Where do you get your mystery book ideas? They can come from a variety of sources or you can just make them up. Of course, if you don’t have a very devious mind to think up pretend crimes you can always look in the newspapers, watch the news or even to your local law enforcement website. More and more are posting information on the web asking for the public’s assistance in solving older crimes. Our own FDLE has a division devoted to posting all the cold cases within the state to perhaps help get new insights into the crimes.
It’s just a thought but you might want to use older cases or those that are not in your area. Anything currently in the news may not make for a good fictional story as it is really too close to home for a lot of people. Of course, you are going to want to change the names, places, etc. to protect the victims. You will need to put that little disclaimer in the front of your book too. You are writing a fictional what-if story about events that are similar to something that has happened in the past and hopefully, your books, will give it a happy ending.
Of course, if you are writing true crime you might want to list all of your sources of information. I don’t really like to read true crime books but there are lots of people out there who do. I’m sure your writing group can help you with the technical aspects of writing these kinds of stories and if not you can always email one of your favorite writers who do for help or suggestions. Below we have 2 reference websites you might want to read through to see if you can get any fresh ideas.
You can explore the FBI’s Most Wanted Files through history. You can also download all the current wanted posters with pertinent information about the suspects and their crimes.
Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) Cold Case Division has a listing of the current cold cases that they are requesting help with. The oldest from 1959. They only list the basic information of who, where, when and how.
Sign Up for Our Monthly Newsletter for Writers and Readers
