How To Write Killer Fiction Part 3

Across the water, Lord Peter Wimsey conducted his expository scene in a tete-a-tete with the murderer, then quietly withdrew to permit the killer an "honorable way out": pistols for one in the library. Sometimes Dr. Gideon Fell decided the killer was a better man than his victim and played judge and jury, leaving the official solution of the crime to the police he knew were incompetent to solve it.

Knowing was enough. Justice in terms of courtrooms and jury verdicts was decidedly secondary.

No one expected the Great Detective to wrestle the killer to the ground and pluck the loaded gun from his hand, or to plug the killer between the eyes.

But we do do tend to expect action endings from Kinsey Millhone and Matt Scudder. We won't be satisfied with V.I. Warshawski calling the tend to expect action endings from Kinsey Millhone and Matt Scudder. We won't be satisfied with V.I. Warshawski calling the cops and going home for a hot bath; we want her on the scene dodging bullets. When Hercule Poirot confronted twelve killers at once, we had no reason to fear for his safety; that wasn't how the game was played. But put Elvis Cole on the Orient Express, Orient Express, and we won't be happy if all he does is talk. In the Second Golden Age, we want our detectives to go and we won't be happy if all he does is talk. In the Second Golden Age, we want our detectives to go mano-a-mano mano-a-mano with the killer; knowing is no longer enough. with the killer; knowing is no longer enough.

The result is that the scene in which the detective confronts the killer has become as cliched, as predictable, as the old-fas.h.i.+oned drawing-room gathering. We can see it coming a mile away; the amateur detective who grows herbs for a living and who ought to turn the matter over to the police is heading for an abandoned building to meet the man she's sure is the killer. He's armed; she's not-and if you have any doubt about which of them is going to prevail, you haven't done enough reading. She, after all, is on her fourth book of a series.

So one question to ask yourself when you're about to confront your own ending: does the detective absolutely have to go one-on-one with the killer?

The Non-Action Ending_ No. It is still possible to write a satisfying mystery novel without a physical set-to between detective and killer. Take a look at Margaret Maron's Southern Discomfort Southern Discomfort. Instead of confrontation, we have a horrified realization that tragic misunderstandings led to murder. We have a ripple effect that touches everyone connected with the mystery and is more powerful by far than a simpler, more violent, ending could have been. Similarly, Sue Dunlap in Rogue Wave Rogue Wave gives us emotional resonance and poetic justice without resorting to the traditional wresting-the-gun-from-the-killer's-hand scene. gives us emotional resonance and poetic justice without resorting to the traditional wresting-the-gun-from-the-killer's-hand scene.

Sometimes the revelation isn't so much a matter of who the criminal is as why he did what he did. Unusual motives that ring true in terms of character can be found in Robert Barnard's Fete Fatale Fete Fatale and Reginald Hill's and Reginald Hill's Ruling Pa.s.sions. Ruling Pa.s.sions. The story behind the murder is a major reason why Minette Walters, P.D. James, Elizabeth George, and Val McDermid sell The story behind the murder is a major reason why Minette Walters, P.D. James, Elizabeth George, and Val McDermid sell so so many books. many books.

Hill, a grandmaster of the genre, uses other interesting devices to vary the predictability of the whodunit ending: in Pictures of Perfection, Pictures of Perfection, he opens the book with a gunman shooting at a crowd of people at a garden fete (another fatal fete!). He then backs the story up so that it concludes with the same shooting, and only then do we find out not only what was behind the shooting but also who lives and who dies. In a similar vein, Hill's he opens the book with a gunman shooting at a crowd of people at a garden fete (another fatal fete!). He then backs the story up so that it concludes with the same shooting, and only then do we find out not only what was behind the shooting but also who lives and who dies. In a similar vein, Hill's Bones and Silence Bones and Silence creates ongoing suspense throughout the mystery by showing letters to a police officer from an unidentified suicidal woman. Only at the end do we find out who this woman is and whether or not she succeeds in her tragic effort to take her own life. creates ongoing suspense throughout the mystery by showing letters to a police officer from an unidentified suicidal woman. Only at the end do we find out who this woman is and whether or not she succeeds in her tragic effort to take her own life.

The Two-Layered Ending _ Another traditional twist is the two-layered ending (for example, The Tragedy ofY The Tragedy ofY by Ellery Queen). The detective apparently solves the crime, produces evidence of one actor behind the events-only to discover a second layer, a second culprit, another mind behind the murders. This ending is used to great effect in by Ellery Queen). The detective apparently solves the crime, produces evidence of one actor behind the events-only to discover a second layer, a second culprit, another mind behind the murders. This ending is used to great effect in If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-0 If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-0 by Sharyn McCrumb, and by Sharyn McCrumb, and Time Expired Time Expired by Sue Dunlap. It satisfies our mystery-lover's longing for a complex puzzle while deepening emotional resonance through the connections between the two minds. by Sue Dunlap. It satisfies our mystery-lover's longing for a complex puzzle while deepening emotional resonance through the connections between the two minds.

Two-layered endings don't always mean two murderous minds at work. One of Ellery Queen's hallmarks was the "public consumption" solution, delivered with full flourishes in front of the police, and the "just-between-us" solution given to the victim's family. We readers believed the first one, and then were told we'd had the wool pulled over our eyes and now we'd learn the truly true truth.

On a couple of memorable occasions, Ellery even slipped in a third solution.

Why Endings Fail _ What kinds of mystery endings disappoint readers?

- The "eenie, meenie, miney, moe" ending in which the murderer could have been any one of the suspects and seems to have been chosen at random for the final "honor" of being the truly guilty party. The revelation of the true killer should give the reader a jolt of recognition: yes, this is right, it all becomes clear to me now. The reader wants a sense of inevitability about the killer's ident.i.ty. It had to be X; it could only have been X.

