James N. Frey How to Write a Brilliant Detective

This is the name of the list of twenty items that I saw yesterday in the author's VKontakte public. Mainly network authors gather there, but this list is allegedly taken from the Eksmo forum. Mm ... To be honest, as I read, my eyes widened more and more, because in fact, for every “how not to do” item, I remembered at least one successful book or a successful film in the detective genre, where this is the most “not necessary” "It was just done. I myself had something, but - okay, let's say I'm not an indicator. But world literature and cinema, it seems to me, still mean something.

So, if anyone is interested:

1) The reader should have equal opportunities with the detective to unravel the mystery of the crime. All clues must be clearly labeled and described.

2) The reader must not be deliberately deceived or misled, except in those cases when he, along with the detective, is deceived by the criminal in accordance with all the rules of fair play.

3) There should not be a love line in the novel. After all, we are talking about bringing the criminal to justice, and not about connecting the yearning lovers with the bonds of Hymen.

4) Neither the detective himself nor any of the official investigators should turn out to be a criminal. This is tantamount to outright deceit - it's the same as if we slipped a shiny copper instead of a gold coin. Fraud is fraud.

5) The offender must be discovered by the deductive method - with the help of logical conclusions, and not due to chance, coincidence or unmotivated confession. After all, choosing this last path, the author quite consciously directs the reader along a deliberately false trail, and when he returns empty-handed, he calmly reports that all this time the answer has been in his pocket, the author. Such an author is no better than a lover of primitive practical jokes.

6) In a detective novel there must be a detective, and a detective is only a detective when he tracks down and investigates. His task is to collect clues that will serve as clues, and ultimately point to the one who committed this low crime in the first chapter. The detective builds a chain of his reasoning based on the analysis of the collected evidence, otherwise he is likened to a negligent schoolboy who, without solving the problem, writes off the answer from the end of the problem book.

7) You simply cannot do without corpses in a detective novel, and the more naturalistic the corpse, the better. Only the murder makes the novel interesting enough. Who would read three hundred pages with excitement if it were a less serious crime! In the end, the reader should be rewarded for their concern and energy expended.

8) The mystery of the crime must be revealed in a purely materialistic way. Absolutely unacceptable are such methods of establishing the truth as divination, seances, reading other people's thoughts, fortune-telling, etc., etc. The reader has some chance of being as smart as a rationalistic detective, but if he is forced to compete with the spirits of the other world, he is doomed to defeat ab initio.

9) There should be only one detective, that is, only one protagonist of the deduction, only one deus ex machina. To mobilize the minds of three, four, or even a whole detachment of detectives to unravel the crime means not only to scatter the reader's attention and break the direct logical thread, but also unfairly put the reader in a disadvantageous position. With more than one detective, the reader does not know which one he is competing with in deductive reasoning. It's like making the reader race with a relay team.

10) The criminal should be a character who played a more or less prominent role in the novel, that is, a character who is familiar and interesting to the reader.

11) The author must not make a servant a murderer. This is too easy a decision, to choose it is to evade difficulties. The perpetrator must be a person with a certain dignity - one that usually does not arouse suspicion.

12) No matter how many murders take place in the novel, there must be only one criminal. Of course, the offender may have an assistant or an accomplice, but the entire burden of guilt should lie on the shoulders of one person. The reader must be given the opportunity to focus all the ardor of his indignation on a single black nature.

13) In a true detective novel, secret bandit societies, all sorts of Camorras and mafia, are out of place. After all, an exciting and truly beautiful murder will be irreparably damaged if it turns out that the blame falls on a whole criminal company. Of course, the killer in a detective novel should be given hope for salvation, but allowing him to resort to the help of a secret society is already too much. No top-notch, self-respecting killer needs that kind of advantage.

14) The method of murder and the means of solving the crime must meet the criteria of rationality and scientific character. In other words, pseudoscientific, hypothetical, and purely fantastic adaptations cannot be introduced into a detective novel. As soon as the author soars, in the manner of Jules Verne, into fantastic heights, he finds himself outside the detective genre and frolic in the unknown expanses of the adventure genre.

