We all like to find them, don’t we? It’s sort of an aha! moment to run across something significant when reading a mystery. But, beware. Sometimes what looks like a clue isn’t a clue. It’s merely a red herring that a sly and devious author has dragged across the path, to turn you in another direction.
But, to find a real, honest-to-goodness hint to unlocking a mystery is a heady thing. It’s like discovering buried treasure or the prize egg on an Easter egg hunt. Then, it’s a contest, a game with the protagonist to solve the case before she does.
Foreshadowing, though, has to be done honestly. In other words, it can’t be sprung on the reader at the last minute. That isn’t playing fair and leaves said reader in a disgruntled state of mind. No, those sneaky hints have to be woven into the story from the very first–a small taste here, a little whiff there. They are like pieces of a puzzle, but those pieces have to fit-snugly and perfectly.
How did you do in finding those hidden answers to the solutions in the Darcy and Flora cozies? Did you solve each mystery before these two intrepid sleuths? How about Ned McNeil? Were you quicker on the draw than Ned?
It’s not only fun to find shadowy bits of the mystery’s solution, it’s quite a bit of fun to plant them. It’s all part of the appeal and attraction of a shivery but cozy mystery.
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