Mystery Tropes

 Annamaria on Monday

Much of what I want to say on this topic has more to do with movies and TV shows than with books, but I fear some of these habits show up in crime stories across the board.

But let's start with crime stories on film. They are the ones, rather than ones I have read that inspired me to write about this on this topic. Like many people I suppose, over the past few years I have taken to binge watching crime series.  (Could this new habit be a symptom of "Long Covid?). Anyway, I keep seeing almost identical scenes as I work my way through the episodes, in date order, of course. I find myself able to guess accurately what is coming next.  I bet you can too.

For instance:

At some point in the story, the scene shifts to a wooded area.   Soon  a dog runs into the shot (almost always from the right).  Then the dog's owner, typically not a character in the story, follows.  What do you think happens next?  Of course you know.

Then there is this one:

A beautiful woman sits before a mirror and dons a splendid necklace which includes many very large and very expensive jewels.  And then...

Or:

One of the characters in the story happens to have a storage unit not connected to his residence.  Depending on whether that character is a good guy or bad guy, the unit will contain....

Tropes can, of course, be used to great effect.  My problem is that as soon as I see the dog in the woods, I know in the next three minutes, there will be a hand sticking out of the dirt. One of the things we, both readers and writers, love about our genre is suspense.  Predictability is the enemy of a good story.

Suppose the dog were to find something wildly unexpected: like the drivers license of a convicted murderer who was executed six years ago. With fresh blood on it. 

Then there are tropes that are supposed to help you comply with the "rules" for writing crime fiction.

"Rule one":  The person who is going to be your crime solver must have "a character flaw."  Google the rule and you will find lists, sometimes LONG ones, of suggested flaws you can paste on to your good guy.  He's a cop? But he has a flaw, so he may not be able to control his habitual drunkenness to solve the crime.  Or her troubled family will distract her and make it hared for her concentrate.  

"Paste on" character flaws can seem that way, because we've see it before.  Oh no, not another private detective who is fighting with his spouse over custody of the children.

Then there are those lists of nice traits that you can paste on to your villain.  Such as he loves his mother?  Or he is kind to animals?

Perhaps the best way we can use those lists of tropes is to consult them when we have a "good idea."  If my idea is on the list, I am going try to think of something else.