15) At any moment, the solution should be obvious - provided that the reader has enough insight to solve it. This implies the following: if the reader, having reached the explanation of how the crime was committed, re-reads the book, he will see that the solution, so to speak, lay on the surface, that is, all the evidence actually pointed to the culprit, and, be it, the reader , as quick-witted as a detective, he would have been able to solve the mystery on his own, long before the final chapter. Needless to say, the smart reader often reveals it in this way.

16) Long descriptions, literary digressions and side themes, subtly subtle analysis of characters and recreation of atmosphere are inappropriate in a detective novel. All these things are irrelevant to the story of the crime and its logical disclosure. They only delay the action and introduce elements that have nothing to do with the main goal, which is to state the problem, analyze it and bring it to a successful solution. Of course, enough descriptions and well-defined characters should be introduced into the novel to give it credibility.

17) The guilt for committing a crime should not be placed on a professional criminal. Crimes committed by burglars or gangsters are investigated by the police department, not by a detective writer and brilliant amateur detectives. A truly spectacular crime is one committed by a pillar of the church or by an old maid who is a well-known benefactor.

18) A crime in a detective novel should not turn out to be a suicide or an accident. To end the odyssey of tracking with such a drop in tension is to fool the gullible and kind reader.

19) All crimes in detective novels must be committed for personal reasons. International conspiracies and military politics are the property of a completely different literary genre - for example, a spy or action novel. A detective novel, on the other hand, should remain in a cozy, homely framework. It should reflect the reader's daily experiences and, in a sense, give vent to his own repressed desires and emotions.

20) And, finally, the last point: a list of some tricks that no self-respecting author of detective novels will use now. They have been used too often and are well known to all true lovers of literary crimes. To resort to them means to sign one's writing failure and lack of originality.

a) Identification of the offender by the cigarette butt left at the scene of the crime.

b) The device of an imaginary séance with the aim of frightening the criminal and forcing him to betray himself.

c) Fake fingerprints.

d) A fake alibi provided by a dummy.

e) A dog that does not bark and allows the conclusion that the intruder was not a stranger.

f) Laying the blame for the crime on a twin brother or other relative, like two peas in a pod, similar to the suspect, but not guilty of anything.

g) A hypodermic syringe and a drug mixed into wine.

h) Committing a murder in a locked room after the police broke in.

i) Establishing guilt with the help of a psychological test for naming words by free association.

j) The mystery of the code or encrypted letter, finally solved by the detective.

Novice authors are divided into two types: the first ones start their work without reading a single book and relying only on faith in their own talent, while the second ones cannot decide for years, try to gain experience, and start closer to retirement. But to be a successful young writer, you have to learn and try at the same time. T&P has put together seven books on writing that you can read to learn how to write.

"Million Dollar Story"

Robert McKee

American screenwriters have a secret that all aspiring writers should know about. This secret is a three-act feature-length structure. On the screen, the action can develop only according to such a structure, and the main character must change as he progresses to the finale.

Russian-speaking authors traditionally overestimate the inner world of the characters, their feelings and mental anguish. What aroused the interest of readers in the century before last does not find a response among contemporaries. The world has become “faster”, the texts are shorter, there is not enough time for anything. Today, only action can keep the reader reading. Running his eyes over the lines on the page of the book, he must see, hear, feel and live what is happening inside the work.

"Bird by Bird"

Ann Lamott

Anne Lamott teaches perhaps the most important thing - to be honest: both with yourself and with readers. This book, piercing and sincere, tells about the writer's life style and about what difficulties await him. The author tells how to overcome the fear of the first draft, how to write constantly, write a lot, write well, while getting pleasure.

Why can't you start a new writing project on Mondays and in December? What do famous writers think and feel when they start working on a new text? How to force yourself to write? Ann Lamott answers these questions and more on every page of her book.

Why do we read detective stories? On the one hand, this is a form of escaping from reality, another proof that we live in a just world. This is a sports passion - we are rooting for our detective. This is a pleasant illusion - we identify ourselves with the main character and, as a result, we seem to ourselves to be stronger, more courageous, etc.

