An author of mystery novels or short stories is known as a mystery writer. This type of author is distinct from a true crime author, who writes nonfiction books about true crimes. Authors of mystery novels create a plot or story based on a crime, usually a murder, that their protagonist, or main character, must solve.
By its very nature, the mystery genre requires the reader to remain enthralled until the end of the story. The mystery writer must be an expert at giving the reader just enough clues throughout the book to keep the story interesting and moving forward, but not enough to allow the reader to solve the mystery before the main character or protagonist. A detective is usually the protagonist of a mystery, but it could also be a coroner or an unlikely character who finds herself in the role of crime solver.
Character stereotypes like the bumbling detective can emerge if mystery writers don’t keep their protagonists unique. If a mystery author creates a well-known character, he or she must give him or her a fresh perspective. Male protagonists, for example, were once the norm before mystery writers began using female protagonists to solve crimes. Shirley Rousseau Murphy is the author of a popular series of mystery novels in which a cat, Joe Grey, solves crimes.
The best mystery writers know how to keep the reader turning pages to find out who the murderer or perpetrator is. A mystery writer should also be skilled at incorporating plot twists into the story, such as when a character who was previously thought to be innocent of the crime may now be found guilty, or vice versa. To keep the story fresh and compelling, every mystery must contain an element of surprise.
Red herrings are another strength of a good mystery writer. A red herring is a fictitious clue or lead that does not prove to be useful in solving the crime. As they write, mystery writers must keep the motive in mind, or the reason the perpetrator committed the crime. When the reader, along with the crime-solving main character, discovers who committed the crime, the mystery author must ensure that all questions that may arise in the minds of readers are answered. Every who, what, where, when, why, and how of the case must be answered by the end of the mystery novel in order for the world the mystery writer created in the story to be returned to normal.