1. Protagonist should be a detective or someone being protected by said detective or cop.
2. Fill the story with colorful minor characters that touch on the mystery, but do not overload with details about them.
3. Use a basic precept: Someone or something has disappeared. Examples: Someone is dead under mysterious circumstances (it doesn’t have to be murder). An unusual piece of family history has come to light. Then build story around that.
4. Scene descriptions are important. At least one scene should read “Dark & Stormy” in the details (but not literally, unless you’re Snoopy).
5. False or misleading direction of story to keep reader interested.
6. Twist ending. Always the most important piece. It is not necessary to ‘solve’ the problem.
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