On the other hand, this is an exercise for the mind - many people like to guess charades.

The main elements of the detective

The four pillars of a detective are:

Mystery. The reader, together with the main character, is looking for answers to the questions: What was it?, Who did it? and sometimes - Caught or not caught?

Voltage. For the reader to be seriously interested in the mystery, something important must be at stake. Therefore, detective stories appeal to such fundamental values ​​as life, freedom and money. The dynamic plot and high stakes create tension, and the reader wants to know what happens next.

Conflict. The detective is rooted in ancient legends about the epic journey of a warrior who fights Evil. Solving a crime, especially murder, is a symbolic victory over death. Therefore, in the detective story, white is separated from black, and Good and Evil are in a state of irreconcilable war.

Surprise. Theoretically, the reader has the opportunity to solve the crime himself: in the course of the story, he is given all the necessary clues. But he is disappointed if he still guesses who exactly killed Miss Jane or stole the diamonds from the bedside table.

The world of the genre detective only remotely resembles the real world. There is no place for accidents, coincidences and obscure circumstances. Everything should be clearly thought out and logical. Each of the characters performs a strictly defined function: the detective investigates, the witnesses present him with the necessary facts, the criminal is hiding. But at the same time, credibility remains an important feature of the detective story.

Types of detectives

Closed detective. The crime is committed in a closed space (on a ship, in a mountain boarding house, etc.), and suspicion may fall on a limited circle of people. Closed detective was especially popular in 1920-1930.

Psychological detective. The main emphasis is on the psychology of both the criminal and the detective.

Cool detective and close to him detective noir(i.e. black). Violence, corpses and sex are depicted in every detail.

Historical detective. The action takes place in the past. One of the varieties of historical detective is the investigation of a crime committed a long time ago.

Political detective. The action revolves around elections, political actions or the private life of politicians.

Spy detective. The adventures of scouts are described.

Art detective. An art theft is under investigation.

Love detective. A love affair (often between two antagonists) seriously affects the development of the plot.

Ironic detective. The story is told in an ironic tone. Investigations are usually done by amateur ladies. The gory details are omitted.

Police detective. Investigative procedures and the work of professionals are described in detail. Variation - forensic detective. The authors of these works are usually lawyers or former law enforcement officers.

Fantastic detective. The investigation takes place in a fictional world.

Private detective. The investigation is conducted by a private detective.

Amateur detective. A non-professional is taken to solve the crime - a witness, a suspect, a relative or friend of the hero involved in the case. If we are talking about a series of novels about an amateur detective, a paradox arises when a seemingly ordinary person stumbles upon a corpse once every six months.

Detective characters

Detective- The person who is investigating. As mentioned above, investigators are divided into the following types:

Law enforcement officer;

Advocate;

Private detective;

Amateur detective.

The characteristic features of the protagonist of detective stories are courage, a sense of justice, isolation and the ability to break the law for the sake of a just cause. For example, a detective might intimidate a rogue witness in order to find out the truth. He is able to stand up for himself and is ready to help others. He is a professional in his field, although it is not necessarily about investigative work.

Often he has a special talent: a unique memory, language skills, etc. In a word, he is always somehow different from ordinary mortals - this is part of the myth.

Oddities and paradoxes in the character of the hero adorn the story: a quiet librarian can drive a motorcycle; pathologist - work as a clown on weekends, etc. But here we must be careful: a lumberjack who loves ballet looks unnatural. If a librarian drives a Harley to work, let there be a rational explanation for this. For example, she inherited a motorcycle from her deceased husband.

Assistant- serves to ensure that the detective can explain to someone the details of the investigation. As a rule, this is a person of average abilities, against whose background the main character looks more representative.

Criminal- a person who committed or organized a crime. As a rule, his name is not known until the end.

Here is what James N. Frey advises in How to Write a Great Detective:

The perpetrator must be selfish and act out of self-interest. If the reader discovers that the murder was committed by a kind nun who protected orphans, one of the factors of pleasure from reading the detective story is lost. People want evil to be punished. No evil - no conflict - no sense of satisfaction. If a good criminal is needed to advance the plot, escalate the conflict in other ways.