-The emotionally unsatisfying ending. A killer has been unmasked but true justice hasn't been done. This is okay in a hard-boiled detective tale whose premise is that justice is impossible, but if we're in cozyland where stability and order are supposed to be restored by the detectives solution to the crime, we won't be happy without some justice. By the same token, dry, arid exposition won't do the trick; we need some emotional resonance to our endings to be fully satisfied today.

-Failing to tie up all the loose ends. It is the detective's job not just to solve the murder but to unravel all the threads, explain everything that needs explaining, rip the masks off the phonies, expose all the lies, cut through all the disguises, tell all the secrets. Smart modern writers unravel a few of these lesser knots along the way, saving the big one, the murder, for the end. But all needs to be explained eventually; you don't want the reader wondering who left the upstairs bedroom window open or why the headmaster lied about playing golf.

-Ambiguity. Mystery readers want certainty in an uncertain world. We don't mind existentialist angst and nihilistic dystopias in our hard-boiled reads, but even those have a certain clarity about them. What we hate is not knowing what really happened. Some top-selling psychological mysteries leave us unclear as to the final ident.i.ty of the killer and suggest a kind of "group guilt" that ultimately turns off hard-core mystery readers.

-The killer just wasn't important enough throughout the story. He's not chosen at random exactly, but he was sufficiently obscure that the reader scratches her head and says, "Him? I can barely remember him" when he's declared the murderer.

-The author gave us a tricky setup with multiple complications throughout the big bad middle and now the solution is as simplistic as a child's drawing. The payoff doesn't pay off.

-"G.o.d in the killer's lap" solutions that depend upon the killer having a lot of good luck all along the way. Coincidence piles upon coincidence until any shred of believability is lost.

-The detective fails to detect. The killer reveals herself to the sleuth instead of the other way around. Sheer dumb luck catapults the so-called detective into a leap of logic that just happens to be true.

- Sudden violence takes the place of logical reasoning and honest investigation. Less jarring in a private eye novel, this can be off-putting if the book has heretofore been a mild cozy and now we're hip-deep in blood.

The Action Ending_ If you choose confrontation, accept the fact that it will come as a surprise only to those readers who are entering the world of mystery for the first time. The confrontation scene is a set piece by now, although it still needs to be set up so that your detective appears brave rather than foolhardy. The truth is, we readers crave the action ending, no matter how many critics carp when V.I. Warshawski heads off to that abandoned factory on Chicago's South Side in the next-to-last chapter, so we're ready to suspend disbelief. We just don't want to suspend our entire grip on reality. We want it to be believable that this this detective places herself in the position of confronting detective places herself in the position of confronting this this killer. We even seem willing to swallow yet another killer-tells-all-just-before-plugging-detective-between-the-eyes scene, again flying in the face of critical opinion. Yes, it's ridiculous that the killer sits on the edge of the cliff expounding upon his own guilt instead of plugging the detective squarely between the eyes and heading to Peru, but the fact is, the detective's coming back for the next book in the series and the killer isn't, so we read on, no matter how many times we've read this scene in the past. killer. We even seem willing to swallow yet another killer-tells-all-just-before-plugging-detective-between-the-eyes scene, again flying in the face of critical opinion. Yes, it's ridiculous that the killer sits on the edge of the cliff expounding upon his own guilt instead of plugging the detective squarely between the eyes and heading to Peru, but the fact is, the detective's coming back for the next book in the series and the killer isn't, so we read on, no matter how many times we've read this scene in the past.

How can you set your confrontation scene apart from all the others? Short answer: you can't. But you can can add to its power by setting it in a very interesting-and, of course, highly dangerous-location. It also helps if your detective goes to the confrontation thinking she's prepared, only to find out otherwise when the time comes. She's armed, but someone takes her gun. She's alerted the police, but they don't respond. She thinks she's confronting a mere witness, but the truth is, he's the killer. add to its power by setting it in a very interesting-and, of course, highly dangerous-location. It also helps if your detective goes to the confrontation thinking she's prepared, only to find out otherwise when the time comes. She's armed, but someone takes her gun. She's alerted the police, but they don't respond. She thinks she's confronting a mere witness, but the truth is, he's the killer.

The confrontation section in a modern mystery is a mini-suspense novel. You need to switch gears from the puzzle to the roller-coaster ride, to shelve logic and reason and go straight to visceral emotion. You will want to swing the pendulum between safety and danger, between trust and distrust, in exactly the same way the suspense novelist does. The only difference is that she does it for an entire book; you will do it for two or three chapters.

One of the hallmarks of suspense writing is the slowing down of time to an agonizing pace that emphasizes every minute. If you have a ticking time bomb in the background, now is the time to let it tick as loudly as possible, reminding the reader of exactly how many seconds the detective has left before the worst will happen. Read Mary Higgins Clark's A Stranger Is Watching A Stranger Is Watching-which involves a real time bomb ticking in the bas.e.m.e.nt of Grand Central Station; a time bomb which will kill not only our heroine but a child-and watch how she shows every one of those seconds ticking away as our heroine extricates herself from her bonds. We feel every tug of the rope that ties her, we see the blood trickling down her arms, we experience her agony of despair as she tries and fails to loosen her bonds.

That's what you want in your confrontation scene. The rest of the book may involve the highest levels of ratiocination since the late, great Ellery, but for the confrontation chapters, go for pure adrenaline. Slow down the filmstrip and milk the situation for every ounce of terror. Let the detective feel every possible emotion from deepest despair to exhilarating hope as she struggles with a killer bent on eliminating her.

