Mystery & Crime writing prompt
Puzzles for the Crime Reporter
A local journalist, known for their crime column, receives anonymous, cryptic puzzles that seem linked to recent disappearances in the city. Each puzzle solved reveals a part of the city’s dark underbelly and uncovers secrets the journalist was never meant to find.
Suggested length: A short story: 1,500 to 5,000 words, or flash fiction under 1,000
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Three ways to take this prompt somewhere nobody else will.
- 1Start with the confession, and make the story about why it's false.
- 2Make the detective wrong at the midpoint, for a good reason.
- 3End with the solution in a single line of dialogue.
More mystery & crime prompts
See them all- Notes from the Real KillerA forensic psychologist is called to a high-profile courtroom trial to determine the sanity of a defendant accused of a string of gruesome murders. During the trial, the psychologist begins to receive mysterious notes that contain information only the real murderer would know, suggesting the accused might be innocent.
- The Typewriter's Cold CasesAfter purchasing an old typewriter from a garage sale, a crime novelist starts receiving typed notes on their doorstep that describe unsolved cases from the 1950s. Initially seeing it as fodder for their stories, the novelist begins to suspect that the typewriter itself holds the key to solving these cold cases.
- The Officer's First CaseOn the eve of retiring, a seasoned police officer stumbles upon an old, unsolved file that turns out to be the first ever case they worked on. Obsessed with resolving it before leaving the force, they return to the small town where it all began, only to find that townspeople are not merely unhelpful, but actively trying to hinder the investigation.
- The Birthday Case FileA retired detective receives a mystery birthday gift: an old, unsolved case file from his past, now with a new clue enclosed. As he dusts off his investigative skills, he realizes the sender must be someone from the original list of suspects.
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