The offender must be afraid of exposure - otherwise the sharpness of the conflict is lost again. Make it smart and resourceful. Let them fight with the detective on equal terms.

A criminal in the past may have a mental trauma, after which he went on a crooked path.

Suspect- a person who is initially suspected. As a rule, he turns out to be innocent.

Victim- a person killed or injured as a result of a crime.

Witnesses- people who provide the detective with important information about the crime and/or the perpetrator.

Sage- gives the detective valuable advice on how to conduct an investigation.

Expert- Provides the detective with important scientific or professional data. For example, in the field of ballistics, linguistics, art, etc.

Detective plan

Typically, a detective is built according to the following scheme:

1) The detective takes up the investigation. In some cases, the author describes a crime scene or introduces a prologue in order to create the right atmosphere.

If the main character is a professional, then there is no need to explain his motivation (why he agreed to conduct an investigation): he has such a job. If the protagonist is an amateur or a private detective, you can't do without an introductory part: you need to show why on earth the hero got involved in the case. This can be done in flashback order.

2) The detective begins the investigation and at first he is lucky. In mythology, this is called initiation - the hero leaves his usual life and finds himself in the distant realm of crime.

The investigation is carried out in two ways:

Hunting - the detective immediately finds important evidence and this allows him to unravel the whole ball;

Gathering - the detective studies disparate facts, which are subsequently combined into a picture of a crime.

The conflict can escalate if the detective finds himself in a different environment: for example, a simple, laconic guy from the social classes is investigating a murder on Rublyovka.

3) The detective faces a serious crisis that turns his life upside down, gathers strength and continues the investigation in a new direction.

4) The investigation is in hot pursuit. The detective discovers the missing links in the chain. There comes a moment of enlightenment - he finds answers to all key questions.

5) The detective catches the criminal. The killer (kidnapper, spy, etc.) gets what he deserves.

6) It tells how the events of the novel influenced the characters.

What to look for when writing a detective story

Investigators always track:

Motive - the reason for committing a crime

Method - the suspect must have access to the weapon of the crime and have the physical ability to perform a particular action.

Thinking through the plot of the detective story, one should start with the motive: why did the locksmith Kuvaldin strangle the ballerina Tapkina? Next, we think about the easiest way to do this: with your bare hands, your own pants, or a wire from a toaster. Keep it simple: water flows to where it is lower, criminals act in the way that is simpler.

There must be at least two stories in a detective story: one is true, the other is false. First, the detective develops a false version: it fits so well with the facts that he has no doubts about the chosen path. And only then, closer to the climax, the true state of things begins to emerge. The situation is turned upside down and it is at this moment that the reader experiences catharsis.

It is useful to stop somewhere in the middle of the novel and write down: what does the reader guess by this time? What predictions does he make? And at least two or three predictions should not be justified.

To make it impossible to calculate the killer immediately, give each of the suspects equivalent advantages and disadvantages. Let the attention of readers concentrate on the detective: if the murderer is the most interesting character in the novel, the secret will immediately become clear.

The same thing will happen if you emphasize that the locksmith Kuvaldin had neither the motive nor the opportunity to kill the ballerina Tapkina. When the author takes suspicion away from the hero, there is a feeling that this is where the dog is buried. This perceptual feature is often used to create false clues. For example, the author shows that Kuvaldin is as innocent as a camomile, the reader grins rather: “Well, everything is clear!”, but in fact, not everything is clear. At the same time, one should not forget that false keys only work when they fit perfectly into the original investigative version.

A good detective is like a quest - a computer game: to get to the goal, you need to collect a certain number of items that will later be useful to the player. In the detective, this role is played by evidence.

The level of skill of the author largely depends on how skillfully he hides them. Artfully does not mean far. On the contrary, the evidence should lie on the surface, but at the same time have such an insignificant appearance that the reader does not pay attention to them. As a result, at the moment of climax, he can only shrug his hands: Well, how did I not guess? After all, they gave me all the keys to unraveling!

