The mystery genre typically unfolds within a confined world, often featuring an isolated setting with a limited number of characters who could be suspects. It champions a return to a state of pre-existing social stability, emphasising the intrusion of crime into an ideal setting and its subsequent restoration by the detective, thereby preserving the status quo.
Setting and Atmosphere
Creating an environment with no likelihood of an outsider being the murderer is of paramount importance. The setting should ideally evoke an idyllic atmosphere, which further magnifies the impact of a sudden intrusion – a dead body. The backdrop is often one of safety, comfort, and cosiness. Such quintessential locales effectively set the stage for the mystery. The tranquillity of this setting is jolted by the shocking discovery of a body, prompting the protagonist to restore equilibrium. The environment should foster the pursuit and revelation of truth, irrespective of who is the guilty party.
Narrative Structure and Elements
Each element presented to the audience should serve a purpose in the story, either as a genuine clue or as a deliberate red herring. Details about the setting should only come into play if they directly influence the execution of the murder or the course of the investigation. Coincidence, luck, and forced confessions do not qualify as valid solutions. There should be no genuinely supernatural elements; any seemingly supernatural occurrences should be logically explained by the story’s conclusion. The audience should have access to the same information as the detective, including discovered clues and specialised knowledge.
Crime and Culprits
The specific setting and societal context play pivotal roles in shaping the nature of the crime, its motive, and its execution. Mysteries rarely delve into organised crime or criminal gangs; instead, they revolve around individual culprits or at most a murderous couple motivated by personal factors. They tend to focus on interpersonal relationships.
A significant theme in this genre revolves around the struggle between justice and injustice, which extends beyond legality to encompass moral rightness. The detective protagonist in a mystery sometimes finds themselves needing to act justly, even if it means bending or bypassing the law. The detective interviews the suspects, each of whom shows some degree of suspicious behaviour and potentially harbours a hidden secret. Typically, these sins are of lesser magnitude than murder, often portraying the suspects as relatively innocent. While other characters might exhibit the same motivations as the murderer, they aren’t guilty of the heinous act itself.
Characters
At the heart of a mystery lies a cast of characters who play specific roles, including pivotal figures such as:
the murderer, or occasionally a pair working in collaboration
the victim (potentially multiple victims)
the detective, whether amateur or professional, leads the investigation
a detective’s sidekick (optional)
several suspects
witnesses
law enforcement officers
Protagonist
The protagonist is usually either a detective or an amateur who investigates the mystery with a deductive approach. If they are an amateur, they often have connections to professional detectives or law enforcement figures, which grants them access to official information and facilitates the final arrest. Ultimately, they are motivated by the pursuit of truth and knowledge, and prioritise intellect over emotion, which they may view as a weakness. Truth, logic, and justice form the bedrock of their values. Throughout the story, the detective must formulate and debunk hypotheses. Giving them a sidekick allows for alternative theories to be put forward for the detective to discard as incorrect. Most crucially, the detective must be perceived as capable of solving the mystery, they must be beyond suspicion, and they must remain impartial and objective, serving as a trustworthy outsider.
Murder Variations
Murders within mysteries can be categorised into three variations:
straightforward murder, where the act is apparent and unmasked
concealed murder, where the death is hidden
murder made to appear as suicide or an accident
When trying to conceal the death, the murderer may introduce doubt about the occurrence of the murder or delay the discovery of the body to facilitate escape, conceal evidence, establish alibis, or obscure identities.
Victim Portrayal
The portrayal of the victim often navigates a moral grey area. The pivotal crime in a mystery story is usually murder, due to its gravity, which demands justice for the victim. However, the victim’s demise isn’t always heavily mourned, and they often serve as an enigma for the detective to decipher. To mitigate this casual callousness towards the victim by the suspects, it is common to depict the victim as unsavoury or deserving of their fate, or to present them as vague and enigmatic.
Clue Revelation
In the mystery story, a single pivotal clue often holds the key to unravelling the entire puzzle. The narrative experiences a pivotal turning point near the stories crisis when the detective finally grasps the true significance of this clue. Typically discovered early in the story, the clue is initially interpreted with a specific meaning. However, a second equally plausible interpretation remains hidden until the detective re-evaluates the clue from a different angle. This critical insight enables the detective to understand the significance of other clues, deduce the actual sequence of events, comprehend the murderer’s motive, and ultimately identify the culprit. The ‘why’ and ‘how’ lead to the ‘who.’
Concealing Clues
Clues can be concealed in various ways:
Hidden in plain sight: A clue is presented openly but overlooked.
Taken for granted: The clue is so ordinary that it is dismissed as irrelevant.
Buried in a list: The clue is buried among numerous other pieces of information.
Information overload: An excess of information makes identifying important clues difficult.
Unreliable witnesses: Clues are obscured due to untrustworthy witnesses.
Insignificant clues: Clues that appear minor become significant when paired with others.
Incomplete clues: A partial clue gains significance when combined with other information.
Overshadowed clues: Dramatic events eclipse certain clues.
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