Plot Twists

Essential in a good mystery is the beloved "twist." The sudden unexpected turn of events or realization that things are not what they had seemed to be up to this point. To me ya gotta have 'em, and the more the merrier. Sure you can overdo it, but several twists in a story keep you guessing, make you wonder, and add that surprise! surprise! element to a gripping story.

In a classic whodunit, a good author can have you feeling for certain that "this person" is guilty, then for sure it's "that person," but oh, no! - you're kidding me - it was her all along? And then still you weren't correct. It was him that did it!

Love it. Plot twists. They add to stories in many genres, but the mystery/suspense genre, to me, really shines when this ingredient is well done. Again, not overdone. While not a novel, the last "Mission Impossible" movie (I think it was the last one) with Tom Cruise went stupid with the mask wearing thing. I thought I was going to puke if just one more person tore off their mask right at the height of a pivotal scene to reveal that they were impersonating someone, whether good guy or bad guy. That's weak redundant overuse of the same old same old.

My favorite twist is when the protagonist, all book long, turns out to be the perpetrator.

What's your take on plot twists? How much is good, how many is too many, and what kind is your favorite?

The Lure of the Mystery

Why do we like puzzles and mysteries? Are we all police wannabes? Do we have a secret fantasy of being Sam Spade, Tempe Crabtree or Philip Marlowe? Have we watched every episode of Columbo? There is an innate need to know that makes us want to know whodunit.

And some of our favorite writers can make us work for it, creating a complex tale that taxes our investigative abilities! That's part of the joy of reading a mystery, though, isn't it? Do we fall for the red herrings sprinkled through the story? Or do we toss away a vital clue, served up to us on a silver platter, because we think it's a ruse to throw us off the scent? Do we figure it out, just after the writer gives us the answer? That's the goal of the mystery writer -- to hold the reader's interest, keep him or her thinking and trying to figure it out right to the climax of the reveal of the killer.

It's fun to abandon discrepant awareness and drift into the 1930s world of Hercule Poirot. Or to explore the newest forensics techniques for lifting fingerprints, tracking DNA or crime scene investigation. Is your preferred story a traditional cozy mystery, a modern, high-tech story, or even a futuristic detective with access to technology today's investigators can only dream of having?

Another reason we like mysteries? The bad guy always gets caught -- maybe he or she can't be prosecuted, but our detective figures out what s/he did and how it was done. And that's a very satisfying feeling!

So, grab a mystery by your favorite author and enjoy the journey!

Libby McKinmer
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