The Technique of the Mystery Story

Carolyn Wells (1862 - 1942)

For one, I have never been one of those who apologize for my frank and never-ending delight in mystery stories. Their mazes have led me unwearied through miles of printed pages, and if only the problem has been worth while, and its pursuit has led along surprising ways, past shuddery thickets and over fearsome bridges, my soul has returned to sober affairs refreshed and content. In a word, here is a remarkable volume which shows us how the wheels go round, not by dogmatic statement, but by an amazing breadth and variety of citation and quotation, showing not only what great mystery writers have thought of their art, but illustrating by apposite examples how they secured their effects. - Summary by J. Berg Esenwein, editor of The Writer’s Library published by The Home Correspondence School, from Introduction

Genre(s): Crime & Mystery Fiction, Writing & Linguistics

Language: English

Section Chapter Reader Time
Play 00 Introduction Lynn Lee
00:07:14
Play 01 The Eternal Curious TomDavisBeal
00:17:01
Play 02 The Literature of Mystery TomDavisBeal
00:20:39
Play 03 The History of Mystery Sonia
00:09:34
Play 04 Ghost Stories Timothy Ferguson
00:23:16
Play 05 Riddle Stories Larry Wilson
00:10:53
Play 06 Detective Stories Christine Lehman
00:42:16
Play 07 The Detective Douglas Taylor
00:46:45
Play 08 Deduction Douglas Taylor
00:31:12
Play 09 Applied Principles Douglas Taylor
00:24:52
Play 10 The Rationale of Ratiocination pattymarie
00:56:42
Play 11 Close Observation sawasawaya
00:25:42
Play 12 Other Detectives of Fiction acousticwave
00:22:42
Play 13 Portraits Joseph Tabler
00:40:03
Play 14 Devious Devices acousticwave
00:18:31
Play 15 Footprints and Fingerprints acousticwave
00:35:32
Play 16 More Devices realisticspeakers
00:23:33
Play 17 Fake Devices acousticwave
00:23:41
Play 18 Murder in General Availle
00:27:45
Play 19 Persons in the Story acousticwave
00:21:35
Play 20 The Handling of the Crime Sonia
00:09:08
Play 21 The Motive Sonia
00:03:52
Play 22 Evidence Sonia
00:39:39
Play 23 Structure acousticwave
00:24:43
Play 24 Plots Scotty Smith
00:28:26
Play 25 Further Advices HenryElliott
00:17:44
Play 26 Final Advices MacKenzie Nikol Greenwood
00:22:34