How to Write a Mystery

July 1, 1996
In this entertaining and instructive guide to writing mysteries, Edgar Award-winning mystery writer Beinhart (No One Rides for Free, Avon, 1987) covers such subjects as narrative drive, plotting, openings, character development, and a host of other writerly techniques. He includes many examples from his favorite mystery writers, among them Le Carre, Higgins, Fleming, and Beinhart's wife, Gillian Farrell. The style is chatty and breezy and the content informative. This is not really a step-by-step manual but a book that writers and would-be writers might turn to for advice and a thoughtful discussion of a particular problem area. Recommended for public libraries and academic libraries supporting writing programs.--Denise Johnson, Bradley Univ. Lib., Peoria, Ill.