides writing regular columns for Field and Stream, Gray’s Sporting Journal, and American Angler, Tapply wrote numerous books on fishing, hunting, and life in the outdoors. He was also the author of The Elements of Mystery Fiction, a writer’s guide. He died in 2009, at his home in Hancock, New Hampshire.

Reviews

[Steelwhisper · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent starter book on mystery writing, though by now the information about agents and publishers is quite out of date.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read to help you understand what goes into making a mystery novel. Although I think the writing advice would apply to almost any genre.

[Bernard Corwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear, easy to use, foundational.

[Winnie Thornton · Rating 2 out of 5]

This offers okay, basic stuff on how to structure, write, and publish your novel (whether it's mystery or not), but it doesn't offer the best advice on any of those fronts. I've read better books singly devoted to plot, structure, prose, dialogue, and publishing/marketing. Given the title, the book should have offered more specific, step-by-step advice on how to execute a mystery--as in, here are classic ways to drop clues, stump your readers, disguise the ending, etc.

[K. Counihan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Little Dated in terms of Content, Still Good

The daily grind of writing. No flash or slight of hand, just write every day. Today's publishing market is always evolving so some material is dated, otherwise a good read.
May not be a good read for a non writer. Covers 1970 to 1990's era more or less.

[Kira Barman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read, direct and to the point, especially Part 1. I’m not she how much the information regarding the place and roles of agents and publishers has changed with time, if at all. I liked the format. I feel like this is a book you could keep and reference as you’re writing, if you are having trouble with a particular element.

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. I found it to be very informative.

[Leona Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Useful and informative, although some facts (due to the age of this book) are out of date. The author's advice on writing mystery fiction is still relevant and worthwhile.

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

New Hampshire mystery writer and teacher, the late William Tapply offers a lot of good advice. Much of his advice I've already read in other places and pertains to any type of fiction writing. One comment he made really struck me. Before you can write the story of the detection of the crime, you first have the write the story of the murder.

The last eight chapters of the book were not written by Tapply, which kind of disappointed me. Each of those chapters is a separate essay by another author. I particularly like the chapter written by Tapply's wife, Vicki Stiefel concerning persistence. Don't we all need that as writers!

[LMS · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fairly good introduction to writing basic mystery fiction. My only two problems with it were the repeated (and annoying) use of the pronoun "she" to refer to the sleuth and "he" to refer to the villain (is the author saying women can't be villains?) and a few spots with bad language (mostly in the excerpts from published mystery books).

The section on collaborations was especially interesting.

[Soul Rhallin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply put, this book has become one of my go-to resources for character and plot development in my stories.

The author has an affable and reasonable delivery. Common sense and practical application mark every page. The information is presented in a format that lends itself well to being read straight through, or piecemeal.

For anyone looking to create realistic mystery fiction, this is an exceptionally useful resource to have on hand.

[Meg Mims · Rating 3 out of 5]

TOTALLY recommend this book if you're writing a mystery. Chock full of great tips.

[MJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read as part of my research for writing the Kidz RPG.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

An accomplished author, Tapply give tips on the writing process for modern mystery stories. Easy to read and a useful addition to the beginning writer's bookshelf. Many various topics are covered.

[Judy Goodwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Half the book is a little dated with the new eBooks and self-publishing phenomenon, but the first half was very helpful.

[David Aultman · Rating 4 out of 5]

William Tapply was one of my favorite outdoor writers. His book was very helpful and I used it quite a bit in writing my own book.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very informative and gives some good advice for various types of mystery writing.
It does also allow for your own interpretation of what you want your writing to be.

[Cameron Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good words of advice for those wanting to write mystery fiction, but some parts are outdated.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have absolutely no memory of reading this book, so I’m reading it again.