Is This Cheating?

No, I don't think it necessarily does, although it would depend on how the writer handled it.

At the end of that type of book, a reader should be able to look back and see that the ending was possible, and even probably given the details and facts learned, IF the reader had been good enough about deducting the right conclusions from the clues given. If the writer didn't give the reader this opportunity or enough information, then I might say the writer "cheated". Part of the fun of a mystery or suspense story is the reader "playing along" and trying to find the solution before the sleuth or detective does.

I think I know which novel you're talking about as I have a novel similar to this. I've flicked through it but not read it yet.

I dare say I might feel the same way... especially if there's a whole novel's worth of investigation, accusations and interrogations that all turn out to be a big oops.

-Derek

You might just tell us which book it was. Maybe someone else has read it too and has a opinion.

It's like the original Scooby Gang always finding out it was a dodgy businessman in a mask... sounds like a cheap trick to play on the reader.

And I would have gotten away with it, if not for those meddling kids!

-Derek

Off topic . . .

Speaking of lame plots, I used to enjoy the old Bewitched TV show (Elizabeth Montgomery was hot), but it had to have had the lamest plots ever created. I think every other episode had the same plot: Endora puts a spell on Darren and he does crazy things; no one suspects he's under a spell until Sam finally figures it out (duh). The other plot lines was basically something going wrong with Samantha's powers.

Or the old aunt (Clara?) trying to help Samantha or Darren, but fumbling a spell and causing chaos instead. Thing is, one of the rules of their magic system, apparently, was that something else's magic was hard to detect or dulled reasoning so that the obvious wasn't obvious. The show makers chose to give the audience superior position so we always knew more than the leads (which is what made it light comedy... no brain power required). If they hadn't, I wonder if we would have been clever enough to figure out that a spell was at work?

-Derek

Gary Larson even did a Far Side cartoon poking fun at the Bewitched writers.

Well, I haven't read that novel so I don't know how well written or well plotted, or not, it might be.

I do have a similar problem with the mystery I'm working on, in that there is a murder, and there will probably later be another apparent murder attempt, but there are really no bad guys. The second near-death would actually turn out to be a suicide attempt by the person responsible for the first death, once he's feeling both guilty and likely to get caught.

I'm not so much worried about the reader feeling cheated that there was no evil murderer. As I see it, the book I'm writing is promising a mystery surrounding a violent death and eventually a solution to what really happened and why, hopefully with some interesting character interactions along the way as well as the puzzle. I never promise lots of crime and violence, so if a reader expects that and feels cheated, that's due to their own outside expectations.

What I am worried about is how to structure a climax without the usual cliches of evil murderer trying to protect his/her position by threatening the main character. I don't want to resort to the cozy cliche of gathering all the suspects in a room for the main character to explain and accuse either. I have some ideas of things that should happen at the end, but not a climactic scene.