How to Write a Mystery

by Larry Beinhart

WHODUNIT? YOUDUNIT!
So you want to write a mystery. There's more to it than just a detective, a dead body, and Colonel Mustard in the drawing room with the candlestick. Fortunately, Larry Beinhart--Edgar Award-winning author of You Get What You Pay For, Foreign Exchange, and American Hero--has taken a break from writing smart, suspenseful thrillers to act as your guide through all the twists and turns of creating the twists and turns of a good mystery.
Drawing on advice and examples from a host of the best names in mystery writing--from Raymond Chandler and Mickey Spillane to Scott Turow and Thomas Harris--plus some of his own prime plots, Larry Beinhart introduces you to your most indispensable partners in crime:
*Character, plot, and procedure
* The secrets to creating heroes, heroines, and villains ("All writers draw upon themselves and their experience. While the whole of yourself might not be capable of being either a serial killer or an FBI agent, there are parts in each of us that are capable of almost anything.")
* The fine art of scripting the sex scene
*The low-down on violence ("A crime novel without violence is like smoking pot without inhaling, sex without orgasm, or a hug without a squeeze." )
*And much more!
From the opening hook to the final denouement, Larry Beinhart takes the mystery out of being a mystery writer.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Mystery, Crime

240 pages, Paperback

First published July 9, 1996

About the author

Larry Beinhart is an Edgar Award-winning author whose American Hero became the movie Wag the Dog."

Reviews

[Bill Kerwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

An instructive introduction to the subject, written in an attractive, breezy style. His continual advice: if it doesn't add anything to the story, leave it out!

[Intisar Khanani · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this as prep for writing some aspects of my next book. The first three chapters were useful, but the rest was either very simple are not at all helpful--recognizing, of course, that I've written a few books by now and have come at least a little ways in my craft. I did find the author's perspective of academics and those who enjoy literary works clearly indicative of a massive chip on his shoulder (the amount of contempt and condescension on display was rather mind-boggling). And I certainly didn't appreciate his use of "preorgasmic" women as a metaphor for writer's block--to mention just one reference to women that didn't go down well. I'm going to stop there, but there's a reason I haven't used a star rating for this book. I'm sure there are much better books out there if you are interested in writing mysteries.

Update: 9/25/18 Oh, what the heck. I'm adding a star rating, because after nearly a year I still can't get over the level of misogyny and arrogance in this thing. :/

[Glasdow Teacosy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have no interest in writing mysteries, but I was interested in reading about how they were put together. This book is as excellent as it was disappointing. You need to take it chapter by chapter. The first half of the book is fantastic. Beinhart puts a lot of wisdom and savvy into those chapters. However, sometime during the third fourth of the book, his narration style became casual. The subject matter wasn't covered as completely, or with the same finesse as earlier. In fact, he insulted several peers. Worse, the examples he used of other writers' works often didn't support the point he was making. It reminded me of a friend of mine who can't tell funny stories because he spends more energy laughing than describing what is actually funny. Whatever point Beinhart had in his mind when he shared the quotes stayed there. The final fourth of the book began to disappoint me. The chapter on Cozies was horrible, showcasing his naked bias against them. Fortunately, he included statements from several authors who made their livings writing cozies, so there was something to be learned there. The final fourth was redeemed in part by the chapter on receiving criticism from beta readers, then sealed as priceless when he included a step-by-step process of how he brainstorms a book. Any new writer could benefit from that chapter regardless of their preferred genre.

I should mention that there were archaic references throughout that dated the book, like the section on self-promotion that referenced CompuServe forums. There were also two unnecessary uses of the n-word which might be excused as being from an earlier time, but since Beinhart lives in England and the book was originally written in 1996, I suspect he was just used to having conversations with his low-life characters.

In the end, I found the book uneven, but filled with useful information. It's better read by subject as opposed to being read cover to cover.

