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1.Writing Mysteries from: Writers Digest Books April 22, 2002
Average Rating: >>More Details		List Price: $16.99 Off The Bookshelf's Price: $11.55 You Save: $5.44 (32%) Prices subject to change. Used Price: $2.00
I used this book as a way to refresh my perspective on a mystery novel after finishing a second draft. I highlighted perhaps a dozen relevant/useful passages in the entire 300-page book. There are a handful of interesting ideas, but the biggest challenge I encountered is that the quality of the advice is entirely dependent on the author of each chapter - so, if what you want to learn about happens to have been written about by an average advice-giver, you're out of luck. For a better treatment - more concise and productive, and of better quality throughout - consider Hallie Ephron's "Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel."

2.How to Write a Damn Good Mystery: A Practical Step-by-Step Guide from Inspiration to Finished Manuscript by: James N. Frey February 12, 2004
Average Rating: >>More Details		List Price: $23.95 Off The Bookshelf's Price: $16.29 You Save: $7.66 (32%) Prices subject to change. Used Price: $5.50
James N. Frey's follow up to the award winning HOW TO WRITE A DAMN GOOD NOVEL. It has the same humorous style that is long on sound character development and the interaction of all characters within the novel. He challenges you not to write an ordinary story that will make it to a publisher, but to pen a "Damn good, mystery." This is so important today as mysteries become harder to sell to an agent or to attract a publisher. That is the line in the trade, but reading the top ten NYT yesterday I did notice that seven were mysteries/thrillers from the big names. It's all here from plot to character to climax to closure. A good title to use as a start if you are unfamiliar with the style. Writing as a Small BusinessSins of the Fathers: A Brewster County NovelUnder the Liberty ... Read More

3.Three Uses of the Knife: On the Nature and Purpose of Drama by: David Mamet June 13, 2000
Average Rating: >>More Details		List Price: $11.00 Off The Bookshelf's Price: $8.80 You Save: $2.20 (20%) Prices subject to change. Used Price: $5.15
Through studying David Mamet's theories, I came to realise that a character can be understood not only through what they do, but also through what they say. My style has started to incorporate Mamet's technique of having characters talk, often to each other, as well as to express themselves through physical acts like gestures and walking. The education in this book has convinced me to abandon my earlier style, where characters have wordless internal monologues while not moving for a play's 2 or 3 hour duration. 3 stars.

4.Forensics and Fiction: Clever, Intriguing, and Downright Odd Questions from Crime Writers by: D. P. Lyle August 21, 2007
Average Rating: >>More Details		List Price: $23.95 Off The Bookshelf's Price: $17.96 You Save: $5.99 (25%) Prices subject to change. Used Price: $7.51
Very interesting book. I enjoyed it, but it was more technical than I expected. Lots of great, gruesome questions.

5.The Weekend Novelist Writes A Mystery by: Robert J. Ray April 06, 1998
Average Rating: >>More Details		List Price: $15.00 Off The Bookshelf's Price: $10.20 You Save: $4.80 (32%) Prices subject to change. Used Price: $3.49
Nothing here you can't find on an internet help site. Obviously, that's much more cost-effective. If you want to have it on hand in one place, then maybe this is for you.

6.You Can Write a Mystery (You Can Write) by: Gillian Roberts August 15, 1999
Average Rating: >>More Details		List Price: $12.99 Off The Bookshelf's Price: $10.39 You Save: $2.60 (20%) Prices subject to change. Used Price: $1.24
You Can Write a Mystery is not as valuable to me as a writer as, say, Funk and White's Elements of Style. It does however, have it's place in a writer's toolbox. It is a valuable piece of equipment. The magic of this short but powerful book, is that it has many rules and points of interst that you did know, but also many that you may have forgotten. The points you did know are reminders ringing like little bells as each of them are reinserted into your writing thought process. Buy it. Read it. Live it.

7.The Crime Writer's Reference Guide: 1001 Tips for Writing the Perfect Murder by: Martin Roth February 25, 2003
Average Rating: >>More Details		List Price: $20.95 Off The Bookshelf's Price: $14.25 You Save: $6.70 (32%) Prices subject to change. Used Price: $7.00
I'm not sure what the other reviewers found so compelling. I found little here other than pages and pages of lists. Some examples: 6pp. of LAPD police radio codes, 3pp. of FBI case classifications, 16pp. of org charts for the LA County Sherrif's Dept. My favorite, however, is the full page devoted to a listing of "Weapons Used by Criminals" which begins "Acid, Air gun, Ax, Bayonet, Bazooka, Billy Club..." Well, you get the idea. The portions of the book not devoted to lists tend to be laughably superficial (e.g., "Street gangs now battle over who sells the drugs and where." Really, thanks.) Granted, there are suggestions for further reading, but my advice would be to save yourself some money and do your readers a favor -- do your own research.

8.The Long Embrace: Raymond Chandler and the Woman He Loved by: Judith Freeman November 06, 2007
Average Rating: >>More Details		List Price: $25.95 Off The Bookshelf's Price: $17.13 You Save: $8.82 (34%) Prices subject to change. Used Price: $10.84
This is a book especially for Raymond Chandler fans, who not only have read his books, but have read them a second time and enjoyed them even more. The writer is obviously in love with Chandler and lovingly describes his life in a fascinating travel of where he lived, what he did while there, and the most important, his relationship with his wife and how the relationship influenced his writings ( and perhaps veiwpoint.) I also enjoyed the writer's similies and approach. She was almost an anthropologist in her study; perhaps she was. I think it is a fascinating book for those who don't know Raymond Chandler, but most definitely an important book for those who are Raymond Chandler fans. I couldn't put it down, and re-read ... Read More

9.How to Write a Thriller by: Scott Mariani July 15, 2007
Average Rating: >>More Details		List Price: $22.00 Off The Bookshelf's Price: $14.96 You Save: $7.04 (32%) Prices subject to change. Used Price: $20.83
Well, this is one strictly for would be thriller writers and beginners and at that: There is little in this that you wouldn't find in any introduction to writing, just a brief (and idiosynchratic) coverage of the genre, interspersed with some basic writing tips. Having said that, it is easy to read and the coverage of the basics got me thinking about somethings I'd maybe forgotten. So if thrillers are your thing and you're new to writing then I'd recommend this one, otherwise there may be better books...

10.How to Write a Mystery by: Larry Beinhart July 09, 1996
Average Rating: >>More Details		Off The Bookshelf's Price: $15.00 Prices subject to change. Used Price: $1.99
If nothing else, books on writing can help jumpstart your engine when writing. Mr. Beinhart's contribution to helping writers is a whodoesit (discussion on mystery writers) and a howdoit (on writing a mystery), and offers some thought-provoking insights.

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