How to hide evidence? American writer Shannon Okork gives this advice: “If the evidence is big, show it small. If it should get lost, put it in a conspicuous place. Dirty or break beautiful evidence, present dangerous evidence as a completely ordinary object.

An excellent example of hidden evidence can be found in Roald Dahl's story The Sacrificial Lamb: a wife kills her husband with a frozen leg of lamb, and then feeds it to the police, who searched unsuccessfully for the crime weapon all day.

Particular attention should be paid to climax. It is of the following types:

The detective gathers all the actors and announces who the killer is;

In desperation, the criminal tries to do something terrible (grabs hostages, etc.);

The detective knows who the killer is, but he has no direct evidence. He sets a trap, and the killer himself falls into it;

The criminal is already ready to triumph, but then an unexpected witness appears;

A battle between a detective and a criminal (an option is a chase);

The detective suddenly realizes that his assumptions are not true;

Pseudo-climax. The criminal is caught, the reader rejoices, but at the last moment it turns out that they took the wrong one.

The climax itself is built according to the following scheme:

Surprise - for example, the reader did not expect that the Minister of Defense would be the killer;

Increased threat - the killer is cornered, he has nothing to lose and now he is ready for anything;

The peak of the conflict;

Justice triumphs.

The detective catches the criminal only thanks to his own mind - no luck, fortune-telling by hand, god from the car, etc.

The reader will feel betrayed if the murder ends up being a suicide or an accident. The same will happen if the crime is solved when the offender turns himself in.

Surprises and unexpected plot twists are wonderful. But when there are too many, the reader gets confused. It is recommended to introduce two or three big surprises and a couple of small ones. Neither the detective nor the criminal should do deliberate stupidity. Otherwise, it is not interesting to watch such a duel.

Luck may be on the side of the villain before the detective unmasks him. If the villain then flies away in a blue helicopter, the reader is disappointed.

Stamps in detectives

The detective wears a raincoat and hat, and always has a flask of alcohol in his pocket.

Before an audit in a store or warehouse, criminals start a fire.

The detective is trying to seduce a luxurious woman - the main suspect.

Before death, the victim whispers a mysterious word or name, which is a clue.

Pathologist chewing at the workplace.

The main mafia wears a diamond ring on his finger, licks his hair with gel and goes everywhere accompanied by
gorilla bodyguards.

The investigator constantly worries that the case will not be taken away from him.

A mysterious sect with a maniac leader at the head is to blame for everything.

The offender flees, asking for time off to go to the toilet.

Fake fingerprints.

The dog does not bark at a known stranger, from which the detective concludes that the dog knows this person.

Having caught the detective, the villain ties him to the death machine and talks for a long time about his cunning plans.

The head of the investigator is a complete idiot and/or scoundrel.

At the climax, the criminal grabs the detective's girlfriend and puts a gun to her head.

The detective's wife died at the very beginning (a few years before the start), and since then our hero has not known the words of love.

The detective finds a cigarette butt at the crime scene and traces the teeth (lipstick print) to figure out the villain.

The criminal provides himself with an alibi with the help of a mannequin or a twin brother.

The main villain has fun compiling secret ciphers and ingenious pictograms.

The detective draws deductive conclusions that are not as unambiguous as the author would like.

Most books on how to write a detective story are filled to overflowing with wise advice: how to collect evidence, how to leave a false trail for a criminal, where to find poisonous mushrooms, and how to take fingerprints. You might get the impression that a detective novel is a mixture of ingredients. They are carefully measured, thrown into a bowl, beaten with a wooden spoon until a homogeneous mixture is obtained, then briefly put in the oven and - voila - the ingenious detective is ready!

I don't want to disappoint you, but it doesn't work that way.

The book "How to Write a Brilliant Detective" is not at all a collection of instructions on what to write and what not to write. This book will teach you how to brainstorm, build a detective scheme, write a draft, make edits. This book details how to create vibrant, dynamic three-dimensional characters that, when given free rein, can help build a complex, intricate yet believable story. It will be full of mysteries, dangers, dramatic conflicts and tension.

