Includes bibliographical references (pages 151-153).

The push toward writing -- Getting started -- Prewriting your mystery -- Writing your mystery -- Point of view/narrative perspective -- Setting -- Characterization -- Plot -- Style -- Creating a robust series -- Editing -- Getting published.

A smart, practical, and often funny guide for those who aspire to write mysteries, Sleuth reveals the secrets of the genre. Gail Bowen shows how to map out a plot, plant page-turning clues, develop fully rounded characters, and create a crime scene. She also looks at the power of story to communicate truths about the human condition. Digging into the works of Agatha Christie, Ruth Rendell, Ian Rankin, Louise Penny, and a score of others, Bowen explores how the best mystery writers keep readers up at night. Gail Bowen is a Canadian playwright and writer of mystery novels. She taught English and her mystery novels feature Joanne Kilbourn, a widowed mother, political analyst and university professor who finds herself occasionally involved in criminal investigations in various parts of Saskatchewan.