What do you think?
Rate this book
Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel
Solve the MYSTERY of how to write and sell a KILLER story!
With the help of interactive exercises, mystery author and crime fiction critic Hallie Ephron gives you the momentum you need to turn a kernel of an idea into an intriguing mystery novel. You'll learn to capitalize on your writing strengths and shore up your weaknesses.
This comprehensive guide covers every aspect of mystery writing, including:
planning, twisting the plot, and constructing a credible surprise ending
creating a compelling sleuth and a worthy villain
deceiving and revealing with red herrings and clues
writing investigation, spine-tingling suspense, and dramatic action
revising - from sharpening characters, to optimizing pace, to smithing words
engaging the reader
By the time you finish reading part one of this book, you will have a blueprint for your entire story. Parts two and there take your blueprint from idea to well-polished novel. Part four is an insider's guide to getting it into an agent's or publisher's hands.
With the help of interactive exercises, mystery author and crime fiction critic Hallie Ephron gives you the momentum you need to turn a kernel of an idea into an intriguing mystery novel. You'll learn to capitalize on your writing strengths and shore up your weaknesses.
This comprehensive guide covers every aspect of mystery writing, including:
planning, twisting the plot, and constructing a credible surprise ending
creating a compelling sleuth and a worthy villain
deceiving and revealing with red herrings and clues
writing investigation, spine-tingling suspense, and dramatic action
revising - from sharpening characters, to optimizing pace, to smithing words
engaging the reader
By the time you finish reading part one of this book, you will have a blueprint for your entire story. Parts two and there take your blueprint from idea to well-polished novel. Part four is an insider's guide to getting it into an agent's or publisher's hands.
256 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2005
31 people are currently reading
480 people want to read
About the author
Hallie Ephron
22 books560 followersHallie Ephron (http://hallieephron.com) is a New York Times bestselling author of suspense novels. Her last five have all been Mary Higgins Clark Award finalists.
Her (August 2019) Careful What You Wish For tells the story of a professional organizer married to man who can't pass a yard sale without stopping. In this respect, Hallie is writing from personal experience. Her husband is a champion yard sailor who's packed their basement, garage, and attic with his finds.
A STARRED review in Publisher's Weekly proclaimed it an "outstanding standalone." Reviewing it for TIME Magazine, Jamie Lee Curtis called it "thrilling and suspenseful." From Kirkus: "Ephron's tidy approach to stowing clues, arousing suspicions, keeping the chaos of the climax under control, then tying up loose ends makes her a professional organizer of this type of entertainment. In a word—neat."
Hallie's Never Tell a Lie was made into the Lifetime Movie Network film.
A book lover, she also wrote The Bibliophile's Devotional and 1001 Books for Every Mood. For twelve years she reviewed crime fiction for the Boston Globe. Her Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel (now in a revised/expanded edition) was an Edgar and Anthony award finalist. She teaches writing at writing conferences and workshops all around the world.
Hallie lives near Boston with her husband and has two fabulous daughters. She is the third of four writing Ephron sisters.
Her (August 2019) Careful What You Wish For tells the story of a professional organizer married to man who can't pass a yard sale without stopping. In this respect, Hallie is writing from personal experience. Her husband is a champion yard sailor who's packed their basement, garage, and attic with his finds.
A STARRED review in Publisher's Weekly proclaimed it an "outstanding standalone." Reviewing it for TIME Magazine, Jamie Lee Curtis called it "thrilling and suspenseful." From Kirkus: "Ephron's tidy approach to stowing clues, arousing suspicions, keeping the chaos of the climax under control, then tying up loose ends makes her a professional organizer of this type of entertainment. In a word—neat."
Hallie's Never Tell a Lie was made into the Lifetime Movie Network film.
A book lover, she also wrote The Bibliophile's Devotional and 1001 Books for Every Mood. For twelve years she reviewed crime fiction for the Boston Globe. Her Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel (now in a revised/expanded edition) was an Edgar and Anthony award finalist. She teaches writing at writing conferences and workshops all around the world.
