Demystifying the Beats: How to Write a Killer Book

by Carol Potenza

Cozy, hard-boiled, or historical…

Is writing your mystery novel a complete mystery?
Crafting a convincing mystery requires unique story beats—the keys to delivering a satisfying read.

This sassy chat (in book form) presented by award-winning authors reveals the secrets to help you execute a story that works. You won’t be handcuffed to a formula. It’s a guideline for assembling clues, criminals, and conclusions in your unique, “perfectly-poisonous” blend.

Whether your book is a carefully plotted caper, a crime of opportunity, or something in between, join our covert operation as we demystify the mystery beats.

Genres: Nonfiction

Audible Audio

Published February 21, 2024

About the author

Carol Potenza is a biochemistry professor by day and a mystery author by night. She loves the combination of her two careers because it gives her the ability not only to teach her students about the biochemical effects of poison, but also to use said poisons very creatively in her murder mysteries (along with other diabolical methods). She lives in the beautiful state of New Mexico with her husband, Jose, and two dogs, Daphne and Hermes, they inherited from her sister.

Reviews

[R.Z. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the way "How-to's" SHOULD be written

Maybe it takes the combined minds of four actual mystery writers to pull this off (instead of some academic analysts, let's say), but these authors have given us wannabes the path to writing our own mysteries. Having written a couple of mysteries myself, I now see what I did, and did not do well, and all the places I could have done better. Maybe I'll try again. Thanks guys for this excellent book!

[Quartknee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative and useful. I wish it had more examples of the ways beats can be combined or shifted throughout an act or moved to different parts of the plot

[Caitlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful, quick read with lots of information about writing a mystery novel. Will use this whenever I need to write mystery subplots.