What, then, is the difference between a suspense ending and a mystery ending with suspense overtones? Suspense is its own reward; we don't care in a suspense novel if we know from page one who the villain is. In a mystery, we can keep the puzzle going even through the confrontation; it's no less satisfying if the detective is shoved into the into the autoclave by an unknown killer than if he's already identified the villain as Evil Doctor X. The suspense is just an extra on the menu; the main dish is the whodunit. autoclave by an unknown killer than if he's already identified the villain as Evil Doctor X. The suspense is just an extra on the menu; the main dish is the whodunit.

The Coda_ Linda Barnes closes Snapshot Snapshot with a seder. To this traditional Jewish ceremonial dinner her detective Carlotta Carlyle invites a decidedly untra-ditional family. Carlotta's friends Gloria and Roz (who wears a pink T-s.h.i.+rt that says "Will work for s.e.x"); Roz's new boyfriend, a mobster named Sam Gianelli, Carlotta's Little Sister Paolina and her Colombian family all sit around the table. Now that the crime has been solved, the unorthodox group that surrounds Carlotta has become even closer and they celebrate that closeness with a ceremonial dinner. with a seder. To this traditional Jewish ceremonial dinner her detective Carlotta Carlyle invites a decidedly untra-ditional family. Carlotta's friends Gloria and Roz (who wears a pink T-s.h.i.+rt that says "Will work for s.e.x"); Roz's new boyfriend, a mobster named Sam Gianelli, Carlotta's Little Sister Paolina and her Colombian family all sit around the table. Now that the crime has been solved, the unorthodox group that surrounds Carlotta has become even closer and they celebrate that closeness with a ceremonial dinner.

The cozy coda shows that the fabric of society has been rewoven after it was torn by the victim and his killer (according to W.H. Auden, the victim was as much a disrupter as the murderer). We see order restored, peace preserved, sheep safely grazing, ordinary life moving along in its ordinary way without the threat of violent death.

Since mysteries now choose to explore aspects of the detective's personal life, the intensely personal coda has become important. Not only has Jenny Cain solved a murder in I.O.U., I.O.U., she has reconciled in some way with her mentally ill mother. Not only did Matt Scudder face down ruthless killers in she has reconciled in some way with her mentally ill mother. Not only did Matt Scudder face down ruthless killers in Eight Million Ways to Die, Eight Million Ways to Die, he also faced his own alcoholism. Some detectives find a meaningful relations.h.i.+p; others end one. he also faced his own alcoholism. Some detectives find a meaningful relations.h.i.+p; others end one.

The Meta-Novel _ I first heard the term "meta-novel" at a writer's conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The idea is that even though each book in a series stands alone, when read collectively they form one big ongoing novel about the main character. Each book represents its own arc: in book one of the series we meet the character and establish a meta-goal that will carry him through further books, in book two that meta-goal is tested, in book three-you get the picture.

It's All One Big Book Looked at this way, every book about Kinsey Millhone, from A Is for Alibi from A Is for Alibi to the latest letter of the alphabet, const.i.tutes one big novel with a lot of different episodes, kind of like a television series. As we read through the series, we learn more about Kinsey and we deepen our connection to her so that even minor conflicts in later books mean something to us because we know her so well and we're aware of exactly what pushes her b.u.t.tons. When something big happens, such as finding lost family members in to the latest letter of the alphabet, const.i.tutes one big novel with a lot of different episodes, kind of like a television series. As we read through the series, we learn more about Kinsey and we deepen our connection to her so that even minor conflicts in later books mean something to us because we know her so well and we're aware of exactly what pushes her b.u.t.tons. When something big happens, such as finding lost family members in J Is for Judgment, J Is for Judgment, it resonates because we're fully aware of her orphaned childhood. it resonates because we're fully aware of her orphaned childhood.

I always think of M*A*S* when M*A*S* when this topic comes up. Remember the episode that focused on the dreams of the regular cast members? Hot Lips Houlihan, who was always searching for love, dreamed that she was a bride-only her white dress was covered in operating room blood. this topic comes up. Remember the episode that focused on the dreams of the regular cast members? Hot Lips Houlihan, who was always searching for love, dreamed that she was a bride-only her white dress was covered in operating room blood.

Klinger, who longed to return to his home town of Toledo, Ohio, dreamed he was on a train going home-only every place in town he wanted to see was boarded up and closed down. Each dream took each character far inside himself, and each dream was understandable and moving because we had known these characters for so long. The thirty-minute episode could go as deep as it did because it followed several years of character exploration.

The same can be true of series characters whose tests become more meaningful when we've seen them through earlier crises. Nancy Pick-ard's detective heroine, Jenny Cain, solved mysteries about other people's troubles in the early books. Dead Crazy Dead Crazy brought brought us us face to face with mental illness, and we learned for the first time that Jenny's mother had a mental problem. Not until face to face with mental illness, and we learned for the first time that Jenny's mother had a mental problem. Not until I.O.U., I.O.U., the seventh book in the series, did Jenny directly confront that past issue, and by that time, we'd seen her grappling with ever-darker social problems. In a sense, the first book in the series the seventh book in the series, did Jenny directly confront that past issue, and by that time, we'd seen her grappling with ever-darker social problems. In a sense, the first book in the series (Generous Death), (Generous Death), which introduced us to Jenny and her world, was Arc One of the meta-novel. All the six books leading up to which introduced us to Jenny and her world, was Arc One of the meta-novel. All the six books leading up to I. O. U. I. O. U. const.i.tuted Arcs Two and Three, in that Jenny honed the investigative and emotional tools she would need to excavate the truth of her mother's life and death. Had Pickard even been able to write const.i.tuted Arcs Two and Three, in that Jenny honed the investigative and emotional tools she would need to excavate the truth of her mother's life and death. Had Pickard even been able to write I. O. U. I. O. U. as the second book in the series, it wouldn't have had nearly the impact upon the reader that it did as book seven because we weren't as invested in Jenny early on. as the second book in the series, it wouldn't have had nearly the impact upon the reader that it did as book seven because we weren't as invested in Jenny early on.