[Christine Goodnough · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book starts out with some really good advice for writing fiction in general, and a lot that pertains to writing mysteries, clues, suspects, openings, etc.
However, this author is into writing dark suspense, and quotes from different thrillers with vicious and violent characters like Philip Morrow and Mike Hammer. Since I'm not interested in reading or writing psychological thrillers and prefer basically upbeat, honest heroes, so I found parts of the book rather depressing.
He does devote a small section to cozies, lightly covering why they're so popular. And he also includes a chapter on editors and working with editors containing helpful info for a novice writer.

[Stephen · Rating 2 out of 5]

While an interesting (and quick) read, this text is too vague to provide much real guidance to the would-be mystery writer. If the reader has not read the author's favourite mysteries, much of the force of his examples is lost. I'd give it a C-.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beinhart covers the basics that most other books on writing cover. The information is all there on how to give a character stakes, the importance of setting, understanding the audience, etc. There's not much in here though specific to writing a mystery compared to writing in any other genre. It's an okay enough resource for anyone who wants to learn about novel or short story writing, but anyone who's read other books on the topic may not get much out of it.

To Beinhart's credit, his passion for the genre is evident, as is shown when he cites passages from his favorites or works that he thinks are worth modeling after.

[Victoria Marie Lees · Rating 3 out of 5]

How to Write a Mystery by Larry Beinhart if full of general tips on story writing as well as mystery writing. The author includes great passages from the books of masters in the mystery genre as examples of what he is instructing the hopeful mystery writer to do.

Mystery writers need to remember that each step forward in a criminal investigation enables the next step, but it also eliminates possibilities as well. Our protagonists, whether amateur, P.I. or police, need to have abilities that will help them solve the case. Our sleuths need to be unique. Clarity in mystery writing is crucial. The reader needs a chance to solve the mystery before the sleuth. [But I never do!] This is playing fair with the reader.

Beinhart reminds writers that we should tell the reader what the character wants and why he wants it and what makes it important. [p-111, paperback] We need to explain consequences and show successes and failures.

I enjoyed the conversational tone of How to Write a Mystery by Larry Beinhart. You may too.

[Cam Torrens · Rating 4 out of 5]

How to Write a Mystery is a timeless book on the genre that unveils the secrets of crafting a captivating mystery beyond the clichés. Edgar Award-winning author, Larry Beinhart serves as a credible guide, leading aspiring writers through the intricate twists and turns of the genre. Drawing on the wisdom of renowned mystery authors like Raymond Chandler and Thomas Harris, as well as his own intriguing plots, Beinhart delves into crucial elements such as character development, plot construction, and procedural details. Even though this book was written nearly 30 years ago, its invaluable advice and insights remain relevant for aspiring mystery writers today.

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good book that leads the young writer from start to finish. His greatest advice...finish the book you are writing. Without that you have nothing. Coming in an incredibly close second is the point of clarity. The second half of the book does change in tone as others mention, but I think it is warranted with the change in topic.

[Madi Wohlfeil · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was some genuinely useful information in this, but not enough to overlook the amount of padding in the rest of the book. It was like one truly helpful and thoughtful tip every five pages. Also extremely outdated at this point and hard to read some of the weird things said about women and minorities LOL

[Ray Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was surprisingly more helpful than I thought it would be when I picked it up at the library. With chapters ranging from characters to setting the scene to narrative pace to defining subgenres, this is definitely something I can see myself browsing through again.

[Gwyn Haller]

If you believe you have to have a friendship with your plumber to get great advice

You may not like this book. But if you can pull the gold out of the junk, I recommend this book highly!

[L.B. Holding · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can tell from his first paragraph that Beinhart knows what he's talking about. I found this one to be great research regarding characters, red herrings, plot, and pace.

[Jane Night · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the tone of this book. The author is funny and this is an entertaining book to read. I found some good information but honestly I felt like it was a bit on the vague side. I picked this book up hoping to better understand how to write mystery as I am planning to add mystery as a sub plot to a romance. I closed the book with a few valuable tips but still not feeling anywhere near ready to tackle writing a mystery of my own.

One thing that I had very mixed feelings about was all the examples that the author gave. In some cases it was helpful but it some cases it felt dull. There were times that it did help clarify what he was saying but much of the time it felt like it was there to just reinforce an idea. I skipped many of the examples.

