Howdunit

Murder, She Writes

I’m taking a break from reviewing mysteries to cover this delightful collection of essays created by crime writers: Howdunit: A Masterclass in Crime Writing by Members of the Detection Club, edited by Martin Edwards. This gem is a collection of 90 writers, including greats like Agatha Cristie and Dorothy L. Sayers to contemporary writers across all genres from traditional mysteries to thrillers.

The book is divided into sections like “Motive,” “Beginnings,” “Plots,” “Detectives,” and “Writing Lives.” It’s not a book that must be read from start to finish, though nothing would stop the reader from taking this approach. I particularly loved an image of a handwritten flow chart by Kate Ellis. A great reminder that some of our best ideas start with scribbles on a sheet of paper.

There are no rules. The only moral compass is honesty, writing to the best of your ability.

A straight avenue to the heart. –Frances Fyfield

It’s a book full of new writers to explore and familiar ones to reconnect with. It’s also a book that, as a writer, I found the shared experience of the challenges of creation and the beauty of putting the puzzle pieces together.

This book’s strength covers both the predictable and the quirky unexpected; those thoughts writers have when caught at a desk for hours wound up in ideas about crimes, clues, and detectives.

A book I keep by my desk for inspiration!