Hallie lives near Boston with her husband and has two fabulous daughters. She is the third of four writing Ephron sisters.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
October 7, 2010
I like reading how-to books, although I don’t read them voraciously. After listening to journalist and mystery author Hallie Ephron give a workshop on point of view three years ago, I bought a copy of her book, Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel. I prefer to read these books while working on a new novel and this was the perfect opportunity.
I’m writing my sixth mystery and was amazed by the amount of useful information Ephron provides, including the all-important editing and selling components. She provides ample exercises for writers to jump-start their work and presents more detail about planting red herrings and clues than I’ve read in other books.
Writing and Selling Your Mystery is geared toward writers who are starting, or planning to start, their first mystery, yet there were plenty of great tips for me. As a bonus, the book provided lots of inspiration and ideas for my plot. This was one of the most comprehensive books I’ve read on mysteries and I’ll be consulting it again when I start book seven.
Debra
Fatal Encryption
Taxed to death
I’m writing my sixth mystery and was amazed by the amount of useful information Ephron provides, including the all-important editing and selling components. She provides ample exercises for writers to jump-start their work and presents more detail about planting red herrings and clues than I’ve read in other books.
Writing and Selling Your Mystery is geared toward writers who are starting, or planning to start, their first mystery, yet there were plenty of great tips for me. As a bonus, the book provided lots of inspiration and ideas for my plot. This was one of the most comprehensive books I’ve read on mysteries and I’ll be consulting it again when I start book seven.
Debra
Fatal Encryption
Taxed to death
February 16, 2016
“Do you promise that your detectives shall well and truely detect the crimes presented to them, using those wits which it may please you to bestow upon them and not placing reliance on Divine Revelation, Feminine Intuition, Mumbo-Jumbo, Jiggery-Pokery, Coincidence, or the Act of God?”
-Membership Oath of the Detection Club, formed in 1930 by Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers and other mystery writers.
Click below for my review.
http://www.ballemillner.com/writingan...
-Membership Oath of the Detection Club, formed in 1930 by Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers and other mystery writers.
Click below for my review.
http://www.ballemillner.com/writingan...
March 22, 2008
This is an EXCELLENT reference source for mystery writers. I would go so far to say that any writer that incorporates a myster in their story should look at this book. Not only does it walk you through questions to ask and plot twist. But it also gives you a blueprint of the basics. I plan to use this blueprint for all stories not just mystery based ones. If every genre had a how to book like this it would make my life a whole lot easier.
July 16, 2017
Exceptionally useful book for authors of ALL genres. This work was recommended to me by an award winning mystery writer as a means to start exploring the mystery genre and I'm grateful she did.
Hallie Ephron provides a factual, straightforward perspective of the WORK behind crafting a good mystery novel. As an established author in other genres, I'll admit I was fascinated by both the similarities and differences in the work.
The organization and construction of the book is just perfect, IMHO. Start at the ideation process, refine, test, challenge - create a roadmap. Embark on the journey, taking care to focus on the important parts, keep the reader interested, provide clues, tension, red herrings, misdirection, authentic characters and manage the entire process. Revise, edit and improve. Ephron is fantastic at just the right level of detail.
I really enjoyed reading this book but not just for the value of creating a good mystery novel. I'd estimate that at least 90% of the guidance provided is perfectly applicable for ANY writing. I suspect I'll be spending a considerable amount of time transcribing some of the lessons learned - highly recommended.
Hallie Ephron provides a factual, straightforward perspective of the WORK behind crafting a good mystery novel. As an established author in other genres, I'll admit I was fascinated by both the similarities and differences in the work.
The organization and construction of the book is just perfect, IMHO. Start at the ideation process, refine, test, challenge - create a roadmap. Embark on the journey, taking care to focus on the important parts, keep the reader interested, provide clues, tension, red herrings, misdirection, authentic characters and manage the entire process. Revise, edit and improve. Ephron is fantastic at just the right level of detail.
I really enjoyed reading this book but not just for the value of creating a good mystery novel. I'd estimate that at least 90% of the guidance provided is perfectly applicable for ANY writing. I suspect I'll be spending a considerable amount of time transcribing some of the lessons learned - highly recommended.
November 10, 2020
Most of it was...okay, a typical how-to book on writing written by someone who rigorously plans everything with multiple character sheets, an outline, a synopsis, a plot summary and graphs. I have tried this in the past, and I know from experience that while this method works for many people, it does not work for me; in fact, it kills the story dead for me. Once I know the entire story, I don't have to tell it to myself. So I don't.