One other thing to note about this book is that some things are a bit outdated. This book came out before self publishing was really a thing and the authors comments about self publishing are really not relevant today. I feel like a whole lot that was said about the marketing and selling of books is probably out of date now.

This book felt like much more of a beginner guide than I needed. This book is best for beginning writers. It will be of less use for writers who have experience but are wanting to try a new genre.

[Zetta · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading mysteries and have dabbled in adding mystery/suspense to some of my tales, but reading Beinhart's how-to book was both entertaining and educational.

Beinhart breaks down the elements of writing a good, page-turning mystery and uses examples from his published works and others.

He focuses on the importance of character development and narrative drive. These aspects can be used to improve any fiction writing, but here it is directed towards the mystery genre.

Other issues discussed is the use of sex, dialogue, violence and other things that (may) have a place in a good mystery.

It is very easy to read a "how-to" book only to think WTF? as you try to decipher their explanations. It's not always easy to clearly explain how to do something, but Beinhart's prose is easy to follow and his sense of humor make this a fun read.

If you write mysteries or dabble in writing mysteries--or you just wonder how a writer develops an idea into a good mystery, you should read this book.

[N. Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I generally like the work of Larry Beinhart, both his fiction and non-fiction, so I might be a bit prejudiced.

The book is for the most part written with wit and insight, and he gives interesting critiques of some of the more famous mystery/thriller writers. Not sure why he omitted James Ellroy, though.

Although some portions are the expected filler blah blah which is rather intuitive, the bulk of it does have something to say. Obviously, this book is geared toward those who would like to write a mystery, so I would have a hard time recommending it to anyone else. but for me, I'm glad I bought it. In fact, I might give it a re-read.

[Connie Cockrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

My husband found me this book in the thrift store and loving, supportive guy that he is, bought it for me. Originally published in 1996, Mr. Beinhart has written American Hero, Foreign Exchange, No One Rides for Free and You Get What You Pay For.

I loved this book. Even at nearly 20 years old, Mr. Beinhart's tips for writing fantastic mystery stories are as good today as they were when he first published. He covers everything from Hard Boiled Detective to Cozy Mysteries with examples from all of the best stories and authors in the overall genre.

This book is a definite keeper in my How to Write library. Thank you, Mr. Beinhart.

[Gail Gibbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good writing-advice book with a bad title. You won't learn about planting clues or mystery structure, because Beinhart believes story derives from placing fascinating characters in difficult situations, and when you nail that down, the plot follows. This is demonstrated nicely in the last chapter (a non-fiction book, so this isn't a spoiler), when he takes Shakespeare's Othello and reframes it as a whodunit, a police procedural, and a trial drama, simply by varying the characters and viewpoint. So ignore the title and enjoy interesting writing advice, presented entertainingly.

[Michael Mc Donnell · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice quick read with some solid advice. I found his approach to writing meshed pretty well with my own which may have had something to do with it. His examples are excellent, concise and to the point and deftly illustrate what hes trying to teach. Which seems like it should be the standard but based on my experience of "How to write" books it is sadly not.

[PoligirlReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read. Beinhart has a smooth and easy writing style that makes me want to read some of his fiction. I liked the discussion on the three types of violence, and Narrative Drive. The best part of his book is how he addresses the "rules," then says what realistic writers do (and yes, sometimes that includes breaking the rules).

[Attila Benő · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first "How to write a ..." book I read, so I may not have enough experience to compare it with other books in the field. The book does what it says it would: it outlines the phases of writing a mystery. It does it in an understandable, no-nonsense way. Would this be the ONLY book for someone who wants to start writing? Probably not. Would this be useful? Most certainly.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't read this all, but used as a reference. Very good instruction, but cannot beat "writing a Damn good mystery."

[Brett Wallach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short on the "how to", but well-written book replete with good examples, though a bit heavy on promoting himself and his wife.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent how to book! Highly recommended.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

much good advice on writing mysteries.. and with a sense of humor