One Big, Many Small and the Cut and Tease

Title: Lethal

Author: Sandra Brown

Progress: 75%

Platform: Kindle

Amazon Rating: four out of five stars

NYT BS Hardcover List: #8 (former number 1)

Book 2 out of 107

Back from a short break! I’m sure all of you, all zero of you who read this blog, missed me.

Today’s focus is on mysteries. How many do you really need?

More than one seems to be the answer. Most thrillers seem to have several, the big one that drives the entire book, then a series of small ones connected to subplots and personal character stories.

For instance, in Lethal, we have quite a few, which I’ll try and list below. (And some of these are actually solved in the course of the story, to be replaced by others.)

Who killed all the people at the warehouse?

Why were they killed?

Who is Coburn, really?

Who is the bookkeeper? Is it Stan? Tom? Tom’s wife? Hamilton?

Who is the leak in the FBI?

What was Eddie up to? Why was he killed?

What is Tom’s wife up to? Why is she always texting when Tom isn’t in the room?

How will Diego be used? He’s a dangerous, and compelling, character, but it’s unclear how he’ll be used in the story.

Will Honor eventually sleep with Coburn? Because really, those two need to get a room already.

How does one write 80 books in 30 years? Has Ms. Brown cloned herself? Are there a team of Sandra Browns pounding away at keyboards on some secret island somewhere?

Tease your readers with many mysteries.
Manipulate them, frustrate them, then give them treats before they get bored and scratch up the couch.

The technique Ms. Brown is using in Lethal could be called “One Big, Many Small.” And it is effective. With so many questions to be answered it create a strong need to keep reading just to find out what’s going on.

With the bigger questions, particularly the one about The Bookeeper, Ms. Brown teases with potential answers, and then cuts away from the scene a second before the pivotal moment.

For instance, Tim’s wife is texting to someone and doesn’t know Tim is watching. Tim confronts her, grabs the phone from her hand, looks at the screen and see…CUT TO NEXT SCENE!

We won’t learn what’s on the screen for another 20 pages or so.

Let’s call that technique the Almost and Cut. You almost reveal the answer to a story question, and then CUT. Frustrate the reader, keep them guessing, but a total tease about it.

And when you do reveal the answer to a mystery, make sure to replace that mystery with a bigger one, or something involving sex.

For instance, want to know what Tim’s wife was doing on that screen…SPOILER ALERT!...

She was sexting, taking part in some kind sexting club. Do those even exist? I have no idea. All I know is that I was very curious as to the contents of the sexting, but Ms. Brown doesn’t elaborate. Alas.

What have we learned? We learned two new techniques…

1.    One Big, Many Small…Have one big mystery and many small ones.

2.    Almost and Cut…Right before a big reveal that will resolve one of your mysteries, cut to something else, hopefully something involving sex or violence. Be a tease. In a good way.