Key Ingredients for Writing Murder-Mystery-Suspense: INVITATION TO DEATH
Are you interested in writing a murder-mystery filled with suspense, twists and turns?
Utilizing my novel, Invitation to Death, here are some writing tips to help improve your writing.
Setting:
Think about where you want your novel set. Perhaps some place beautiful? Unusual?
Here’s what I did for Invitation for Death:
Take one of the most beautiful places in the world: Kona, Hawaii.
A place that’s supposed to be for relaxation, walks along the beach, snorkeling, gorgeous landscapes, love.
The perfect place for a vacation, right? Over 600,000 people visit Kona a year.

Photos from TripAdvisor
Definitely popular!
One condo. (Two murders take place there along with other trouble.)
Characters:
For Invitation to Death: Three couples. A detective.
- Know your characters’ personalities.
- Make them complex and interesting, not one dimensional. Show different sides of their personalities.
- Put them through unimaginable scenarios. Trauma and drama!
Conflict:
In my novel, Invitation to Death, three couples bring their problems to the table as a part of the plot.
- A troubled marriage, thanks to a husband who can’t keep his hands off of a younger colleague.
- Terrible news a wife is keeping from her husband of thirty-six years.
- Marital issues brought on by different pursuits, depression, and an infatuation with another woman.
Things to keep in mind:
- What do these characters want? What are they looking for?
- What are the obstacles to getting what they want?
- How do they break free from those obstacles? Do they?
- Dialogue – use it to reveal the conflict
- Body language – use it to show conflict and emotion
Action:
- Bring action to the conflict – show arguments, tension, romance
- Murder!
- Make it fast-paced, exciting, and unpredictable.
Mystery:
- Who is responsible for the deaths of two people in the same location?
- Bring in unexpected twists and turns. It’s critical to imagine the obvious and the not so obvious. How can you create tension that leads to various conclusions?
Suspense:
- The story must unfold.
- Clues need to be revealed.
- Connections built block by block.
Resolution:
- Who is the murderer?
- Motivations must be revealed.