Author: Elizabeth Spann Craig

Judging from the interest I’ve noted on posts about planting clues, I thought we could take a closer look at several mysteries….the clues and red herrings that make them such intriguing reads.

Because most current mystery writers would not be pleased at having spoilers on their books posted, I’m going to focus my efforts on the late, great Agatha Christie. Obviously, if you’re interested in reading these books (highly recommended), and don’t want to know the endings, read no further.

Today I’m focusing on Murder at the Vicarage by Christie. It’s one in her Miss Marple series. An excellent example of an early cozy mystery, it’s set in the fictitious village St. Mary Mead. Here, we’re introduced to a limited number of suspects, all with intimate knowledge of the victim: Colonel Protheroe.

Followers of Christie and Miss Marple may note that Miss Marple is a little more abrasive than in later novels.

The Murderer and His Motive:

• Artist Lawrence Redding, who was having an affair with the Colonel’s wife. He killed the Colonel to ensure that his wife would become a wealthy woman (and,he hopes, marry him.)

Red Herrings:

• Redding actually confessed to the murder (in an apparent, but false, attempt to “protect” another suspect). He was cleared of the murder, based on the time the coroner placed the murder. In fact, he was working with a partner–his lover, Mrs. Protheroe, who committed the crime while her partner had an alibi.
• Mrs.Protheroe also confesses to the murder towards the beginning of the book (in a very unbelievable manner.) Consequently, the police believe that Mrs. Protheroe has confessed merely to win the freedom of her lover, Redding. Redding arranges an alibi to protect her from suspicion.

Clues:

• Redding puts the pistol in a potted plant outside the door to the Vicarage for Mrs. Protheroe to pick up immediately before the murder. Miss Marple realizes it would make the perfect place to hide a weapon for a partner.
• No purse for the Colonel’s wife as she walked toward the vicarage (to prove to witness Miss Marple that she has no weapon on her person.) The absence of the purse was odd to Miss Marple.
• Redding needed to have a second shot fired to create an alibi for Mrs. Protheroe. He rigs a rock to fall to create an explosion, or “shot.” When discovered, he tells the person he’s collecting a rock for Miss Marple’s garden. Miss Marple realizes he clearly wouldn’t have imagined she needed such a large stone for her garden…and starts to wonder.
• It’s established that Redding was an excellent amateur actor. He called the vicar, pretending to be a woman who needed him to call on her…drawing him away from the vicarage so Redding could murder the Colonel, who had an appointment with the vicar.
• Miss Marple finds it strange that Redding and Mrs. Protheroe appear very light-hearted when she sees them departing from Redding’s studio. They were supposed to be breaking off their affair, by request of the vicar who wanted them to do the right thing. In fact, they’ve just killed the Colonel and are attempting not to reflect the turbulent emotions they’re feeling (they’re completely aware that Miss Marple is the town’s busybody and will be looking out her window.)

Things are really moving along with the production of my book, Pretty is as Pretty Dies. My publisher, Midnight Ink, will be releasing the book August 1st.

In the meantime, there’s a lot going on behind the scenes. I’ve spoken with the publicity department at Midnight Ink and they laid out the marketing plan (already underway). The trade magazines/reviewers will be getting ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies) within the week.

I’ve made requested revisions and clarifications and submitted my bio.

And, yesterday, I emailed my editor my dedication page and acknowledgment page text. While writing my acknowledgment page, I came across some interesting articles on the subject (some recent, some not-so.) Moonrat gives acknowledgments her OK, but references an article by Jonathan Black from the “American Spectator” in which he disagrees with her. I also came across an old post on Black Table which humorously disses acknowledgments.

I’ve read some interesting blogs lately, and thought I’d round them up for you for your perusal:

The Mystery Reader’s Bill of Rights on Mysterious Matters.

The Blood-Red Pencil on finding your writer’s voice.

Post MFA on reaching back in time (waayy back) to remember your natural sense of story.

A s many of you know, blogging, Twittering/Tweeting, and Facebook-ing can add a major time-sucking element to your day.  But…it can be useful in both the networking sense and as a way to glean great information.

I don’t Twitter, actually, (but will likely start soon) but am planning on following one particular group: check this out–a bunch of agents, book editors, and periodical acquisition editors will be Tweeting on their queries in real-time.  They’re intending on offering useful advice instead of mocking inept query writers. 

There’s an excellent new post on Mysterious Matters regarding motives for murder.  It’s important not only for your perpetrator to have a strong motive, but for each of your suspects to have a reason to be on the list of potential killers. 

Most fans of mystery novels know a lot about detectives—likely more than they know about suspects and murderers.  After all, the reader is usually following the case and evaluating the clues through the detective’s eyes. The detective’s mission to solve the case provides the spinal column of the mystery plot.

The path that journey takes, and the difficulties facing each sleuth is a large part of what distinguishes one mystery from another. 

Many detectives feel a great deal of pressure:  It’s their haste to solve the case and prevent more deaths that drives the detective.  They’re trying to piece together clues and stop the murderer before he kills again.  This component adds a sense of urgency and suspense to your book.

Some detectives experience the fear associated with a close brush with death.  Perhaps they’re getting too close to the truth and face possible elimination by a killer desperate to remain anonymous. This fear can either drive them or cloud their judgment.

Some detectives’ personal foibles create drama.  Police procedurals may showcase detectives dealing with grief, divorce, and substance abuse (usually alcohol) problems.  Their focus may be diverted by their personal issues, or may lead to a slower resolution of the case. Some killers exploit the detectives’ faults, insecurities, or inadequacies for their gains (remember The Silence of the Lambs.)

Some sleuths have something to prove—the policeman looking for promotion or one who bears a chip on his shoulder for being passed over for one.  The amateur sleuth may be trying to clear his own name in connection with the crime.  The desire to prove something and the internal conflict of the detective can add fuel to your plot–maybe during the “sagging middle” of the book where it seems that the crime may never be solved, or when there may be an additional crime committed, despite the detective’s best efforts. 

Many detectives have a well-developed need for justice.  They share a sense of outrage at these crimes against innocent victims and a desire to return the area to its previous civility. In some books, the detectives may even occasionally extend mercy to the killer–if they believe their crime was justified and, in some respects, just (the crimes were committed to exact revenge over long-ago transgressions.)

The detective is your reader’s host through your novel. By understanding what makes him tick, you’re providing the reader with a more interesting and insightful journey through your book.