Multiple Protagonists and the Meta-Novel Elizabeth George uses five main characters as protagonists, which would be far too many for the reader to handle if she didn't allow some to s.h.i.+ne in the foreground and the others to recede into the background of each book. For example, in A Traitor to Memory, A Traitor to Memory, Lynley and Havers are in the forefront, while Helen and St. James are used sparingly. Other books center on St. James and Helen, with Lynley and Havers as lesser characters, and Lynley and Havers are in the forefront, while Helen and St. James are used sparingly. Other books center on St. James and Helen, with Lynley and Havers as lesser characters, and Deception on His Mind Deception on His Mind takes Havers away from London into an adventure all her own. takes Havers away from London into an adventure all her own.

S. J. Rozan alternates between her two protagonists, Bill Smith and Lydia Chin. The first book in the series, China Trade, China Trade, was told in Lydia's first-person viewpoint. The second, was told in Lydia's first-person viewpoint. The second, Concourse, Concourse, used Bill as its protagonist and told the story in third person. This device allows us to see the meta-arc of their developing relations.h.i.+p through two different pairs of eyes. used Bill as its protagonist and told the story in third person. This device allows us to see the meta-arc of their developing relations.h.i.+p through two different pairs of eyes.

Reginald Hill gave Sgt. Wield a personal subplot and one of the pleasures of his Dalziel-Pascoe series has been the evolution of the stoic sergeant from walled-off character with a deep secret to a warmer, more open human being. Carole Nelson Douglas says of her Midnight Louie series that it will ultimately consist of twenty-seven books with overarching story arcs of nine books each. Earlene Fowler s quilt series often brings characters from previous books back into detective Benni Harper's life, as does Abigail Padgett's Bo Bradley series.

Starting a mystery series means thinking beyond book one. It means creating characters compelling enough to pull readers along through many adventures and rich enough to deserve a loyal following.

WE LOVE to be scared, whether it's on a thrill ride or at a scary movie. Suspense novels add a human dimension to the basic excitement of being scared on purpose in a controlled environment. When we read a book by Mary Higgins Clark, Tom Clancy, or John Grisham we identify with the main character, whose life is thrown into turmoil by forces beyond his control, and we experience all the emotions that character feels, whether good or bad. We're afraid when he's afraid; we're confident when he's confident. We go along for the ride, secure in the knowledge that when the ride is over we'll be back on level ground, exhilarated and safe.

The Roller-Coaster Effect _ It doesn't matter whether you love, hate, or fear them: you know what it means to ride a roller coaster. Your heart pounds, your palms sweat, your body tenses and then relaxes, your mouth opens and screams come out. You fear for your life one second, then laugh with delight the next as you remind yourself it's only a ride. You clutch frantically at the person next to you, and you sigh with relief when it's all over-then buy a ticket and stand in line for the next trip.

The thing to keep in mind about a roller coaster is that it's a manufactured experience. Trained engineers carefully plan every hairpin turn, every death drop, every slow-down and speed-up to produce the precise effect you're leeling as vou hurtle along.

Just as the engineer plans the roller-coaster rider's thrills, so, too, does the suspense writer calculate and produce the effects her writing induces in her readers. Some writers dislike being reminded that they're in charge of creating the reader's experience. They prefer to think of the characters as taking over and writing the story, or they like to believe that an unseen hand reaches in and makes the story work.

Perhaps when you've written eight to ten books, your subconscious mind can can take over and produce a state-of-the-art thrill ride of a novel, but I think letting your unconscious write your books is like asking a group of nine-year-olds to design the next roller coaster at Disney World. The kids know what they like, but only a real pro can create that experience for them. take over and produce a state-of-the-art thrill ride of a novel, but I think letting your unconscious write your books is like asking a group of nine-year-olds to design the next roller coaster at Disney World. The kids know what they like, but only a real pro can create that experience for them.

A Little Suspense History_ If the mystery genre has one parent in Edgar Allan Poe, then suspense fiction has both a mother and a father. The mother of suspense fiction is the gothic novel best represented by Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, Jane Eyre, and its father is the spy novel, early examples of which are Erskine Chalders's and its father is the spy novel, early examples of which are Erskine Chalders's The Riddle of the Sands The Riddle of the Sands and W. Somerset Maugham's Ashenden stories. and W. Somerset Maugham's Ashenden stories.

Gothic Roots Before Bronte there was Mrs. Radcliffe, whose Mysteries of Udolpho Mysteries of Udolpho figures in Jane Austen's gothic parody, figures in Jane Austen's gothic parody, Northanger Abbey. Northanger Abbey. The early goth-ics featured ghosts, haunted houses, and mysteries from the past, and were heavy on atmosphere and pa.s.sion. The heroine was a woman alone, without family to help her, and she was in love with a man whose cryptic cruelty toward her only fueled the flame of her desire. The emphasis was on the personal and the emotional, the setting was a single house with a troubled past, and the heroine's bravery often earned her the love of the unavailable man at the heart of the mystery. Wilkie Collins's The early goth-ics featured ghosts, haunted houses, and mysteries from the past, and were heavy on atmosphere and pa.s.sion. The heroine was a woman alone, without family to help her, and she was in love with a man whose cryptic cruelty toward her only fueled the flame of her desire. The emphasis was on the personal and the emotional, the setting was a single house with a troubled past, and the heroine's bravery often earned her the love of the unavailable man at the heart of the mystery. Wilkie Collins's The Woman in White The Woman in White and and The Moonstone The Moonstone are at heart gothics with elements of police procedure (which was very new at the time) thrown in. are at heart gothics with elements of police procedure (which was very new at the time) thrown in.

