Ingredients every mystery should have
If you've written an outline, you've likely started with a victim and murderer, as well as the motive and method of the murder. Now, ask yourself, who else knows the victim? The clever writer introduces a bevy of suspects to be interrogated and eventually eliminated. As the suspects drop away one by one, the writer homes in on the real criminal. This is accomplished by delving into the victim's background. Who knew her and why did they want her dead? You might want to provide the other suspects with both access to similar weapons and motives. Sometimes a wily murderer will leave false clues of her own. Often writers stage a second murder or will kill off the chief suspect at about two-thirds of the way through the story, just to keep the plot boiling, because as in all fiction, mysteries require increasing complications.
Your criminal
Naturally the story culminates with the criminal being confronted, then caught. If you're wise, you'll invent a criminal who is interesting and driven. Research your criminal type and invent a background and childhood to match her crime. There is a huge difference between a sociopath and someone who kills out of desperation or passion. The story must provide a satisfactory explanation of the motive, clues and links between characters before it ends. While mysteries don't require happy endings to satisfy the reader, they do need all the loose plot ends cleverly tied and tidied.
A sense of realism
Mysteries are realistic. There is palpable tension on every page and danger, or at least the threat of danger, hangs over the lives of the characters, including the detective. The criminal must have a serious motive for his evil deeds and exert great effort to avoid capture.
Extra seasonings
The extra seasonings in a delicious mystery include a memorable setting, an intriguing cast of characters and an underlying theme. While mysteries are written chiefly to entertain, contemporary writers often like to delve into deeper themes, such as political corruption. Many writers like to season their stories with facts and provide settings cut straight from real life.
A little more action
And finally, many modern mysteries are laced with action borrowed from thrillers. Often the detective will be forced into impossible danger, from which her escape is highly questionable, until at the last possible moment, she slips out of the murderer's clutches.
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