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How to Write a Damn Good Mystery: A Practical Step-by-Step Guide from Inspiration to Finished Manuscript | 
 enlarge | Author: James N. Frey
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Category: Book
List Price: $23.95
Buy New: $1.05
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Avg. Customer Rating:  19 reviews
Sales Rank: 22786
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 288
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.6 x 1.1
ISBN: 0312304463
Dewey Decimal Number: 808.3872
EAN: 9780312304461
ASIN: 0312304463
Publication Date: February 12, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Edgar award nominee James N. Frey, author of the internationally best-selling books on the craft of writing, How to Write a Damn Good Novel, How to Write a Damn Good Novel II: Advanced Techniques, and The Key: How to Write Damn Good Fiction Using the Power of Myth, has now written what is certain to become the standard "how to" book for mystery writing, How to Write a Damn Good Mystery.
Frey urges writers to aim high-not to try to write a good-enough-to-get-published mystery, but a damn good mystery. A damn good mystery is first a dramatic novel, Frey insists-a dramatic novel with living, breathing characters-and he shows his readers how to create a living, breathing, believable character who will be clever and resourceful, willful and resolute, and will be what Frey calls "the author of the plot behind the plot."
Frey then shows, in his well-known, entertaining, and accessible (and often humorous) style , how the characters-the entire ensemble, including the murderer, the detective, the authorities, the victims, the suspects, the witnesses and the bystanders-create a complete and coherent world.
Exploring both the on-stage action and the behind-the-scenes intrigue, Frey shows prospective writers how to build a fleshed-out, believable, and logical world. He shows them exactly which parts of that world show up in the pages of a damn good mystery-and which parts are held back just long enough to keep the reader guessing.
This is an indispensable step-by-step guide for anyone who's ever dreamed of writing a damn good mystery.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 14 more reviews...
 How to Avoid Writing a Pot-Boiler March 27, 2008
As a self-confessed collector of books on writing, I found this one of the best of a very few such books that I have found merit the title of "most helpful and clear" how-to volumes. Frey is blunt, sometimes funny, always informative, and, for anyone thinking of writing just about any kind of novel, his book is a must. His writer's voice feels as if he is sitting across the table from you at your favorite coffee shop, telling you all his secrets. It's a great read. Even if you don't intend to write a mystery, per se, you will learn valuable lessons about the process of engaging, and sustaining, your reader's interest from cover to cover by following Frey's advice. On the whole, I found this even more helpful than his "How to Write a Damned Good Novel." If you know someone who is writing a novel, or trying to, this would be a good gift book for him or her to add to a writer's library. His How-To books are terrific, in my not so humble opinion!How to Write a Damn Good Novel, II: Advanced Techniques For Dramatic Storytelling
How to do a "Who Did It" July 11, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
For any avid mystery reader and frustrated mystery writer like me, this book is a treat. It analyzes the structure and content of mysteries in an entertaining and informative manner. The author teaches writing courses and knows how to explain his ideas clearly and simply. It is easy to imagine him performing in front of his students, mixing humor with sound advice. The only doubt I have in recommending this book is that after reading it, a mystery reader will always be aware of how the author of the mystery uses the formulas detailed in the book and this might prove distracting. Kind of like finding out how a magic trick is accomplished, thus losing the magic and being left with only the trick. Certainly for an aspiring mystery writer the book is perfect.
 Hmmm July 6, 2007
0 out of 5 found this review helpful
It's too bad Frey wastes all of his bluster and energy on this stuff instead of writing real books.
A great guide for a mystery author to follow May 16, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I bought this book when it came out, based on the strength of Frey's previous guide "How to write a damn good novel" and I was not disappointed. Despite the similar titles, this book focuses in on the salient things particular to the mystery genre. He touches on several subjects, ranging from the four pillars of mystery to how to become intimate with a murderer to how to craft strong endlines for each of your chapters. The book echoes his previous works, but that in no way detracts from all the new stuff he presents. It is a good read, and I found it extremely helpful to my writing.
If you want to write a mystery novel, buy this book, and read it.
King of the How-tos May 4, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I have been writing for 28 years and I admit I'm not God, but after reading over 300 writing books, most of them I own, I can unequivocally tell you that this one is tops!
Please read it. It anwers all your questions and shows you exactly what to do then what to do next.
If you don't find this book helpful, send it to me and I'll save it for you until you are serious about your work.
It also works up an exciting novel to show you how it's done, and will fire you up while entertaining you.
Joan of Art
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