Unfortunately, while Ephron paid lip service to people who don't plan out their books, she very plainly did not get why anyone would write that way when they could plan and (in her view) save themselves a great deal of time. She raised the specter of a woman who did not plan out her book and who ended up having to rewrite 200 pages. Of course, that could happen to a planner as well; having a plan doesn't mean that the writer won't find ways of improving the story that necessitate massive changes. And Ephron did acknowledge in a separate section that a manuscript would need revision, possibly even extensive revision. But I definitely got the impression that she did not approve of writing without a plan--and since she did not provide any writing advice that someone like me could employ, reading the book was interesting, as I like to see other people's writing processes, but not very useful.
This was a disappointment. I was hoping for advice for planners and non-planners, and I did not get it.
The other problem with the book was that some of its advice was rather dated. For example, Ephron gave the following advice:
Get a pink, a yellow, and a blue highlighting marker. Then highlight the main plot points in the outline to indicate the intensity of the scene:
* blue for primarily narrative, basic investigation, and reflection;
* yellow for rising suspense;
* pink for action and plot twists
I can remember reading that advice in books on writing in the 1970s. It made sense then; people were writing using typewriters. The hard copy was automatically there.
But nowadays...well, there's a highlighting function in MS Word. You can mark up the file of your outline to see if you have--for example--too much narrative clumped together and delete the highlighting when you no longer need it.
Likewise, Ephron provides detailed information on proper formatting of physical manuscripts. But...every publisher that I've seen, be they small presses or one of the Big Five, has details on the formatting that they require on their websites. Many small presses do not accept anything but e-submissions, setting Ephron's advice about using loose 8 1/2" x 11" paper with no holes or ragged edges (in other words, the kind of paper that usually comes out of a printer) at naught. Ephron also advises indenting five spaces at the beginning of each paragraph, despite the fact that you can set the indentation of each paragraph's first line in Word without having to hit the space bar five times. And again, many small presses require block paragraphs; it's easier to format.
So, all in all, this was entertaining in a "oh, that's how planners do it" way, but it was not an helpful book for me. It would probably help someone who was a natural planner and outliner of stories, though I would still advise them to check the formatting requirements of each publishing house to which they were planning to submit.
Unfortunately, while Ephron paid lip service to people who don't plan out their books, she very plainly did not get why anyone would write that way when they could plan and (in her view) save themselves a great deal of time. She raised the specter of a woman who did not plan out her book and who ended up having to rewrite 200 pages. Of course, that could happen to a planner as well; having a plan doesn't mean that the writer won't find ways of improving the story that necessitate massive changes. And Ephron did acknowledge in a separate section that a manuscript would need revision, possibly even extensive revision. But I definitely got the impression that she did not approve of writing without a plan--and since she did not provide any writing advice that someone like me could employ, reading the book was interesting, as I like to see other people's writing processes, but not very useful.
This was a disappointment. I was hoping for advice for planners and non-planners, and I did not get it.
The other problem with the book was that some of its advice was rather dated. For example, Ephron gave the following advice:
Get a pink, a yellow, and a blue highlighting marker. Then highlight the main plot points in the outline to indicate the intensity of the scene:
* blue for primarily narrative, basic investigation, and reflection;
* yellow for rising suspense;
* pink for action and plot twists
I can remember reading that advice in books on writing in the 1970s. It made sense then; people were writing using typewriters. The hard copy was automatically there.
But nowadays...well, there's a highlighting function in MS Word. You can mark up the file of your outline to see if you have--for example--too much narrative clumped together and delete the highlighting when you no longer need it.
Likewise, Ephron provides detailed information on proper formatting of physical manuscripts. But...every publisher that I've seen, be they small presses or one of the Big Five, has details on the formatting that they require on their websites. Many small presses do not accept anything but e-submissions, setting Ephron's advice about using loose 8 1/2" x 11" paper with no holes or ragged edges (in other words, the kind of paper that usually comes out of a printer) at naught. Ephron also advises indenting five spaces at the beginning of each paragraph, despite the fact that you can set the indentation of each paragraph's first line in Word without having to hit the space bar five times. And again, many small presses require block paragraphs; it's easier to format.
