Clues

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Clue – noun — anything that serves to guide or direct in the solution of a problem, mystery, etc.

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According to the online Merriam-Webster dictionary

‘The word clue was originally a variant spelling of clew, meaning “ball of thread or yarn.” Our modern sense of clue, “guide to the solution of a mystery,” grows out of a motif in myth and folklore, the ball of thread that helps in finding one’s way out of a maze. ‘

 

The “ball of thread” mentioned in the M-W etymology refers to one of my favorite stories in Greek mythology.

The Clue of Ariadne

It all started when there was a war between Crete and Athens. Crete won the war, and the rather sadistic King Minos of Crete exacted a horrible punishment on the Athenians. He required that the king of Athens periodically send seven young men and seven young women to the Isle of Crete to become dinner for the horrible monster, the Minotaur.

The Big M was housed inside a labyrinth constructed by none other than the ingenious Daedalus.  The labyrinth was so large and complex that it served as a prison for the Minotaur. When the poor Athenian sacrifices arrived, they would be forced into the maze. At some point in their wanderings, they’d encounter the Minotaur, and things wouldn’t go well for them.

After this horrific nonsense went on for a few years, a young man named Theseus, the son of the Athenian king, decided enough was enough. He vowed to put a stop to the awful goings-on by sailing to Crete, entering the labyrinth, and killing the Minotaur. That was a noble plan, but it had one problem: the labyrinth was so complicated, he probably wouldn’t find his way out.

That’s when our heroine, Ariadne, entered the picture. Ariadne was the daughter of King Minos, and she fell in love with the dashing Theseus. He promised to marry her if she could figure out a way to get him back out of the labyrinth after he offed Mr. M. (At this point, I feel compelled to say that without Ariadne, Theseus was clueless.)

I truly love simple solutions to complicated problems, and I especially admire people who come up with them. That Ariadne was a problem-solver for the ages. She handed her true love a ball of thread, known as a clew, and told him to unwind it as he wandered around in the labyrinth. Then after he killed the Minotaur, he could just rewind it as he followed it out. Brilliant. And it worked!

Sounds like a Happy Ever After kind of ending, eh? Unfortunately, that scumbag Theseus broke his promise and didn’t marry the beautiful Ariadne, but I think she won out in the end. She got to go down in history as the very first mystery solver, and that’s endeared her to millions of readers through the years, whether they knew her name or not.

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Clues in a modern mystery are a little more sophisticated than a simple ball of thread, and detectives do more (at least we hope they do) than just wander around until they find the culprit.

However, there is one major similarity in our mysteries to the story of Theseus: the detective and the readers are led into a labyrinth. Only this one is constructed by the author. The answer to the mystery is within the maze, but the detective needs to know which clues to follow and which are red herrings.

I liked some of the clue categories listed on zaraaltair.com:

Physical clues: A gun or knife left at the scene of the murder. Maybe a button torn off. Of course, the villain can plant a clue at the scene to misdirect the detective.

Biological clues: Strands of hair, DNA, fingerprints.

Psychological clues: Profilers try to identify the type of person likely to commit a murder, but the detective uses his/her own knowledge of human nature to decide on suspects.

Timing clues: This is one of my favorites. Alibis are established based on the time of death, but clever villains might be able to manipulate that piece of evidence. A smashed watch is always a good clue that might be a red herring.

Clues of Omission: Another favorite. Something should be evident, but it isn’t. There’s a famous example from the Sherlock Holmes mystery “The Adventure of Silver Blaze” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Holmes (naturally) notices something everyone else has missed.

Gregory (Scotland Yard detective): Is there any other point to which you would wish to draw my attention?
Holmes: To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time.
Gregory: The dog did nothing in the night-time.
Holmes: That was the curious incident.

 

 

I don’t know about you, but if I can include clues in such a way the reader finishes the story and slaps him/herself on the side of the head, thinking, “I should have seen it,” then I’ll be happy.

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So TKZers: How do you decide what clues to have in your mystery novels? What clues have inspired you?

 

In Lacey’s Star, there’s only one  clue to the murder, but it’s just a child’s note. It couldn’t be important. Could it?

Lacey’s Star is a Silver Falchion Award Top Pick (Cozy Mystery) at Killer Nashville.

On sale now at  Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Google Play, or Apple Books.

22 thoughts on “Clues”

  1. I like the concrete nature of physical clues, but I’m intrigued by psychological clues. Why is the character acting nervous? Why is he teary eyed? Why is she angry?

    • Good morning, Priscilla.

      Psychological clues are a great way to get the reader involved, wondering why a character is behaving the way they are. Lots of opportunity for misdirection.

      Have a great week.

  2. When I’m writing, my favorite clues are the ones my subconscious puts in. I don’t know they’re clues until later in the writing process.

    • Good morning, Terry.

      Yes! It’s such a great feeling when I realize something I put in an early chapter without any particular reason suddenly becomes an important part of the climactic chapter. I don’t know how that works, but I’m glad it does.

  3. What a good analysis of clues, Kay. I read about Ariadne in sixth grade. The ball of yarn concept is ingrained in the mystery writer’s mind but I’d forgotten its origin. Thanks for the historic/mythological refresher.

    Like Terry, my subconscious plants clues in the first draft that I’m not aware of until I reread later. Bam! All of a sudden, there’s the exact detail needed. Don’t know how that works but I’m glad it does.

    Congratulations on Lacey’s Star being chose a Top Pick! Your book deserves to win.

  4. I want to know my villain and how he’s planning things “offscreen.” Same for secondary characters. Then the “clews” can be woven in where I see fit, along with red herrings.

    • Good morning, Jim.

      You often remind us to get to know our characters, especially the villains, very well. I see now how that helps put together the right clues for the story.

  5. Wonderful rundown of the different kinds of clues. Back when I began working on my first mystery I spent some quality time at zaraaltair.com reading some her articles on mysteries.

    Sorting which clues are actually clues and which are red herrings is key to a mystery. Clues eventually lead to solving the mystery by revealing the murderer’s identity, and may be discounted, not understood, or overlooked initially. Planted clues to misdirect is a fun and effective way to have the killer act.

    Also, if there is more than one mystery in your mystery, clues might point to the non-murder one. Solving that one may well help with the first, even “just” by eliminating a suspect or suspects, or revealing something else.

    Like Jim, I need to figure out the murderer’s story, and this will lead me to clues, because, despite their best efforts at covering their tracks, there’s always a clue left behind in some form or other.

    I spent the past two weeks after reaching the 10K mark in Meg Booker #3 doing more of this sort of work, now it’s time to resume drafting. Hope you have a wonderful week filled with writing!

  6. Sorry I’m late. Traveling yesterday. I like subtle clues that need to be pondered for a while. Psychological, in the form of symbolism, is another of my favorites. Like others mentioned, the best clues come while in the zone.

    • It’s never too late for you to comment, Sue!

      I also like the use of symbolic clues. And having those clues mysteriously appear while I’m in the zone is the best.

      Have a great week.

  8. I, too, was traveling yesterday and am just catching up on emails.
    I don’t always know who the murderer is until late in the story so I have several characters with motive, means, and opportunity. And I usually have more than one villain…

    • Hi Patricia. Glad to see you back!

      Having several suspects is a great way to keep the reader turning pages. And more than one villain will keep their attention.

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