How To Write Killer Fiction: Book Review

How To Write Killer Fiction by Carolynn Wheat is an excellent introduction to writing mystery and suspense novels. I was only vaguely aware that mystery and suspense could be two distinctive types of works though closely related. In a mystery, whatever kind, there is a puzzle for the hero to solve. In a suspense, it is a "nightmare" for the hero to survive and come out a changed person. There have been a few books that merged both types, but for the most part they stay separate.

Wheat is very readable, clear and entertaining as she talks you through what makes a mystery a mystery and suspense a suspense. The only thing I was lost on was arcs. But this was not a book about the technical parts of writing like arcs and characterizations and themes. This book teaches the parts of the journey that a mystery/suspense hero makes and how to keep your readers interested and guessing how the hero will solve the crime and/or make it to the end. I highly recommend this to any fiction writer. It has a lot of good advice that crosses genre lines.

I borrowed this book from the library. I've had it for like 2 months. I'm going to go buy my own copy. This is a great writing tool!

Rating: 5/5 Stars