So, all in all, this was entertaining in a "oh, that's how planners do it" way, but it was not an helpful book for me. It would probably help someone who was a natural planner and outliner of stories, though I would still advise them to check the formatting requirements of each publishing house to which they were planning to submit.
June 10, 2013
I couldn't be without this book. My copy is up on the 'Pride of Place' shelf of my library, tattered, broken spined, ink spattered and well-thumbed and whenever I feel afraid, it provides comfort and reassurance! Hallie Ephron gives sensible, realistic, astute advice with good humour and the wisdom of experience. Her section on re-drafting is particularly excellent. I've read a lot of books about writing crime novels and, out of them all, this is the one that really works for me!
May 26, 2013
Excellent road map for producing a sound and polished mystery! One of two books I certainly hope to acknowledge should I be persistent and lucky enough to be published. It will remain on my go-to bookshelf for continued guidance!
July 25, 2020
I borrowed this from the library. Halfway through, I ordered my own used copy so I could mark it up to hell and back.
This is an OUTSTANDING resource for me as I embark on writing my first mystery novel. The book goes from absolute start (conception, ideas, shaping your main character and plot) to complete finish (querying and publishing). I found the tips and tough love really useful. E.G. I really needed to someone to tell me: "Andrea, we love ya, but no one wants to read 19 pages of backstory or pointless exhibition. And for god's sake, show don't tell."
Most of the examples are drawn from modern, action-heavy thriller mysteries, and a lot of the pointers are written assuming that you're writing one too. But I think there's a lot of valuable stuff in here regarding pacing, avoiding stereotypes and cliches, dialogue, EDITING (oh god editing). I think I will be referring to this book again and again while I write. Terrific!
This is an OUTSTANDING resource for me as I embark on writing my first mystery novel. The book goes from absolute start (conception, ideas, shaping your main character and plot) to complete finish (querying and publishing). I found the tips and tough love really useful. E.G. I really needed to someone to tell me: "Andrea, we love ya, but no one wants to read 19 pages of backstory or pointless exhibition. And for god's sake, show don't tell."
Most of the examples are drawn from modern, action-heavy thriller mysteries, and a lot of the pointers are written assuming that you're writing one too. But I think there's a lot of valuable stuff in here regarding pacing, avoiding stereotypes and cliches, dialogue, EDITING (oh god editing). I think I will be referring to this book again and again while I write. Terrific!
May 8, 2019
Clearly set out, with lots of useful information that's easy to implement, this is a vital resource for any mystery writer. (Especially if, like me, you're just venturing into the genre and need a helping hand!) Highly recommend.
April 25, 2019
As a self-published author of three mysteries, I thought this book was quite comprehensive in terms of providing both a solid basic foundation for developing a mystery as well as digging into some of the more nuanced reader expectations. I found some of the content too basic, but there were quite a few tips and tricks that I'll definitely implement in future books. Also, the author gives equal weight to those writers who plot everything out as well as those who just write with a blank page (plotters vs. pantsers, though the author doesn't use those terms). I appreciate a point of view that doesn't criticize either approach. The ideas in the "writing" sections are valuable enough to make the book a worthwhile read.
The book focuses purely on traditional publishing, and selling the book to literary agents and traditional publishing houses. The book was originally published in 2005 (which, as of this review, was 14 years ago), so it was before self-publishing was a thing—it was even before the release of Amazon's Kindle. The publishing world has changed dramatically since then, and I don't know how much of the "selling your book" portion of this is still true or relevant.
Also, it's quite obvious that the e-book version of this title was poorly scanned, and that no one bothered to check the accuracy of the OCR before hitting "publish." Many words are mashed together, many words have random hyphens in the middle of them, and whole lines and paragraphs are missing or in the wrong place. It's irritating and off-putting. The content on writing and structure is good enough to still make me recommend this read if you're a mystery writer starting out.
The book focuses purely on traditional publishing, and selling the book to literary agents and traditional publishing houses. The book was originally published in 2005 (which, as of this review, was 14 years ago), so it was before self-publishing was a thing—it was even before the release of Amazon's Kindle. The publishing world has changed dramatically since then, and I don't know how much of the "selling your book" portion of this is still true or relevant.
