by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
Cozy mysteries offer a very quiet tideway to death for mystery readers. The crimes are never described in gory detail. The methods aren't ordinarily very grim (I've had a few victims pushed out windows and lanugo staircases). And there's usually not a very upper soul count.
But there is, often, a second victim. In my books, there is always a second victim.
Here are a few things to know well-nigh my second victims:
I like the second victim to be in the middle of the book. I never have a saggy typesetting middle considering I waif a soul right at that point. It provides a nice unravel from the previous investigation and separates the mystery into two halves with two variegated series of suspect interviews.
I like the second victim to be the most-likely suspect for the first murder. This makes for a fun twist and helps alimony the sleuth (and the readers) guessing.
The second victim is often someone who knows too much. This is a worldwide theme in many cozy mysteries and in mysteries in general, both in books and on film. This victim could have tried blackmailing the murderer (never a wise idea). Or the victim could have suddenly put the pieces of the puzzle together and been well-nigh to go to the police with their findings…before they're intercepted by the killer.
The second victim could moreover be someone who is murdered by a variegated killer than the first. I haven't used two murderers very often, but it does provide a bit of a twist when I do.
Are you a mystery reader or writer? What have you noticed well-nigh second victims?
Writing the Cozy Mystery: Second Victims:
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