In addition, the book will explain how to choose the right form of storytelling, how to refine the style and gloss of a novel, and how to find a literary agent after completing a manuscript.

Is there a guarantee that you will write a brilliant detective story if you use the recommendations in this book? Sorry, there are no such guarantees. A lot depends on you. If you follow the instructions carefully and rigorously, get the characters to act as they are destined to, if you write, write, write, and then edit, edit, edit until your novel fizzes with passion - perhaps you will be a great success. It was achieved by many authors of detective works. What are you worse?

Learning to write brilliant detective stories is like learning to skate. You fall, struggle to your feet, and get back to work. Again and again you repeat the same thing. Finally, you give your work to friends to read, and they say: “Listen, this is a real detective!”

Do not perceive the work on the detective as tedious or even hard work. Detective - adventure literature, so you need to feel the spirit of adventure. There are a lot of stories about writers sitting bloody sweat staring at a blank sheet of paper. Blood sweat is the lot of writers who create serious literature. For writers of detective stories, the creative process should be… well, let's say, fun. Creating characters, inventing cities and even entire worlds that never really existed, thinking about how a killer can avoid retribution, condemning to death people who resemble your sloppy ex-wife, petty boss, mother-in-law-bitch - what could be more pleasant?

Our adventures will begin in Chapter I. In it we will discuss why people read detective stories, what place detective stories occupy in modern literature, and what part they play in the creation of the mythology of culture. If you are going to write a detective story, it is extremely important for you to know all this.

The first answer is classic (and yet correct)

If you want to write detective stories, you first need to understand why people read them.

The usual answer is that people want to "escape from reality", to plunge into silence for a couple of hours, to get away from the seething life, they want to have fun. However, there are many other entertainments that are not as popular as reading detective stories.

It is generally assumed that readers enjoy solving a crime described in a detective story, just like they enjoy solving a crossword puzzle. They say that a detective novel is a kind of puzzle that confuses the reader. The author plays with the reader, hides evidence, casts suspicion on innocents who act as if they are the killers, etc. The reader is likely to go the wrong way, and all his guesses will be wrong. The detective in a detective novel, as a rule, always surpasses the reader in quick wit and is the first to discover the killer.

However, if the passion for mystery was the main reason readers love detective stories, this genre would have died out in the thirties and forties of the 20th century, along with a special direction of detective novels called “locked room detectives”. They were carefully thought out and full of mysteries. The murder took place in a room locked from the inside, only a corpse was found in it. There is a bullet wound, but there is no bullet. The body was found on the roof, then it disappeared. Any reader who independently figured out the killer could be proud of himself.

To write a brilliant detective story, one puzzle is not enough.

Marie Rodell, in The Detective Genre (1943), lists four classic reasons why people read detective stories. These reasons have not changed to this day.

1. Readers are interested in following the train of thought of the protagonist, they empathize with the detective chasing the killer.

2. Readers enjoy the satisfaction of seeing a villain get what he deserves.

3. Readers identify themselves with the main character, "get involved" in the events of the novel, and thereby increase their own significance.

4. Readers are imbued with a sense of confidence in the reality of the events taking place in a detective novel.

Marie Rodell goes on to note that "a detective novel that fails to meet these requirements is doomed to fail." What was true in the time of Marie Rodell has not lost its significance in our day. Moreover, now the work on a detective novel must be approached much more seriously than before. The modern reader is a skeptic, he is more aware of the methods of police work, he has become adept at jurisprudence. Making him believe in the reality of what is happening now is much more difficult.

Modern detective novel and heroic literature

Barbara Norville, in How to Write a Modern Detective (1986), a useful and informative book, argues that the modern detective novel has its roots in medieval morality plays, noting that "in the modern detective novel, a negative character commits a crime against his neighbor in the play - morality negative character is guilty of the sins of pride, laziness, envy, etc.”

Undoubtedly, the medieval morality play and the modern detective story have common features. However, I believe that the roots of the modern detective story go much deeper. The modern detective novel is a version of the most ancient legend on Earth - a mythical tale about the wanderings of a warrior hero.

