If you looked at Lisa’s interview yesterday, you know that Died in the Wool, the book that Lisa co-wrote with Janelle Mowery, is releasing. You don’t want to miss reading this cozy mystery from Barbour’s Hometown Mysteries. In fact you could even win a copy of it this week in our drawing.
Mysteries provide the reader the opportunity to pit his/her sleuth skills with the characters in the book as they try to determine who committed the crime. It takes a lot of plotting and planning to make sure clues have been laid out throughout the book without giving away the identity of the villain. The writer also has to throw in some red herrings to throw the reader off and keep him guessing. At the end of the story, mystery authors hope the reader will shake his head in surprise when the villain is revealed.
Mysteries provide the reader the opportunity to pit his/her sleuth skills with the characters in the book as they try to determine who committed the crime. It takes a lot of plotting and planning to make sure clues have been laid out throughout the book without giving away the identity of the villain. The writer also has to throw in some red herrings to throw the reader off and keep him guessing. At the end of the story, mystery authors hope the reader will shake his head in surprise when the villain is revealed.
All of us who write mystery and suspense want to create a story that will make a lasting impression on our readers. But few of us will ever achieve the acclaim that Daphne du Maurier has garnered. She is renowned as a first-rate storyteller and the mistress of suspense. Although she was thought to be a romantic novelist, her unhappy endings and sinister scenes leaned more toward the mysterious than romantic. As a tribute to this master writer, The Kiss of Death Chapter of Romance Writers of America honors her each year by giving awards for excellence in mystery writing to books published the year before.
Her masterpiece Rebecca was released in 1938 and is still a best seller seventy-three years later. The book tells the story of a young woman who marries and goes with her new husband to his home only to discover his first wife Rebecca died under suspicious circumstances. The book was made into a movie directed by Alfred Hitchcock and won the Oscar for Best Movie in 1940. Tomorrow is Daphne du Maurier’s birthday, and I thought it fitting to pay tribute to an author who continues to influence writers and storytelling today.
You may not have read Rebecca, but you’ve probably read an author whose work was influenced by Daphne du Maurier. Have you read a good mystery or suspense lately? Let us know the title and the author. What mystery or suspense authors do you enjoy reading?
Great post, Sandra!
ReplyDeleteErin Healy and Ted Dekker are wonderful writing duo. Their books, KISS, BURN, and others are not only masterfully told, they create wonderful, unforgettable characters!
If you're looking for an unforgettable character, you need to check out Tim Downs' Bugman Series. He's created a character in Nick Polchak, forensic entymologist, that you won't soon forget. The latest in the series releases next week, and I can't wait to get my pre-ordered copy.
ReplyDeleteSandra Robbins
Oh, Sandra, great post. And to Dame Daphne "Happy Birthday." I love what Stephen King said, "If you're an aspiring author, read REBECCA."
ReplyDeleteMy future daughter in law and I were discussing the book just the other day, and she noticed something that had me going back and re-reading the book. We never know the name of the second Mrs. Max de Winter. Did you notice this, or am I the only one who's obtuse?