While it is debatable that there is such a thing as the perfect murder in real life, in crime fiction, it’s the writers who make the rules.
I’m not necessarily talking about writing a literally perfect murder that is impossible to crack (although that could be an interesting challenge to write), but rather about writing a murder that is perfect for your book.
This will naturally be different for every single crime novel, but there are some tips that could benefit all of them.
- Give your story layers. Even if you’re writing about what is, in plot terms, quite a straightforward murder, that doesn’t mean it can’t have layers. As well as subplots and unexpected twists, layers can come from the characters – they can add an unexpected dimension to things that makes the murder you’re writing about compelling and original.
- Make it a challenge. While there is something to be said for simple stories, there is also much in favour of a murder that poses a challenge to the protagonist trying to solve it. No reader wants to figure out the answer in the first few pages, so think about how to make it hard to crack.
- Make it logical. No matter how complicated your ‘perfect crime novel murder’ is, it still needs to make sense (mostly). Be careful with the plotting so everything stays logical.
- Have a snag that allows the crime to be unravelled. If your intention is to have your protagonist solve the murder – however perfect it first appears – there will need to be some sort of snag or loose end that allows them to start to pull apart the threads and ultimately find the solution. The trick here is making sure it isn’t immediately obvious to everyone but the protagonist – the reader should be able to discover the solution along with them.
- Make it about the characters as well as the crime. A crime novel about a carefully executed murder is good, but a crime novel about a carefully executed murder that is driven by the characters is even better. It can be easy to get bogged down in the practicalities of how things happen, but don’t forget that the characters are the driving force of everything that happens in your book.
- Make the reader care. You could be writing about the most interesting murder ever, but if the reader doesn’t care about the characters, plot and outcome, it won’t work.
What do you think? What are your tips for writing the perfect crime novel murder?