The Riddle of the Missing Artifact
A renowned detective receives an anonymous letter containing a riddle that leads to the first of several historical landmarks. At each location, a new clue reveals a part of a century-old unsolved mystery involving a missing artifact. Write the story unraveling the detective's journey through history and cryptic messages.
Suggested length: A short story: 1,500 to 5,000 words, or flash fiction under 1,000
Start the clock
Pick a sprint, press start and keep going until it stops. Momentum beats polish on a first draft.
Make it yours
Three ways to take this prompt somewhere nobody else will.
- Start with the confession, and make the story about why it's false.
- Make the detective wrong at the midpoint, for a good reason.
- End with the solution in a single line of dialogue.
Writing mystery books
Who did it? You get every clue and a fair shot at the answer.
A mystery opens with a puzzle, usually a death, and closes with the solution. In between, a detective (professional or not) gathers clues and suspects while the reader tries to get there first. A mystery looks backward, at a crime that has already happened.
What readers expect
- A crime or puzzle early on
- Clues, suspects and red herrings
- A detective the reader follows
- A solution that is surprising but fair
A tip before you start
Play fair. Every clue your detective uses should appear on the page first, ideally hidden in plain sight.
More Detective prompts
- The Secret in the Stolen PaintingImagine a detective who specializes in art theft. Their latest case involves a stolen painting rumored to hold the key to an age-old secret society.…
- The Circus and the Perfect HeistsA small coastal town, plagued by a series of inexplicably perfect burglaries, hires a retired detective renowned for his unconventional methods. The…
- The Vintage Chess PieceA series of seemingly random thefts at luxury hotels across major cities draws the attention of a seasoned detective with a knack for patterns. Each…
- The Detective's Unfinished CaseIn a quiet suburban town, a retired detective receives a mysterious letter hinting at an unsolved case from their past. The letter leads them down a…
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