When I say "myth" or "mythological features", I mean that the detective story contains mythological elements and is a retelling of ancient traditions in modern language. The hero of ancient legends killed dragons (monsters that the then society was afraid of) and saved beauties. The hero of a modern detective novel catches killers (monsters that modern society is afraid of) and saves beauties. Many qualities of the heroes of ancient legends and the characters of modern detective stories are the same: they are brave, loyal, seek to punish evil, are ready to make sacrifices for the sake of the ideal, etc.

Detectives are perhaps the most popular books of fiction. They follow the laws of the genre, which means that all stories operate on the same principle. For example, they always have a crime and someone who solves it. There is a certain formula for detective stories. And if you know her, you can follow her every time you want to write a detective story (Agatha Christie did!). Read a couple of detective stories, and you will see that each of them includes the elements described below. And then you can write your own detective story!

How to write a detective yourself?

1. A crime

A crime occurs (most often murder). It was committed by a villain who has not yet been discovered.

Arthur Binks, a millionaire, was killed by an inlaid knife while celebrating his sixtieth birthday. He was found dead, alone, in the library. The party was held at his summer home and the guests included his two daughters, Lili and Nina, his young wife Helen (the girls' stepmother), his golf partner Pierre H, and Pierre's wife, Roberta H.

1. Detective

The detective arrives to solve the crime. The detective can be a man or a woman, he can be a lawyer, or a policeman, or a hard-boiled private detective, or an amateur with a shrewd mind (like a nosy old lady).

Helen Binks hired a private detective, Michael Borlotti. Borlotti is very smart, and has a habit of flipping coins. He does not fit into the society of these rich people and is not afraid to ask unpleasant questions - he is here to do his job.

1. Investigation

The detective conducts an investigation, unraveling and interpreting a tangle of evidence. The detective must be smart and quick-witted and be able to decipher evidence with good reason and sometimes with intuition.

Borlotti begins to discover evidence - it turns out that Binks was not liked. Even his golf partner Pierre refers to him as the "slippery type". Everyone thinks Helen married him for the money. Lily and Nina hate their stepmother and blame her for their father's death. But Barlotti is interested in the mysterious Robert, the discreet and attractive wife of Pierre X, a friend of Binks.

1. Scene

In detective novels, the setting is very important, and it is always described in detail. Often we imagine a dark, rainy city full of shadows and crime. Sometimes we are in huge old mansions where crime happens behind closed doors.

Binks has a beautiful old mansion, but it holds many secrets. The garden seems especially intimidating - overgrown, wild and unnaturally quiet. Bonnie, Arthur Binks' favorite cat, hides in dark corners, meowing and hissing ominously.

1. Suspicion

There is always a sense of danger in detective stories, and readers no doubt get suspicious when they follow the investigating detective. The detective carefully examines the mysterious places where armed criminals could hide. Throughout the story, the detective collects evidence in places where the rest did not even think to look. The detective may find some out of place item, which in the future will be invaluable help.

Looks like Borlotti isn't making any headway with his investigation. Every clue he's found so far has turned out to be chasing shadows that don't exist. Everyone in the house seems to suspect Helen Binks, who is getting gloomier by the day. Something makes Borlotti come out in . He realizes that someone is hiding in the shadows. And, when we already think that his song is sung, Bonnie's cat jumps out of the bushes and runs away like a wild one. Bolotti stares intently at where the cat jumped out and finds the key to the mystery.

1. denouement

Detective ends once the detective has collected enough evidence, talked to enough people, and has been able to correctly interpret the evidence. Often, while the detective solves the mystery of the murder, the suspects are gathered together, the perpetrator impersonates himself and surrenders to justice.

Borlotti collects all the suspects at the crime scene, in the library. He slowly reveals the evidence. He shows an object found in the garden - it's a comb from the head of Roberta X! We learn that Roberta killed Binks because he was blackmailing her by threatening to reveal her spy past. To everyone's amazement, Roberta breaks down and admits her guilt, and she is arrested by the local police.

How to learn friends. Learning. How can you learn on your own. Learning, palmistry for children. How to make your first . at home.