Espionage Roots The spy genre took a very different approach. The problem presented wasn't one of a single woman and a single man in a single house; it involved the fate of the entire free world. Like the gothic heroine, the spy never knows whom to trust, but unlike her, he's been thrust into a larger world and must operate within the customs of various countries. Even though there's one protagonist we care about, there are usually several other characters whose viewpoints we see and whose plotlines we follow until they converge for the final confrontation/crisis. Personal crisis and individual emotion were very far down on the list of priorities in this kind of book-until John Le Carre wrote The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold.

Suspense Today Most of today s suspense novels arise out of one or the other of these traditions. Romantic suspense, relations.h.i.+p suspense, romantic intrigue, suspense with supernatural overtones all derive from gothic forebears. Thrillers, whether medical, techno, political, or international intrigue, are all variants on the spy genre because they involve issues larger than the emotional lives of individuals. One hallmark of both strands of the suspense skein is the ordinary person thrust by forces beyond her control into a larger world that she doesn't understand.

Descendants of the Gothic Tradition_ Just as the modern category known as "Regency Romance" follows the template laid down by Jane Austen in Pride and Prejudice Pride and Prejudice, the cla.s.sic gothic mirrors Jane Eyre. Jane Eyre. A young woman comes, alone, to a big house in a remote and very picturesque location. She is a governess, a poor relation, a servant, a ward-someone powerless and without friends or family to turn to. A young woman comes, alone, to a big house in a remote and very picturesque location. She is a governess, a poor relation, a servant, a ward-someone powerless and without friends or family to turn to.

The owner of the house is a mercurial man with oversized moods. The girl dislikes him, fears him, slowly grows to like and then love him, and all the time mysterious events have her wondering what evil lurks in the house. If there are children, her duty is to protect them from this man, and from the dread secret he hides.

Dread secrets will be revealed. The man will confess his love and explain why he can't return her love even though he has feelings for her. She will bring light into this dark place and free him from his past. He will raise her to his own social level. Sunlight will pour through the narrow gothic windows of the old house and the shadow will be dispelled forever.

You think this genre died in 1945?

Think again. Victoria Holt, Barbara Michaels, and Ruth Rendell writing as Barbara Vine have done very well with it, adapting the cla.s.sic form to more modern times yet retaining its emphasis on atmosphere and setting.

Romantic Suspense So strong is this subgenre that while I was waiting for a plane, I walked into the airport bookstore and found that eight out of ten of the best-selling t.i.tles were essentially romantic suspense reads. A woman comes home to a small town from the big city for some reason: lost job, divorce, widowhood. She finds a place to live and meets friends, but mysterious, disturbing things begin to happen. She's threatened and she doesn't know why. Her presence has stirred up old ghosts. Menacing phone calls, strange sounds in the night, people she thought she knew making cryptic but clearly hostile remarks-and she has no idea why.

In most romantic suspense, the writer gives her protagonist a choice of two (at least) men vying for her attentions. One is considerate, respectable, helpful, supportive, kind, and available. The other is argumentative, disreputable, obstructionist, contrary, rude, and withholding.

Guess which one is Prince Charming?

You've got it: Mr. Rude Guy is her knight in s.h.i.+ning armor, the one who is really on her side even if he acts like he's not. Mr. Nice Guy turns out to be the bad guy, the one who's trying to drive her out of town, the one whose daddy killed her daddy back in the past, or the one who's cheating her out of her inheritance.

Our heroine not only has to show her moxie by sticking around in a dangerous situation and her cleverness in unraveling the secrets and lies, she has to prove her ability to judge people by (finally) realizing which of her suitors is really meant for her.

"Romantic intrigue" takes this basic template and adds international spy elements to it. This time hero and heroine play out their drama against the backdrop of world events. M. M. Kayes series of books featuring exotic locales in the t.i.tles are great examples, and this kind of story is the mainstay of the Harlequin Romantic Intrigue line.

Relations.h.i.+p Suspense Can a woman find happiness in a suspense novel if she's already married? Are her days as a suspense heroine over? Ask Daphne du Maurier, whose Rebecca Rebecca set the tone for a subgenre I call "relations.h.i.+p suspense." set the tone for a subgenre I call "relations.h.i.+p suspense."

Rebecca brings its nameless heroine to Manderley, a big seaside house on the rocky coast of Cornwall that would be very much at home in a gothic romance. The house itself, along with its sinister housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, provides a great deal of the atmosphere that makes the book so compelling. The heroine is in a hostile environment and the only person she can trust is her new husband. brings its nameless heroine to Manderley, a big seaside house on the rocky coast of Cornwall that would be very much at home in a gothic romance. The house itself, along with its sinister housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, provides a great deal of the atmosphere that makes the book so compelling. The heroine is in a hostile environment and the only person she can trust is her new husband.

But can she trust him? Does he regret marrying her because she can never measure up to the dead Rebecca, his first wife?

Our relations.h.i.+p suspense heroine is married, but did her husband marry her for love or money? She swings between both views, alternately worrying that she's about to be killed for her inheritance and rea.s.suring herself that he loves her for herself alone. It's as if she married both Mr. Rude Guy and Mr. Nice Guy rolled into a single character. The issue for her: Which one is her real husband?

