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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Why Every Great Sleuth Needs These 3 Important Things

by Chautona Havig · 4 Comments

Sleuths all have their own methods for doing their thing. Sherlock, Columbo, Madeline... but every great sleuth needs these three important things. via @chautonahavig

It happens every time. #1daughter and I sit down to watch a mystery movie and within five minutes, we’ve pegged whodunnit.

We’re rarely wrong.

For us, the game isn’t in figuring out who, but why—or better yet, not getting sidetracked by excellently-placed red herrings and plot twists.

It drives my son-in-law crazy.

To be fair, he wasn’t raised on a steady diet of Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Trixie Belden, Meg Duncan, Phyllis Whitney, and later, Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and… and… and…

While other girls were devouring teen romances, I was trying to figure out whodunnit, and why. Yes, I read a few of those romances, too. Basically, if there was a book nearby, I read it. Even the fluff. But if a good book came along, I tossed that pile of sappy goo so fast the girl got dizzy from spinning in the air instead of the smoldering gaze of the guy.

Or something.

Some say if you’ve read one mystery, you’ve read them all.

Well, I wouldn’t go that far, but I have discovered that you will find some similar traits among detectives in books, TV, and movies. Things that make those characters stand out and be interesting.

And there’s a reason that good sleuths need them.

Why Every Great Sleuth Needs These 3 Important Things

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Why Every Great Sleuth Needs These 3 Important Things

(at least in fiction, anyway)

Before I tell you why I guess I should tell you what those things are. I want to point out that these aren’t necessarily skills that make you capable of being an actual detective on your local police force. That would require something else. I’m talking about what makes Jane Marple, Poirot, Nancy Drew, or Sherlock Holmes a great sleuth—and why.

First—Personality

I’ve heard and read it argued that it doesn’t matter if the detective in a novel is interesting—the crime and the process in solving that crime are all that should matter. I disagree. When you think of well-known fictional sleuths, you think of people more than the crimes they solve (I accidentally wrote “commit” at first and am still chuckling). We think of Miss Marple’s sharp mind that manages to come off as a bit ditzy at the same time. Or, we think of Hercule Poirot’s fastidiousness. Even if we don’t like a character, we must enjoy not liking him or her. It isn’t that a character must have a good personality but rather that he has a strong one.

Second—Curiosity & Intelligence

Let’s face it, without curiosity, no character would ever follow up on that first clue. Without intelligence, the character wouldn’t know what to do with once he did. I put these two together because I think a character must have both working together or he or she becomes flat and unrealistic.

Third—Imagination

Some people think it requires intuition and experience. While those are excellent qualities in a sleuth, I wouldn’t say Nancy Drew had much experience. And while her stories are a little predictable and hackneyed, as an introduction to the genre, they’re excellent. What she didn’t have enough of, in my opinion, was imagination.

On the other hand, someone like Mrs. Pollifax from The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax and the other dozen or so Pollifax books, hadn’t any extraordinary life experiences at all before she ended up on that first mission to Mexico, but she did have an abundance of imagination, and that imagination got her out of a world of trouble.

In fact, I consider her to be America’s, Miss Marple. If you’ve never read one of her books, you’re in for a treat except… There are occasional foul words. Usually when John Sebastian Farrell is around. Although, once or twice she lets out a well-timed, deliberate word just to satisfy her own frustration. I can’t condone it, but every time it happened, I understood it. You’ve been warned.

That said, if you listen to the audiobooks read by Barbara Rosenblat, you’re in for a real treat. She’s amazing.

So, why does every sleuth need all these things?

Because, in my not-so-humble-opinion, they form this super-cool trifecta that feeds off itself. The character’s intelligence affects that imagination. Imagination is reflected in personality, which dictates how that intelligence is shown to the rest of the world.

Every one of my favorite fictional detectives has all three of these. Some have other things—intuition, people-reading skills, pattern recognition, you name it. However, every one has these three, which is why I try to put them all in every one of my sleuth-y characters.

Fine Print: Meddlin' Madeline 3I really wanted Madeline to be not quite so intelligent. Just observant. It didn’t work. No matter how hard I tried, she refused to be anything but observant and intelligent.

If I could add one more, though, I’d say humorous—whether deliberately or not. All of my favorite detectives make me laugh in some way. However, since that’s more the skill of the author rather than something built into each character, I didn’t let myself choose it.

Writing this post showed me another thing I’d never noticed.