Also, it's quite obvious that the e-book version of this title was poorly scanned, and that no one bothered to check the accuracy of the OCR before hitting "publish." Many words are mashed together, many words have random hyphens in the middle of them, and whole lines and paragraphs are missing or in the wrong place. It's irritating and off-putting. The content on writing and structure is good enough to still make me recommend this read if you're a mystery writer starting out.
July 14, 2010
This is a great nuts and bolts book. Plus, just reading it has helped me figure out some of my plot problems in my middle grade WIP. Wa-hoo!
This book is right up there with Carolyn Wheat's "How to Write Killer Fiction."
This book is right up there with Carolyn Wheat's "How to Write Killer Fiction."
January 20, 2012
A great how-to book that hits some broad topics in writing and selling Mysteries. It also features a lot of writing exercises and examples that are fun and interesting.
January 27, 2016
One word describes this book: excellent.
June 17, 2013
It's a must-read for anyone who wants to take on writing a mystery novel. Loved it.
September 13, 2020
3.5/5 stars
This book does provide some helpful insights into writing a novel, and while it is primarily marketed towards writing mystery novels, it can be useful for other genres as well. Some of the book's insights and tips may seem a little too high-level and obvious at first, but they can be helpful nonetheless.
The book is broken up into four different parts covering different areas of the writing process, and I found their quality to be a little hit-and-miss. In particular, I found the first part on planning to be a little too generic and obvious, but that may be due to me having already read a lot on the topic. The following parts on writing and revising I did think were done quite well though. The last part on publishing your novel was quite broad, but it does give the reader a starting point in that area.
Overall, I might recommend this book to someone who is very new to writing, but likely not to an experienced and/or published writer.
This book does provide some helpful insights into writing a novel, and while it is primarily marketed towards writing mystery novels, it can be useful for other genres as well. Some of the book's insights and tips may seem a little too high-level and obvious at first, but they can be helpful nonetheless.
The book is broken up into four different parts covering different areas of the writing process, and I found their quality to be a little hit-and-miss. In particular, I found the first part on planning to be a little too generic and obvious, but that may be due to me having already read a lot on the topic. The following parts on writing and revising I did think were done quite well though. The last part on publishing your novel was quite broad, but it does give the reader a starting point in that area.
Overall, I might recommend this book to someone who is very new to writing, but likely not to an experienced and/or published writer.
July 31, 2019
As an author, I read a lot of books on the writing craft and this is one of my favorites. It offers concise, helpful information. I often re-read specific sections to keep my work on track.
I found the revising section particularly helpful.
It's a classic. You won't regret spending your hard-earned money on it.
Dianne McCartney, author of Just One Night, available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com
I found the revising section particularly helpful.
It's a classic. You won't regret spending your hard-earned money on it.
Dianne McCartney, author of Just One Night, available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com
May 5, 2023
An essential resource for any mystery or thriller writer. What I love about this book is not only does Ephron tell you what to do, but she shows you the exact steps to do it (something a lot of writing craft books are missing). For example, if you're not sure how to make an innocent person look guilty, you'll find thirteen specific techniques to try. Unsure of how to murder your victim? More suggestions await. I cannot stress how helpful this book is. So good!!
February 14, 2020
Best-selling mystery author's howdo whodoneits, from first concept to final publication. Step-by-step guide walks the reader through the entire process and includes workbook-style exercises that polish the points. Must-read pearls for novice and experienced mystery/suspense writers.
Read
April 13, 2025This is a previous edition, but it has some parts worded differently and some parts that are not in the updated addition, both of which I wish were there because (either they were often worded better, or the info was worth reading).
June 14, 2017
LOVE this book. Does a good job of explaining how to develop your plot. Will keep nearby as for reference.
September 29, 2017
An absolute must.
January 13, 2018
Bit dated.
January 12, 2021
Helpful guide about planning, plotting, writing and revising a mystery novel, as well as tips on publishing, with useful charts and exercises to help the reader put the advise to the test.
May 3, 2023
This book is the go to book for answers to questions I didn’t know enough to ask! I’ve read it twice and have recommended it to everyone who has any interest in writing.