Even without wealth and great houses, fear that a marriage is not what the wife thinks it is makes for a compelling story. Marilyn Wallace's So Shall You Reap So Shall You Reap examines a Hudson Valley wife's increasing doubts about her husband in a modern variation on the gothic tradition. examines a Hudson Valley wife's increasing doubts about her husband in a modern variation on the gothic tradition. See Jane Run, See Jane Run, by Joy Fielding, is a fast-paced, intense psychological study of an amnesic woman with a husband she can't remember whether to trust. by Joy Fielding, is a fast-paced, intense psychological study of an amnesic woman with a husband she can't remember whether to trust.

Personal Jeopardy Personal jeopardy is at the heart of most gothic-tradition suspense novels. A child is kidnapped, a woman is stalked, a man is targeted by very bad dudes for reasons he can't explain. An ordinary person must pit his or her entire being against powerful enemies, and the suspense lies in whether or not our hero will survive and prevail. The person in jeopardy is not always the protagonist; parents become heroes to rescue their children, a husband or wife fights for a spouse captured by the enemy.

The key is the struggle, the David-and-Goliath confrontation in which a person very much like ourselves must become braver, stronger, more heroic in order to win the unequal fight. Watching the transformation from victim to victor is the heart of the reader's joy in this kind of book.

Why is this ordinary person suddenly the target of Really Bad Dudes?

Sometimes the protagonist made bad choices. The young lawyer in The Firm The Firm chose to work at The Firm not knowing the full truth about his new employers. In other books ghosts from the past come thundering into the present, as happens in Carla Neggers's romantic suspense novels. A child is kidnapped for ransom, or a wife is held captive to put pressure on the husband. Alfred Hitchc.o.c.k's chose to work at The Firm not knowing the full truth about his new employers. In other books ghosts from the past come thundering into the present, as happens in Carla Neggers's romantic suspense novels. A child is kidnapped for ransom, or a wife is held captive to put pressure on the husband. Alfred Hitchc.o.c.k's The Man Who Knew Too Much The Man Who Knew Too Much put James Stewart's life (and that of his wife and child) in danger because he heard a man's dying words-even though he had no idea what those words meant. Ignorance is no defense in the world of personal jeopardy. put James Stewart's life (and that of his wife and child) in danger because he heard a man's dying words-even though he had no idea what those words meant. Ignorance is no defense in the world of personal jeopardy.

Jan Burke turned the tables on "husband rescues kidnapped wife" by having her reporter-hero Irene Kelly free her police officer husband in Hocus Hocus (he'd already done the same for her in (he'd already done the same for her in Dear Irene). Dear Irene). Worse than being in jeopardy ones Worse than being in jeopardy ones elf is elf is having one's child having one's child in jeopardy. in jeopardy. Judith Kelman, Meg O'Brien, and Aljean Harmetz have all covered that heart-stopping territory in their suspense novels. Judith Kelman, Meg O'Brien, and Aljean Harmetz have all covered that heart-stopping territory in their suspense novels.

What all these subgenres have in common is that the immediate danger is limited to a single person, a family, a small unit within the larger world. Even the fanatics who plan to blow up the Texas state legislature in Mary Willis Walker's All the Dead Lie Down All the Dead Lie Down won't wipe out more than a city block or so if they succeed. The world is not at stake. won't wipe out more than a city block or so if they succeed. The world is not at stake.

Spy Fiction Offshoots _ In spy fiction, the world is is at stake. The danger has implications for entire countries, not just the protagonist and her immediate family. at stake. The danger has implications for entire countries, not just the protagonist and her immediate family.

There's an abstract quality to spy fiction that arises out of that fact. If I tell you 5,000 children a month are killed in the United States, you're shocked but not emotionally engaged. If I start telling you about the child in northern San Diego who's been missing for two weeks, if I show you her school picture and the video of her running through the garden hose-spray on a summer afternoon, you'll feel pity and sadness. (In fact, since I wrote those words, her burned body was found in the woods and you probably saw the news on television and can perhaps recall her name even now.) One child captures our attention far more than a ma.s.s of children.

That's human nature. So one challenge for the spy branch of the suspense tree is to make the conflict personal without losing the big-picture impact of its high stakes. Giving the reader a character to identify with at every turn helps a lot. Don't just tell us a bad apple in the CIA barrel is about to rat out our man in Moscow; introduce us to that man so we will grieve his death and hate the traitor for causing it.

Even before the end of the Cold War, new variations on the spy novel made their way onto the shelves, using the old format but offering insights into other kinds of large organizations at war with one another and endangering ma.s.ses of people.

Suspense vs. Thriller What makes a suspense novel a thriller?

My facetious answer used to be, "A six-figure advance," but I've come to see that it's more than that. Yes, thrillers are big sellers, but they also take the reader to a higher level than an "ordinary" suspense novel. Thriller writers aren't afraid to take their plots, characters, situations, and locales to the max, pus.h.i.+ng the envelope of credibility at every possible turn. They pile it on, pitting their protagonists against super-powerful enemies and putting obstacle upon obstacle in the way of success. They squeeze everything they can out of their settings, to the point where the reader ends up knowing more than he ever wanted to know about the internal workings of submarines or dinosaur DNA.

