  Mystery
This week: Where were you the night of the murder? Edited by: Arakun the Twisted Raccoon  
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Quote for the week: Except for cases that clearly involve a homicidal maniac, the police like to believe murders are committed by those we know and love, and most of the time they're right - a chilling thought when you sit down to dinner with a family of five. All those potential killers passing their plates.”
― Sue Grafton, A is for Alibi |
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"Mr. Smith, can you tell me where you were on the night of the murder?"
If Mr. Smith is a suspect in your latest mystery novel, his reply to that question may be one of the most important statements in your story. If he can prove he was at a public meeting 1000 miles from the crime scene, he will probably be eliminated as a suspect. However, if he answers, "I was home alone, " and there is other evidence against him, he may find himself behind bars.
According to Dictionary.com, "alibi" has three meanings:
1. The defense by an accused person of having been elsewhere at the time an alleged offense was committed.
2. An excuse, especially to avoid blame.
3. A person used as one's excuse: "My sick grandmother was my alibi for missing school."
In the best mystery stories, there is a possibility that any of the suspects is guilty. Therefore, nobody's alibi should be perfect, but nobody should seem too obviously guilty either. Mystery readers know that two people who are never guilty are the most obvious and the least obvious suspect.
You might want to write a story where nobody has an alibi. If all suspects claim to have been home watching TV, all alibis are equal, and the investigation will depend on other evidence.
The most important alibi is the one given by the real killer. It must be plausible enough to fool the police, and more importantly, the reader. Eventually, you will need to show that this alibi is false in a way that makes sense. You need to set up an illusion that most intelligent people will not see through. The reader should enjoy being fooled without feeling cheated.
The killer might go to great lengths to create a believable alibi. One real life murderer set all the clocks in his house back two hours the night he committed his crime, so his wife would believe he came home two hours earlier than he did.
Some criminals might threaten or pay someone to give them an alibi, while others might have a family member or friend who is willing to lie to keep them out of trouble.
Something to try: You might want to let the reader know who the guilty party is from the beginning. Give him a seemingly airtight alibi, and give your main characters the challenge of breaking it.
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| Question for next month: If you were a detective, how would you try to determine if a suspect was telling the truth? |
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Mystery: July 16, 2014 Issue [#6430]
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