I find mystery books to be hit or miss, mostly miss. A lot of them are predictable, a lot of the,, I have to turn my brain to be surprised. But writing a mystery takes work, hiding clues in plain sight, throwing the reader off your scent. I was intrigued to learn some tips and this book didn’t disappoint.

I truly enjoy reading the cozy mystery and mystery genres. I was super excited to learn about this book. I don't know if I will ever end up actually writing a mystery, but it was very insightful to learn how it's done by the experts. If you have any interest in writing, I would recommend reading this book.

Really enjoyable "how to" by some of the greats in mystery writing today! Some of the essays resonated with me more than others, but there are so many sections that I plan to revisit over and over, depending on what I'm currently writing/editing. Great resource for any writer's library. Also fascinating for mystery fans to dig into the process with their favorite writers. Really, something for everyone. Thanks to the authors, publisher, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review!

This book will be useful for new mystery writers. MWA is a great organization that provides dependable information.

*** I have received an voluntarily read an E – ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. All parts and opinions are my own. ***

It’s a great guide, and tons of great information.

I could only give it a four out of five stars, because it’s less of a how to book and more of a collection of essays.

So much helpful information and tips for writers breaking into mystery writing. I had to pace myself but I have flagged so many pages that I can refer back to as I'm writing.

“How to Write a Mystery: A Handbook from Mystery Writers of America”, edited by Lee Child (author of the Jack Reacher books) is exactly what it claims to be: tips and tricks for writers starting out in this genre. And be aware that this is tips and tricks, not a deep dive into the craft of writing.

The authors all seem to have a lot of fun with their essays, which run the gamut from researching to outlining (or not) to publishing to critiquing, but all of them center around the basic question “what is the one piece of advice you wish you would have gotten?”. And pretty much every topic is covered here: subgenres, character voice, continuation of another author’s character, collaborative authorship, humor, legal do’s and don’ts, children’s mysteries, self-publishing, social media, and just about any other aspect of writing you can think of. And the breadth of authors is really amazing as well, from old favorites to current best-sellers.

This is a great read for anyone starting out on a writing career (obviously), but also for anyone who really enjoys reading mysteries – understanding how authors use characters to move the story forward, how supporting roles and stories should be used, how mysteries are organized – all of this will deepen your appreciation of the well-written story.

I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Scribner via NetGalley. Thank you!

While obviously some essays were stronger than others, all in all this was an excellent selection.

I particularly loved how many of the contributors quoted each other, sometimes even referencing the essays in the book. It was really charming. I also got a kick out of the cheekily placed essays next to each from Jeffrey Deaver and Lee Child titled “Always Outline!” and “Never Outline!” respectively.

The breadth of topics covered was amazing and all of the essays were easily digestible and perfect for short reading in spare moments.

Top notch collection.

How to Write a Mystery was so helpful!!!I primarily write romance, but usually have some suspense thrown in as well and I found this book incredibly informative. I will definitely be referencing it again and again!

How to Write a Mystery
A Handbook from Mystery Writers of America
by
Scribner
Nonfiction (Adult)
Pub Date 27 Apr 2021



If you are looking for a book on how to write in the mystery genre from some of the most successful writers in the business, may I recommend How to Write A Mystery then How to Write A Mystery: A Handbook from Mystery Writers of America is the one I would recommend to you.



Mystery Writers of America (MWA) provides unparalleled resources on the craft, art, and business of storytelling, helping writers of all levels improve their skills for nearly a century. This new handbook will help authors to navigate a publishing landscape that is always shifting. It also provides everything from pacing, plotting, the business side of publishing, to the current demand for diversity and inclusivity across all genres, and more.


This book features essays from a new generation of bestselling experts on various elements of the craft and shorter pieces of crowd-sourced wisdom from the MWA membership as a whole, the topics covered are as follows:


Before Writing (rules; genres; setting; character; research; etc.)

While Writing (outlining; the plot; dialogue; mood; etc.)
After Writing (agents; editors; self-pub; etc.)
Other than Novels (short stories; true crime; etc.)
Other Considerations (diverse characters; legal questions; criticism)


In this collection you will also find essays from MWA published authors including Jeffery Deaver, Tess Gerritsen, and Charlaine Harris—selected by bestselling authors Lee Child and Laurie King and arranged thematically answering, “What piece of writing advice do you wish you’d had at the beginning of your career?”



Highly anticipated and incredibly useful, this new and trusted guide from MWA’s experts provides practical, current, easily digestible advice for new and established authors alike.


I give How to Write A Mystery: A Handbook from Mystery Writers of America five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

This book is a great pep talk to a writer at various stages of writing a mystery. Each section is written by a different author and offers multiple viewpoints. What kind of writer are you? Do you use outlines, or are you a by-the-seat-of-your-pants type writer? Both are fine, and both have different chapters. This advice feels reminiscent of a writer's conference where you feel encouraged to be a writer.

This review is based on an advanced reader copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.

My thanks to NetGalley and Scribner Books from Simon & Schuster for an advance copy of this writing guide.

How to Write a Mystery A Handbook from Mystery Writers of America edited by Lee Child with Laurie R. King is a primer on committing the perfect murder or thriller, there is a chapter on these distinctions, on paper. Various writers, popular and those just bubbling under give practical useful advice on the mystery genre and how to hone your writing ability. The book is broken down from ideas, to writing, to editing and fixing to the important after work legal and meeting your new fans. The ideas are not new nor novel, but the adherence of the advice to the mystery genre is helpful and useful. A nice beginners guide to those interested in joining the mystery writers gang.