And yet that's part of the thrill inherent in the thriller: the sense of getting more than you bargained for, of being taken inside the inner circle and told things no one is supposed to know. Just when you think the plot can't possibly take one more twist, it throws one more monkey wrench into the hero's plans and spins your head around. It takes you to the highest highs and the lowest lows, and if it does these things at the expense of credibility and ordinary human emotion-well, that's what you want when you're sitting in a plane traveling cross-country, isn't it? (Unless, of course, you're reading Michael Crichton's Airframe.) You Airframe.) You want something to rivet your eyes to the page, to let you escape into an exciting, danger-filled place. want something to rivet your eyes to the page, to let you escape into an exciting, danger-filled place.

The thriller is just one facet of the jewel that is suspense, but it's a powerful one in the eyes of publishers in love with the bottom line. Thriller subgenres dominate the best-seller's list, and each presents the reader with its own special pleasures.

The Techno-Thriller This is Tom Clancy territory; he began his career with The Hunt for Red October The Hunt for Red October, making the high-tech submarine a vital part of the plot and giving so much technical detail that you could practically build your own once you put down the book. For every reader who skipped over the specs section of the book, there seemed to be two others who wanted more.

Many techno-thrillers are based on what-if horror stories about technology gone awry. In fact, one aspect of the thriller market in general is its fascination with "systems gone mad"-we'll see that medical thrillers focus on medical technology gone mad, legal thrillers zero in on the law gone mad, and so forth. In one sense, they're all rewriting Frankenstein, Frankenstein, and the only reason they aren't found in the science fiction section of the bookstore is that they purport to be about the present or the very immediate future. and the only reason they aren't found in the science fiction section of the bookstore is that they purport to be about the present or the very immediate future.

The theme, as exemplified perfectly by Michael Crichton's Jura.s.sic Park Jura.s.sic Park and its sequels, is that man is too flawed to be trusted with overly ambitious scientific projects. In other words, man shouldn't play G.o.d by restoring extinct species to life. Even with the best motives in the world, evil will prevail in the end because hubris, that old human failing, always corrupts. and its sequels, is that man is too flawed to be trusted with overly ambitious scientific projects. In other words, man shouldn't play G.o.d by restoring extinct species to life. Even with the best motives in the world, evil will prevail in the end because hubris, that old human failing, always corrupts.

The danger in writing a techno-thriller is falling in love with technology and forgetting to thrill. A second pitfall is making the technology more interesting than the characters. Remember, readers still have to identify with a living, breathing human being with a goal. Even if the story demands a large cast, the writer needs to narrow the focus to a small number of major characters whose destinies become important to the reader. It's vital that the big-picture writers create a hierarchy of characters and tell the reader up front which are the main characters.

Medical Thrillers Robin Cook's Coma Coma is the prototype here. Unscrupulous doctors are harvesting organs from healthy people in order to keep rich people supplied with subst.i.tute organs. is the prototype here. Unscrupulous doctors are harvesting organs from healthy people in order to keep rich people supplied with subst.i.tute organs.

Other medical thrillers involve rampant diseases (Richard Preston's The Hot Zone), The Hot Zone), and abuses of reproductive technology (Tess Garritsen's and abuses of reproductive technology (Tess Garritsen's Life Support). Life Support). All these plotlines play upon an inherent fear of doctors and their ability to save and destroy life-and the fear that these enormous powers, used for evil instead of good, will destroy humanity as surely as those revived dinosaurs. All these plotlines play upon an inherent fear of doctors and their ability to save and destroy life-and the fear that these enormous powers, used for evil instead of good, will destroy humanity as surely as those revived dinosaurs.

Political Thrillers Richard North Patterson takes issues that burn in the public mind and shows how they resonate in the lives of very important political figures. In No Safe Place, No Safe Place, a Robert F. Kennedy-like candidate runs for office, haunted by the death of his older brother. a Robert F. Kennedy-like candidate runs for office, haunted by the death of his older brother. Protect and Serve Protect and Serve introduces a female candidate for the Supreme Court caught on the horns of the abortion dilemma and a John McCain-like senator who must choose between painful personal revelations and political principle. introduces a female candidate for the Supreme Court caught on the horns of the abortion dilemma and a John McCain-like senator who must choose between painful personal revelations and political principle.

Crime Thrillers One relatively new suspense form is the serial killer novel, a cross between near-horror and police procedural. The horror isn't based on the existence of vampires, or ghosts, or paranormal phenomena, but on the very real horror engendered by true-life killers. Yet the emotional impact on the reader is similar: being scared out of one's wits. The police procedural angle allows the brain to be engaged and a level of understanding to be reached. While many serial killer books are published each year, none have had more impact than Thomas Harris's Red Dragon, Red Dragon, which was the first to reveal the secrets of the FBI's profiling unit. which was the first to reveal the secrets of the FBI's profiling unit.

The key to Red Dragon Red Dragon for me wasn't just the amazing and enthralling look into the world of profilers, but the way Harris humanized the serial killer by showing us his horrific childhood. This has become a cliche, but it was powerful when new, and it said something ordinary civilians hadn't really understood before. Patricia Cornwell's books offer a similar backstage look at the autopsy, creating a hybrid form that might be called "procedural suspense." for me wasn't just the amazing and enthralling look into the world of profilers, but the way Harris humanized the serial killer by showing us his horrific childhood. This has become a cliche, but it was powerful when new, and it said something ordinary civilians hadn't really understood before. Patricia Cornwell's books offer a similar backstage look at the autopsy, creating a hybrid form that might be called "procedural suspense."

Legal Thrillers The world of the legal thriller is an interesting one. Very seldom is there as much at stake in these as there is in the techno and medical subgenres. Humanity itself is not in jeopardy, and usually, only one life is on the line and the life isn't always that of the lawyer protagonist. Yet the legal thriller continues its commercial reign. What is it about this form that keeps readers coming back for more?

