Reader Friday: You’ve Just Been Arrested for Murder

You’ve just been arrested for murdering your neighbor in the exact same way as the victim died in the last thriller you read.

How did your neighbor die?

Extra points question! 

When the police search your computer, what will they find in your search history that will strengthen their case against you?

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About Sue Coletta

Sue Coletta is an award-winning crime writer and an active member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers. Feedspot and Expertido.org named her Murder Blog as “Best 100 Crime Blogs on the Net.” She also blogs at the Kill Zone, Story Empire, and Writers Helping Writers. Sue lives with her husband in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire. Her backlist includes psychological thrillers, the Mayhem Series (books 1-4) and Grafton County Series, and true crime/narrative nonfiction. Now, she exclusively writes eco-thrillers, Mayhem Series (books 5-9 and continuing). Sue's appeared on the Emmy award-winning true crime series, Storm of Suspicion, and three episodes of A Time to Kill on Investigation Discovery. Learn more about Sue and her books at https://suecoletta.com

32 thoughts on “Reader Friday: You’ve Just Been Arrested for Murder

  1. Prefer police procedurals/mystery to thrillers, although the lines (per the publishers) are blurring. The last ones I read had multiple victims, all killed in different ways.
    Computer searches? There’s nothing to see here. Move along.

  2. Medical research gone bad leading to a mutant virus. On my computer they will find equine anti-anxiety pharmacology searches which happen to be drugs that will paralyze a human. I’m done for.

    • Hahahaha. You’re so busted, Priscilla! Although, you can always blame John. Start researching “Gilstrap + how to get away with murder.” 😉

  3. Gunshot, slow death, not a fast bleed out. I need my victim alive for a while. 😉

    My research history is all over the place, I think the police would shake their heads and declare I must be a writer. 😉 I’ve researched satanic cults, serial killers, pedophiles, angels, child rescues, missing children, rescue organizations, demons, poisons, gunshot wounds, strangulations, sacrificial deaths, sex trafficking, child abductions, police investigations, courtroom procedures, premonitions, visions, dreams, symbolic meanings, psychics, psychology, requirements for child witnesses, scripture references, and the list goes on.

    I am still chuckling over the previous comments. You guys are so devious. You must be crime/thriller/suspense writers. 😉 It shows in the odd, I mean unusual, thought patterns. 😀

  4. Real life story. Growing up, I had a neighbor my age who was both a coward and a sadistic bully. My younger sister was riding our horse while I was cleaning out the stalls. She rode back to the barn and told me this jerk was shooting at her and the horse with a BB gun. I walked out to him with the pitchfork in my hand and told him I’d kill him if he tried that again. ( NOTE: Nothing is scarier than a hobbit with a pitchfork and murder in her eyes. ) So, pitchfork.

    I’ve never “killed” anyone with a pitchfork in my novels, but my hero in GUARDIAN ANGEL did use a hay hook (nasty things but a great way to gut someone) against a goon.

    With the exception of my articles on murder and mayhem methods for my writing blog, I doubt they’d find anything to implicate me unless the victim was named “Karen.” I’ve been listening to Reddit stories about the evil that is “Karen.” Do a search with the terms “Karen” and “I want to speak with your manager” if you want to know more about this scourge of modern civilization.

    • Wow. There’s even a special haircut that goes with “I want to speak with your manager.” Not a fun time to be named Karen! 😀

      This really cracked me up: (nasty things but a great way to gut someone) 😀 😀 😀 Perfect!

  5. Bow and arrow.

    I’ll give you ALL a one minute head start. None of you stand a chance.

    Leave me your writing books.

  6. The neighbor was killed by his own pitbull. The police find numerous searches for veterinary medicine on your computer.

  7. My neighbor was shot in the back of the head.

    When the police confiscated my laptop, they found several websites advertising small caliber guns easily hidden in a waistband or purse.

    They also found research I’d done on crime scene forensics.

  8. Goodbye neighbor, you are going to die in an explosion and fire in the dessert.

    On my computer(s)? Computer hacking tools, shooting instructors, massage therapists, pizza, cars, no explosives.

    I am old school. Don’t look at my book shelves. Although I think my copy of “The Anarchists Cookbook” is AWOL. I understand that its explosive recipes are a bit off.

  9. A side note:

    A good friend was a juvenile officer for many years. They had a case of some enterprising young men who made a magnisum based explosive in a 2 liter soda bottle and then strapped it to a bridge pylon.

    Where did they learn this? High School chemistry class.
    How good were they at chemistry? County bomb squad said had it gone off they had a 50/50 chance of taking out the bridge. Their bomb went off in the bomb disposal unit.
    No word on what happened to the teacher.

  10. Oh My! Which victim, there were a few in the last thriller I read. The most interesting though would be the forced nitrogen inhalation murder. Very intriguing.

    My computer searches you ask? Oh mercy. I may need to secure a lawyer.

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