Two of my “sleuths” are as similar and opposite as they can be. Madeline Brown and Faye Hartfield. But they have three important things in common. Personality, curiosity and intelligence, and imagination.  😉

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Comments

  1. Aryn The Libraryan ? says

    March 22, 2019 at 6:40 pm

    Madeline and the Hartfields? Cool!

    Nancy Drew and Jessica Fletcher were my favorite detectives growing up, but…

    I second everything you said about Mrs. Pollifax! The occasional word choice is carefully placed, with a reason. And not for shock value. Its about the only place I “hear” those words, and I may just be okay with it because we read them as a family when i was 8, but I don’t mind it like i do in other books and movies.

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      March 23, 2019 at 2:10 pm

      Right? Have you heard them on audio? Barbara Rosenblat does AMAZING voices.

      Reply
      • Aryn The Libraryan ? says

        March 24, 2019 at 3:46 am

        Yes! She does! I have all 14. Only someone else is narrating the last one, and all of a sudden Mrs. Pollifax sounds old and frail.

        Reply
        • Chautona Havig says

          March 24, 2019 at 12:26 pm

          I forgot about that! I was so annoyed!

          Reply

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The Because Fiction Podcast

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Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 155: Chatting with Heather Day Gilbert & Jen Cudmore
byChautona Havig

To Love a Viking by Heather Day Gilbert and Jen Cudmore has been released, and I got to chat with them about it last week. Guys, this series!  If the Christian influence on Viking history isn’t enough, what about adventure, fight scenes, and romance that won’t make you blush? How about that a damsel is in distress and… gets rescued by another woman instead of the stereotypical DUDE! Listen in!

Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

Are You Ready for an Exciting New Viking Series from 2 Great Authors?

 

One of the biggest surprises I recall from researching books by different authors was that the cozy mystery and suspense author I liked and respected, Heather Day Gilbert, had also written historical Viking books! I made the erroneous assumption that they were romance and skipped them (for the time being… I knew I’d read them some day), and then something happened.

A few months ago, I saw this cover.  With Heather’s name on it.  And some other gal I hadn’t heard of–Jen Cudmore.  What is this deliciousness?  The cover was AMAZING… not stereotypical nor was it inauthentic.  It was just GOOD (not to mention gorgeous) and with the Celtic frame (the Vikings did go over to Scotland/Ireland after all), I just felt like it hit all the sweet spots.

Well… the book is here, folks.  And I’ve got a copy in my hot little hands.  No, really. It’s July. And I live in the desert.  My hands are totally hot and in totally all the wrong ways. Just throwin’ that out there.

Anyway, Heather and Jen chatted with me about To Love a Viking, and oh my!  This book sounds fabulous. We know Viking women were strong. Even those that weren’t warriors had to survive Nordic winters. Ergo, strong.  But what about strong enough to build a new society with people they’d once fought against. Oh, and rescue a damsel in distress #BecauseYeah!

I’m ready to dive in to To Love a Viking myself, and I hope you’ll grab a copy, too. It promises to be incredible.

To Love a Viking by Heather Day Gilbert and Jen Cudmore

Get swept up in an enthralling new romance series featuring women who rule the hearts of Viking men.

ELLISIF Forced into a financially advantageous marriage that spirals into a nightmare, Ellisif cannot help but imagine what might have been and ache for what was lost. The only lights in her life are her daughters and the friendships she’s forged with the household servants.

Though seven years have passed since Ellisif wed another man, Dagar still cannot forget the woman who captured his youthful heart. As the Viking warrior battles for his country’s future, he finds himself entangled in a personal war for Ellisif’s freedom that could cost his family their reputation and standing with the king. If he risks all, can he save the woman whose face still haunts his dreams? And if given another chance, will she choose him?

INARA Escaped slave Inara is determined to start a new life. Under the guidance of warrior and shipbuilder Håkon, her sword skill grows, as does her confidence that the Viking men will accept her as a warrior in her own right.

When she is selected to lead a perilous rescue mission to protect Ellisif, Inara finds herself blindsided by feelings for Håkon…and by threats to her freedom far closer than she feared. As dreams and desires collide, she wrestles against the lies holding her captive. Can she conquer her doubts before all that she’s hoped for slips from her hands?

Written by award-winning historical author Heather Day Gilbert and fresh voice Jen Cudmore, two love stories entwine in this sweeping Viking-era romance, the first novel in the Tavland Vikings series.

You can find out more about the series and the authors on Heather’s WEBSITE.

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