The legal thriller combines the straight suspense novel, with its emphasis on the protagonist's personal danger, with the courtroom drama, which traditionally focused on other people's troubles.

What do I mean by this? Take the best courtroom novel ever. (Yes, if you read it today you'll think it's amazingly slow-paced. It's not a thriller. Never was. Never wanted to be.) Anatomy of a Murder Anatomy of a Murder shows us a criminal trial from beginning to end, and one of its most striking features is that the trial itself doesn't begin until Midpoint, halfway through the book. shows us a criminal trial from beginning to end, and one of its most striking features is that the trial itself doesn't begin until Midpoint, halfway through the book.

That's because the author, Robert Traver, who was a lawyer and judge in Michigan, knew what most non-lawyers at that time didn't: that a trial really begins the moment a criminal lawyer meets his client. The lawyer, consciously or unconsciously, sums up his client and his client's situation and begins mentally writing his summation to the jury. In this case, attorney Paul Biegler wants very much to believe that his client killed his wife's rapist in a moment of temporary insanity, or, as Michigan courts demand it be worded, irresistible impulse.

The first half of the book consists of preparation for trial, the second half of the trial itself. This is a common feature of courtroom novels now, but today's thrillers add a lot more personal baggage to the lawyer-hero and often put her in dire jeopardy over and above winning or losing the case.

At the trial, things go wrong. Witnesses things go wrong. Witnesses lie and deny they ever told the lawyer a different story. The judge rules against the lawyer, keeping out lines of questioning or barring witnesses that she needs to win the case. Just when things look blackest, a witness comes forward, or a previous witness changes her story and tells the truth, and our hero makes a stunning summation to the jury and wins the case. Justice prevails even against inst.i.tutionalized corruption. lie and deny they ever told the lawyer a different story. The judge rules against the lawyer, keeping out lines of questioning or barring witnesses that she needs to win the case. Just when things look blackest, a witness comes forward, or a previous witness changes her story and tells the truth, and our hero makes a stunning summation to the jury and wins the case. Justice prevails even against inst.i.tutionalized corruption.

John Grisham added a major new twist to the genre with The Firm. The Firm. Here the lawyer wasn't engaged in other people's troubles; he was trying to save his own life. There was no courtroom drama; the entire story unfolded outside of the court system and involved a very nasty law firm's machinations to keep a renegade young lawyer from telling all to the authorities. Law, in fact, played very little part in the story. The tale could just as easily have been set in a bank or a multinational corporation or a police department; any organization capable of being totally tainted by Mafia connections would have done as well. Here the lawyer wasn't engaged in other people's troubles; he was trying to save his own life. There was no courtroom drama; the entire story unfolded outside of the court system and involved a very nasty law firm's machinations to keep a renegade young lawyer from telling all to the authorities. Law, in fact, played very little part in the story. The tale could just as easily have been set in a bank or a multinational corporation or a police department; any organization capable of being totally tainted by Mafia connections would have done as well.

Instead of the hero-lawyer engaged in a symbolic duel with his counterpart on the other side of the legal divide, Grisham's hero stood against a vast array of conspirators with immense, shadowy power. He never knew when he was speaking to someone with connections back to The Firm, and even the FBI couldn't be trusted to protect him and to treat him with decency. In the end, a small outlaw band turns the tables on The Firm and manages to escape the clutches of both the bad guys and the so-called good guys.

Writers like John Lescroart and Steve Martini use the legal thriller to explore complex psychological relations.h.i.+ps and legal-political machinations. Their defense lawyer heroes fight for justice for their accused clients, while prosecutors star in Chris Darden's Nikki Hill series and in NancyTaylor Rosenberg's legal thrillers.

Crimes and Capers_ One final branch of the suspense tree is the novel written from the point of view of the criminal. These can be psychological studies (James Ell-roy's Killer on the Road, Killer on the Road, Donald Westlake's Donald Westlake's The Ax), The Ax), step-by-step accounts of intricately planned crimes that depend on nerves of steel and split-second timing ( step-by-step accounts of intricately planned crimes that depend on nerves of steel and split-second timing (Void Moon by Michael Connelly), or slice-of-life glimpses into the lives of low-level criminals with colorful vocabularies (books by Elmore Leonard, Carl Hiaasen). by Michael Connelly), or slice-of-life glimpses into the lives of low-level criminals with colorful vocabularies (books by Elmore Leonard, Carl Hiaasen).

The difference between these novels and the usual suspense read is that this time our sympathy is engaged on behalf of someone who isn't innocent. We like the crooks in Get Shorty Get Shorty better than the so-called honest citizens of Hollywood, and we root for the gangs that couldn't shoot straight because they make us laugh. In the lighter side of this subgenre, humor softens the suspense edge, but the structure is the same as in the spy novel. Many characters with different goals and separate paths step onto the road of life and by the end of the book, all the paths will collide, all the characters will interact in surprising ways, accidents will happen, and no one in the book will emerge unscathed by the experience. better than the so-called honest citizens of Hollywood, and we root for the gangs that couldn't shoot straight because they make us laugh. In the lighter side of this subgenre, humor softens the suspense edge, but the structure is the same as in the spy novel. Many characters with different goals and separate paths step onto the road of life and by the end of the book, all the paths will collide, all the characters will interact in surprising ways, accidents will happen, and no one in the book will emerge unscathed by the experience.

Reading a well-written caper novel is like watching those guys who used to balance spinning plates on the Ed Sullivan Show. Ed Sullivan Show. Your eyes dart from one plate to the next, watching one wobble and then sighing with relief as the juggler balances it again. Your eyes dart from one plate to the next, watching one wobble and then sighing with relief as the juggler balances it again.