Mystery fiction is a great literary genre that has inspired book lovers and aspiring writers from different parts of the world. Many books have been launched in the market and a lot of them have encouraged their mystery book fans to go beyond their limits and use their investigative skills in some parts of their journey through life. Another defining thing of this genre is its ability to produce amazing characters that serve as the idols and role models of readers because of their great characteristics and traits, such as Sherlock Holmes, Miss Marple, August Dupin, Nancy Drew, Superintendent Battle, Inspector Rebus, Dr. Kay Scarpetta, and more.
What could be the different elements that improve the quality of every mystery fiction story? Here are the common devices used in mystery fiction that makes the genre more interesting and exciting to dive into.
Crime
A crime refers to the felony or offense committed by a character that improves the plot of mystery fiction. This aspect is commonly presented at the early stages of the story. It has the ability to mold the main conflict of the story that leads to an investigation and the journey of the protagonist to reveal the person behind it. Take for example in The Hound of the Baskervilles, the death of Charles Baskerville led to the investigation led by Sherlock Holmes until the case was solved.
The most common crime associated with mystery fiction is murder. So, because of this aspect, the murder mystery genre came into view. The murder mystery books by JB Clemmens are some of the best examples of the combined crime and mystery genre.
Foreshadowing
There are many stories that present hints of the situation that will take place in the future, which is typically known as foreshadowing. Many authors can tease the readers about a particular event by dropping clues somewhere in the story or in the dialogues. Authors are given the freedom to either directly state or thoroughly hide the foreshadowing in the story.
Epilogue
This pertains to the part of the story, usually found at the end of the novel, which serves as commentary on a particular factor of the story or shows the conclusion to the events in the book. Hence, it is the final act of the story. Using this device brings your work and the readers together. However, it is different from the storyline’s conclusion. If you think about it, this is the ending after the ending, meaning this is found after the plot is closed. The integral questions and loose ends that are found at the conclusion is being given light and answered by this device to give the readers a better grasp on the story.
Red herrings
Without red herrings, every mystery fiction story wouldn’t be interesting. Hence, they are one of the most crucial elements of mystery stories. Red herrings are the false hints used by authors to create tension in the stories. The main purpose of this aspect is to stray the readers away from the track for a short while. Many writers tend to create other villains, emphasize certain objects, and make twists that aren’t that significant. Thus, red herrings enhance the story by hooking the attention of the readers and bringing them to a false direction before they reach the resolution.
Sleuth
Sleuth pertains to the character that is filled with determination to solve the case. This character can be an amateur detective, private investigators, police detectives, and more. In simpler terms, a sleuth is the crime solver. The development of the sleuth is integral in every mystery fiction. That is why they require a great backstory that binds them to the crime or the suspect to show their character development and give them a stronger reason to solve the mystery.
Narrative momentum
The plot of mystery fiction story usually follows a continuous motion because of the cat-and-mouse flow of the narrative. The pace of the story becomes faster, resulting to reaching the highest point of the story and to the resolution of the conflict. This is the primary element, with the help of the characters, which brings the plot forward.
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