Can't figure out/decide who the killer is

mamakat97 said:

What I can't figure out is which one of the four did it...

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The third one. Because the first one is a gimme, the second is a maybe, and the fourth is used as a cover up for the third.

mamakat97 said:

... and how they killed him.

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Using whatever method the fourth one would use. Ex: If number four is a car mechanic then it's with the torque wrench.

-cb

I used to have that problem years ago but I outline now. I plot my entire book from beginning to end including twists, red herrings, suspects and the killer. Plotting is a lifesaver. It's crucial to know where you are going in a mystery beforehand. If you haven't, try plotting.

Hi there,

One possibility would be to try writing four murder scenes, one with each of the four suspects, just for fun (obviously none of them will show up in the finished book). See what grabs you. You might discover a motive or method you find really compelling.

I often find that when I get stuck, the best way out for me is to get a running start at things by writing material that happens "off screen." That way, there's no pressure for it to be good or even canon; I can just play around and scrap anything I don't like. Nine times out of ten, I'll discover something interesting that can help me when I get back to the actual book.

Who among your suspects would you least likely suspect? That's your killer. Now give that character a well-hidden motive; that's what your sleuth must uncover. Pepper the plot with relevant clues that can always be misunderstood or misinterpreted (and often are, leading to red herrings). In short, have fun with it.

You know the four have motive and where the body is found. Did all four have the opportunity or the means to carry out the deed?

The corpse tells a lot about the killer. If all else fails, visualize the corpse in your mind's eye. Are their wounds? Puncture holes? Go all CSI on that. A killer who poisons victims is different than a gun toting assassin.

You could also imagine how each one would kill and use that to drive the plot.

I always start a book by knowing who was killed, who did it, and why.

Always, except my newest. I was two-thirds into it before I knew who the killer was, or why. It was a little stressful, but it was also fun, because it made me scrutinize my characters more, and forced me to give each one a good reason to kill the victim.

(I did a talk with Ian Rankin last year, and he said he once finished a novel and still didn't know who the killer was! Not sure how that works, exactly, but it did encourage me to keep going when I didn't know who'd done it.)

For what it's worth, those who've read the book say it's the best in the series....

Mamakat97, your murderer should not be one of the four suspects. Your sleuth and sidekick (and the readers) have been pursuing red herrings. It's actually the butler.

If you're still looking for options, one of the things I do before starting to write my mystery MIP is that I write the actual murder from the POV of the victim. I get a little into their personality, their situation, and a lot of the little details that should come up (or not) during the victimology phase of the investigation. It also solidifies in my mind who the murderer is. Then i keep it handy so when I'm writing the crime scene investigation, autopsy, or whatever, I have the fast reference. It's helped a lot as I've needed details as I write.

I've played with putting it in as a prologue, but haven't made a firm decision on that. (No, the victim can't ID their killer, so there's no spoilers there.)

Just another possibility that might shake something looks for you.

Notorious Pantser here:

I agree about maybe writing four endings, but seriously, if you are writing in the third (or fourth) act and have no killer yet, step away from the book. Write shorts about each of the suspects. Go to the location if it's real or a substitute if you can. If not, draw maps and diagrams of the crime.

In my experience, the characters usually tell you who did it.

All my best,
Lucie

My suggestion is that you get to know your characters. Do detailed character sketches, ask your characters all sorts of questions even irrelevant ones. Once all your characters are distinct in your mind, with different mannerisms, talking and walking styles & different motivations and backgrounds, then it is easier to know who the killer is.

mamakat97 said:

Hello. Yes this is my first post. I've been lurking for a little over a year.

I write cozy mysteries, not yet published. In my current WIP I have the amateur sleuth, her family, and her best friend/sidekick. I have the victim. There are four suspects who all had motive. I even know where his body was found because that's an important part of why my MC gets involved. What I can't figure out is which one of the four did it and how they killed him.

If you'd had this kind of block before how did you get past it? I thought about just trying to let it come to me as I write but 1. I'm a planner and that would make me crazy. and 2. I need to know so I can plant clues and red herrings.

Any advice would be appreciated.

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Start with the ending and work backwards. Maybe that will help on narrowing things down.

TheListener said:

Start with the ending and work backwards. Maybe that will help on narrowing things down.

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I was about to suggest this. With a mystery, I like to do backward planning (if the murder happened at 0800 on Tuesday, then the victim had to be lured here by 0745, which means the killer had to send the message that lured them by 7pm the night before, which means the murder weapon had to be procured by X and the murderer had to have time to clean up the scene (so he/she was there from at least 0800-0807, which is an opportunity for the person blackmailing the murderer to see them before their untimely death three chapters from the end of the book just before they were to talk to the detective), and so forth. Having a rough timeline helps you keep things reasonable (no, you can't get from Flushing to Downtown Manhattan in five minutes . . . I don't care who's driving). Also, backward planning helps ensure you leave the clues and the red herrings by ensuring the murderer did X and Y but not Z (that was the butler accidentally spilling red wine on the rug . . . not blood), etc. etc. etc.