“How to Write a Mystery” is a wonderful guide for crafting mysteries in every aspect for the mystery writer. This book sets the writing rules the writer should follow before, while, and after writing. It also covers agents, editors, self-publishing, and legal questions.
This is a book is a handbook by the Mystery Writers of America. An essential reference every writer should read and have on their bookshelf. The book has been edited by Lee Child, the master of storytelling, and by Laurie R. King and published by Simon & Schuster.
My thanks to Net Galley and to Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to review an advanced uncorrected copy of the manuscript.

This is a great resource for writers of Mysteries, Thrillers, and Suspense. If you need advice on how to craft a mystery and specifically around a subgenre of mysteries, this craft book is for you. I've been writing Romantic Suspense for several years with the hopes of going into Cozy Mystery writing. This book is helpful in guiding me and uplifting me with advice from top writers of the craft. It is well organized as an overall definition of mystery to the subgenres, ending with self publishing, which I already do, but appreciate the expert experience.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the authors for the opportunity to read this book and learn about the craft that I love.

The Mystery Writers of America is one of the premier organizations around the world for Mystery/Thriller writers. Lee Child (with Laurie R. King) has edited an amazing volume for anyone who is interested in writing mysteries. <i>How to Write a Mystery: A Handbook by Mystery Writers of America</i> is an excellent book for anyone just getting started writing mysteries or those who have been writing mysteries for decades. 

The book is broken down into four sections: 1) The Rules and Genres, 2) Other Mysteries, 3) The Writing, and 4) After the Writing. Each section contains a collection of chapters with renowned mystery writers. Some of the top names in Mystery/Thriller writing (e.g., Charlene Harris, Jeffery Deaver, and Lee Child) have contributed articles to this volume. As such, it really is a wealth of wisdom from people who have been in the trenches and come out with published success stories.

Each article is followed by a short article with some kind of practical advice related to the chapter you just read. I really liked the combination of the articles with the practical advice. The chapters and the advice are pulled from a broad range of sources. One of the really nice things about this volume is that it is the culmination of a ton of resources that have been curated into a single volume.

Overall, I definitely think this book is worth reading by anyone who is either a mystery fan or a mystery writer.

I want to thank the publisher for the opportunity to review this book prior to its publication. Even though I thankful to the publisher for their generosity in providing me an Advanced Reader Copy of the book, the review here is completely mine.

How to Write a Mystery is an interesting and information rich style/technique guide by the MWA and full of takeaways from some of the biggest names in mystery (who, generally speaking, know their stuff). Due out 27th April 2021 from Simon & Schuster on their Scribner imprint, it's 336 pages and will be available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.

Although this is a collection of workshop type instructional writing shorts, I found it lots of good background information here which will inform and enrich my mystery *reading* going forward. Some examples: why are so many mystery protagonists so flawed? What does that bring to the writing of a mystery, for example a police procedural or a PI novel? Why are some loners and some definitely team players? What special considerations are there in writing graphic novels? Children's or YA mysteries? Supernatural elements/talking animals/etc? How do supporting characters help (or hinder) the main character(s)?

The editors did a really stellar job of choosing collaborators to answer particularly relevant questions for them. If the question is on writing with characters who aren't original to your work, finding a writer particularly (probably uniquely) qualified to answer the question is a master-stroke. Max Allan Collins is a very fine writer in his own right, of course (and in collaboration with his wife), but his channeling of Mickey Spillane on the Mike Hammer books both from Spillane's extant notes and on his own are nothing short of amazing. Getting Caroline & Charles Todd to talk about collaborative writing, Charlaine Harris on mixing genres, Tess Gerritsen on medical mysteries, every single one of these short essays is from a top shelf writer talking about the stuff they really know.

Summing up, this is not strictly speaking a "how to write a book" tutorial guide. It is a very well curated selection of digestible essays on particular considerations when tackling mystery writing. I would recommend it to readers of the genre, to writers of any genre, to teachers, and other book related professionals. Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Lots of practical advice here from well-known mystery writers. A great addition to any library collection, it offers tips and wisdom on plotting and planning your mystery, as well as developing compelling characters. Good advice on seeking agents and developing your online and social media presence too.

Superb! It is a writer's conference in book form. Loved the organization of topics as if they were seminars.
This is a book to be kept by the computer--a reference and an inspiration--and yes, a guide to revising one's own work. One of the best books on mystery writing I have seen in a long time. My favorite chapters/sections were the ones on short story--often ignored in mystery writing books, and the ones on writing for youth--another topic not often handled in the same conference as those for general mystery writing.
Masterful.
Some of the short bits were just as helpful as the longer essays.

A terrific resource book, and not only for mystery writers. This book contains valuable information for writers in any genre. And if you're not a writer, but a reader who enjoys essays by some of your favorite authors, this book will hit that button for you as well.

We are romance authors with 28 books under our belt, but have never written a mystery/thriller, and this book is FANTASTIC. Every chapter contains advice that is concise and razor sharp. I really love that different writers were recruited to speak to a specific goal/concept in the genre; this approach makes it clear that there is no throwaway chapter, because each has been written with care and precision. The other thing I love is the amiable/welcoming (?!) voice carried through the whole book. Taken together, the essays don't make the genre feel unapproachable. The idea of writing a thriller is daunting and part of that is the eternal question, "But am I smart enough??" This book makes it clear that to be creative, excited, and thoughtful is enough and there are plenty of trailblazers that have broken all the rules and done something amazing. I can't wait to have a hardcopy of this, and will read it regularly. ~Lauren