Mystery Checklist Challenge

  • Mystery Challenge: The Mystery Without A Solution

    ~by David H. One of the central tenets of a mystery is the solution. As a reader, we know that at some point, the main character will discover it and expose the criminal behind everything. But some books take a different approach. What if the central point of the book is the mystery itself, not… Continue reading

  • Mystery Challenge: Science Fiction / Fantasy / Paranormal

    ~by David H. The mystery story is one of the most flexible of stories, because a mystery can take place anywhere. The time and place don’t make any difference; all that’s required is a crime and someone to solve it. So what happens when a mystery takes place in the depths of space or on… Continue reading

  • Mystery Challenge: Noir

    ~ by David W. If you’ve been taking our Mystery Challenge, you’ve tried many different types of whodunits across a spectrum from cute to bleak, but all these stories have had one thing in common: justice has prevailed in the end. But what happens when there is no justice, or when even justice seems unjust?… Continue reading

  • Mystery Challenge: Professionals – The Police

    ~by David W. Someone’s been murdered: who are you going to call? A haughty genius and his devoted doctor sidekick? A persnickety little Belgian whose egg-shaped head is punctuated by a tiny moustache? A wisecracking shamus in a dingy office, drinking rotgut and polishing his gat? Of course not: YOU CALL THE COPS! Continue reading

  • Mystery Challenge: Professionals — Private Eyes

    ~by David W. So far in our mystery challenge, we’ve invited you to cozy up with some amateur sleuths, explore the world, and travel back in time to enjoy great puzzlers from the Queen of Mystery and the World’s Greatest Detective. Now it’s time to get some professional help, as we turn up our collars,… Continue reading

  • Mystery Challenge: Exotic Locales

    ~ by Selby G. One of the many great things about reading a book is that it can take you anywhere. Can’t squeeze in a vacation to China? Read a book and follow the characters down alleyways in Shanghai or to a temple in Beijing. Combine those foreign landscapes with a good mystery and you… Continue reading

  • Mystery Challenge: Historical Mysteries

    ~by Jen B. If you love a good historical murder mystery, you’ll be ready for sleuths to do their own leg work and be adept at deciphering psychological clues. Although they lack modern technology and forensics, these stories, set over 50 years ago, showcase the bygone talents of great minds. A few time periods provide… Continue reading

  • Mystery Challenge: Amateur Sleuths

    ~ by Jenny C. For all of you reading along in the Mystery Challenge, this week we focus on the valiant, perceptive, amateur sleuth. Now, many heroes and heroines of the mystery genre qualify as amateurs, especially those from points in history before official certifications, but I wanted to highlight some of the most winning… Continue reading

  • Mystery Challenge: Cozy Mysteries

    ~by Lori T. Are you reading along with the Mystery Challenge? Grab your choice of a hot beverage, a warm throw, a good snack, and a cozy mystery. Cozy Mysteries are for people that prefer a mystery without graphic descriptions of  blood and violence. These type of mysteries are books where the main character or someone… Continue reading

  • Mystery Challenge: Queen of Mystery

    ~by Lori T. If Sir Author Conan Doyle was the founder of the mystery genre, Dame Agatha Christie was the Queen.  Agatha Christie wrote 66 mysteries, 14 short stories, and the play The Mousetrap. She is the only mystery writer with two world famous detectives, Hercule Poirot and Jane Marple, to her credit. She changed the mystery… Continue reading

  • The Mystery Challenge Begins

    By Selby G. Now that fall is here, the icy fingers of winter will soon be sliding down our necks and forcing us inside to stay warm and dry. This time of year makes me want to curl up with a good mystery. So with that thought in mind, I am issuing another reading challenge.… Continue reading