Lesson Five: Let's talk suspense

April 2008 ACFW On-line Class Lesson Five
Research Your Way to a Book Readers Can’t Put Down
Suspense Research – Let’s Talk Science

Welcome to the suspense portion of the class. Again, I hope that you’ll find these lessons helpful regardless of the type of books you write, but there are unique challenges that come with writing in the suspense/mystery/thriller category. I see that there are several questions about plotting. That isn’t really the focus of this class, but never fear…I have a call out for help from a pro at this. So stay tuned. If he can’t help, I’ll share some thoughts later on different ways to structure the plot.

But let’s talk research.

When I think about this genre, I think about tight plots filled with twists and turns, and in my mind there’s usually a ticking time bomb of some sort. I love reading Brandilyn Collins, Colleen Coble, Brandt Dodson, Jill Elizabeth Nelson, and Susan May Warren. They each have a unique style, and they have each graciously agreed to share some of their thoughts and strategies with you.

But I also enjoy several ABA authors. (A note: some of them have content that is beyond that allowed by CBA, but I have found that they each have books I can enjoy – if I’m selective). Some that I enjoy reading are Mary Higgins Clark, Mary Jane Clark, Lisa Gardner (man, I want to write like her!), Lisa Scottolini (have to be careful, but they are very good legal suspense for the most part), John Grisham, etc.

On the romantic suspense side, I really enjoy Dee Henderson (particularly the first 4 in the O’Malley series) and Robin Carroll’s books with Steeple Hill. On thrillers we can learn a lot from Robert Liparulo (nor for the faint of heart), Ted Dekker (ADAM is intense!), and others who give you a book you can not put down.

At the core, what makes books by any of these authors work for me? Why do I rush to buy the books as soon as they release. Why do I return to them again and again?
q There is a sense of being there…the setting is real and I can buy the general plot thread.
q The characters are believable and I’m rooting for them from page one. And ideally they aren’t perfect people, but are fighting flaws just like the rest of us.
q The mystery/suspense works. We’ve all read books where the red herrings are ridiculous. Or the key clues are withheld. I want to race the author to the reveal. I want to have a fighting chance at guessing who did it without having a bad taste left in my mouth because the author cheated.
q There is authenticity in the details about the investigation. I can tell the author did their research, got the details right, but didn’t share every little thing they learned with me. There’s the right balance.
q The conclusion is satisfying. Unlike the latest Grisham (which I loved until the ending), there is a sense that good did prevail at least for today. The world may not be perfectly back in order, but a wrong has been righted as much as possible.

So you’re assignment. Take one of the books that you think got it right and one that got it wrong. Give us quick bullets on why the one worked and the other didn’t.

For example, I loved Brandilyn Collins’ Kanner Lake series, but Crimson Eve is my all time favorite. What worked… from the beginning we care about what’s going to happen to Carla. I was rooting for her on every page, even as her past was revealed. The antagonist was also very human, and you almost felt for the killer who was put in an impossible situation. The ticking bomb was deafening. And the ending had a twist that made my jaw drop but worked.

One that didn’t work so well is The Appeal by John Grisham. Forget about the omniscient POV – he can do that. The story quickly laid out the parties in such a way that I knew who the little guy was and rooted for them from that point on. Yet the conclusion left me feeling punched in the gut. Now unfortunately, the world does operate that way sometimes, but I wanted to see the good guys win.

Your turn.