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Craft of Writing

George W Bateson

Don't Let Your Murder Mystery Die

We are all told pick up the pen and start writing, but with most crime novels, in particular murder mysteries, you begin with a body, one that became dead in any one of a dozen ways, and the way that body had ceased living will become all important to the way the storyline will pan out.

From Mac the Knife
Think, has your corpse been stabbed to death, shot or maybe poisoned? In each of these cases there are several things to be considered. If the body was stabbed what sort of knife was used, short blade or long blade, broad like a machete or with the slim blade of a stiletto knife? 'What's the difference?' I hear you say a stabbed body is dead no matter what sort of knife was used. If you believe this then stick to writing romances for the type of weapon used could eventually lead the detective to the killer and whilst you as the writer supply the body you must also give realistic clues to help the investigator solve the crime.

Guns and Things
Consider the body dead from gunshot wounds? Was it a pistol or a revolver? A shot-gun or a high powered rifle? Each of these weapons leaves its own particular wound in the body depending from what range it was fired and will normally relate to the area in which the shooting took place. For example, urban area shootings are normally done with handheld guns, weapons that can easily be concealed and carried around in a busy environment. I mean, a person walking down the crowded main street of a city or large town carrying a rifle or shotgun under his or her arm would immediately arouse a great deal of interest and therefore many witnesses to the shooting. Whereas in a rural area the carrying of the same shotgun or rifle would rarely warrant anything more than a passing glance. So the type of weapon could dictate the place of the killing and affect the storyline.

The Hemlock Cup
'It's all getting far too complicated' you say. 'I'll just stick to saying the dead one was poisoned.' Maybe so but there are many poisons almost all of which have been used throughout time to dispose of someone's life. Most poisons leave a distinctive trace that will make the substance almost immediately recognizable but their availability normally will have to be taken into consideration when planning your crime.

Poisons run into six main categories, Fungi, Plants, Industrial, Medical, Pesticides and Street Drugs. In each of these categories there are many differing types of poisons, each with different symptoms, most with a differing degree of accessibility. Some are the more mundane garden pest killer type of poison that can be purchased at most garden or hardware stores, others are simply unobtainable—legally!

The type of poison used and where it was obtained will determine your type of killer, maybe a laboratory worker, even a professor in a similar position who has access to the poison, a gardener or council worker dealing in rodent killing or maybe a doctor who not only has the poison at hand but also the method of delivering it—the syringe.

Where, When and Why
If it does not follow that your body will have died by any of the above methods it could quite easily have been pushed off a cliff, elbowed under a passing train or bus or even smothered in bed using a pillow as the weapon. It is not the fact that he or she has been killed but how, where, when and why the killing took place that is at the heart and soul of your crime story. Your detective has to solve all of these. The how could be obvious and where will be easy if the body is found where the killing took place, if not then along with the when, the pathologist is the main source of help.

The why is different. Why was the victim stabbed, shot, poisoned or pushed to his or her death? Why is the motive and in many cases the method of killing can lead to motive. The domestic quarrel in which the wife picks up a knife to defend herself and the next minute the husband is lying on the floor with it protruding from his chest. A robbery or a revenge killing is normally done with a hand gun or a shot gun.

Other methods of killing include strangulation, the deliberate running down with a car or even the use of explosives as in a car bomb or booby trap.

Think Before You Kill
Whatever method you devise—and as the writer it is you who decides which way the victim has died. Remember HOW the body met its death is important to the plot of the story. How can lead to the where, when and why. So think before you write and don't let the death of your victim be the death of your story.

Reading: The Crime Writer's Handbook by Douglas Wynn. (65 ways to kill your victim)  Publisher Allison and Busby Ltd. ISBN 0 74900 345 6

Books written by Patricia Cornwell will give a good insight into the workings of the pathologist's department.


About the Author
George W Bateson was born in England where he still lives with Marjorie, his wife.  Has had articles and short stories published in various magazines and newspapers as well as having material broadcast on BBC local radio. He contributes a regular feature in a UK quarterly magazine and at the moment is working on a second crime genre novel.