Can You Solve a Mystery?

1
Can You Solve a Mystery?
2
Characters in a Mystery

• The Detective
• The character (or characters) who solves the
  mystery
• The reader and the detective usually have the
  same informationso you can feel like youre
  working to solve the mystery too!

3
Characters in a Mystery

• Suspects
• The people the detective thinks caused the puzzle
• There are always more than one

4
Setting

• Takes place in a place and time that seem real

5
The Plot

• Always begins with a puzzle
• something is missing
• Someone is hurt
• Someone is acting oddly
• Always begins with a puzzle
• The detective doesnt know the answer
• The reader doesnt know the answer

6
Clues

• Follow the steps to find the answers to the
  puzzle
• The reader also knows the clues and the fun comes
  in trying to see if you can guess the answer

7
Red Herrings

• Mystery writers will sometimes put in fake clues
  to take you and the detective off the track

8
Figuring out the solution

• Motive
• Who has a REASON to commit the crime
• Opportunity
• Who was ABLE to commit the crime

9
Solution

• Mysteries always end with the puzzle SOLVED
• The detective usually explains how the puzzle was
  solved in the last pages so you can see if you
  guessed correctly

10
Mystery Authors

• Judy Delton
• Pee Wee Scouts
• Elizabeth Levy
• Invisible Inc.
• Carolyn Keene
• Nancy Drew
• Bruce Hale
• Chet Gecko
• Paul Zindel

• David Adler
• Cam Jansen
• Gertrude Warner
• Boxcar Children
• Lucinda Landon
• Meg MacKintosh
• Donald Sobol
• Encyclopedia Brown
• John Bellairs