March 31, 2024
I found this book helpful! It’s broken down in a great way and the accompanying website has lots of templates writers can download and use.
February 27, 2017
Pros: Really good at explaining what makes a mystery novel differ from books of other genres and how to keep the suspense flowing.
The little snippets from well known mystery novels help a lot in bringing the points across.
Cons: A bit formulaic at times.
Somewhat outdated when it comes to recommending how to do/use research.
The references at the back are quite useless if you plan to publish outside USA or self-publish/only publish in an online format.
The little snippets from well known mystery novels help a lot in bringing the points across.
Cons: A bit formulaic at times.
Somewhat outdated when it comes to recommending how to do/use research.
The references at the back are quite useless if you plan to publish outside USA or self-publish/only publish in an online format.
October 28, 2015
Wonderful resource regardless of the genre you write in. Yes, some chapters are mostly for mysteries, but a very large portion of the book is general. There are chapters on POV, story line, editing, planning, revising, and selling. Each chapter starts with a quote from a famous author and there are lots of examples pulled from works of fiction.
She talks about how to end one chapter and start the next. Do you use a cliff hanger or not? She covers that. Hallie also goes over characters, from naming them to analyzing them and how to portray them on paper. Each chapter has exercises you can do or not. Your choice.
At the back is an appendix listing organizations, mystery conferences, contests, guidebooks, and more. This is one of the sections geared for the mystery writer.
Regardless of the genre you prefer to write in, if you are looking for a book with good information and an easy read, check this one out. It’s currently on sale on the Writer’s Digest Shop at http://www.writersdigestshop.com/writ.... (as of Oct 2015)
She talks about how to end one chapter and start the next. Do you use a cliff hanger or not? She covers that. Hallie also goes over characters, from naming them to analyzing them and how to portray them on paper. Each chapter has exercises you can do or not. Your choice.
At the back is an appendix listing organizations, mystery conferences, contests, guidebooks, and more. This is one of the sections geared for the mystery writer.
Regardless of the genre you prefer to write in, if you are looking for a book with good information and an easy read, check this one out. It’s currently on sale on the Writer’s Digest Shop at http://www.writersdigestshop.com/writ.... (as of Oct 2015)
November 15, 2021
This book was a highly informative read! I would recommend this book to those who are thinking about writing a mystery novel.
I bought this book a few years ago and finally read it. I am glad I took the step. This book helped me out on subjects and situations I thought I knew. I knew most genres have a “formula”. What I learned was what type of formula mystery novels have. I feel more confident now than before I read it. This book was in-depth enough to understand the nooks and crannies.
This book is easy to read and understand. There are many examples from different authors for the subject the author is trying to explain. Unfortunately, there were not any diagrams like I like, but I am still fine with that. This book is great for new to advanced writers. For me, you can always learn additional things no matter where you are in your writing.
I will use this book as a reference while writing and editing my mystery novel.
You can find this review on my website:
https://www.charliadamswriter.com
I bought this book a few years ago and finally read it. I am glad I took the step. This book helped me out on subjects and situations I thought I knew. I knew most genres have a “formula”. What I learned was what type of formula mystery novels have. I feel more confident now than before I read it. This book was in-depth enough to understand the nooks and crannies.
This book is easy to read and understand. There are many examples from different authors for the subject the author is trying to explain. Unfortunately, there were not any diagrams like I like, but I am still fine with that. This book is great for new to advanced writers. For me, you can always learn additional things no matter where you are in your writing.
I will use this book as a reference while writing and editing my mystery novel.
You can find this review on my website:
https://www.charliadamswriter.com
April 14, 2016
I had just finished my manuscript and was taking a break while test readers had it when I bought this book. I felt the information contained in it was so valuable, I'm going back to tweak my own book with some of the suggestions. I re-contacted a test reader afterwards with a sample chapter of rewrite and the response was overwhelmingly positive. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in writing Mysteries or Thrillers.
August 31, 2014
This book is great as a tool for writers. As a person I learn from examples and there are plenty here. I especially love the example by Robert Parker and his character Spencer. I loved the way Parker introduces Spencer with the dialog and give his attitude to us on the first page.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews