Detective Fiction writing prompt
The Missing Spouse
Pen a story about a retired detective who is drawn back into the field by a personal plea from an old friend whose spouse has suspiciously disappeared. The investigation reveals startling truths about people they both thought they knew well.
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.
- 1Limit it to one location and one night.
- 2Let the most helpful witness be the one with the most to hide.
- 3Tell it from the point of view of a suspect who is lying about something else.
More detective fiction prompts
See them all- The Stolen WatchesFollowing a high-profile robbery at a luxury watch store, a rookie detective is assigned her first major case. She quickly realizes that each stolen watch was custom-made for specific high-ranking officials around the world. As she tracks the watches, she uncovers a deep web of political intrigue and international espionage.
- The Academy's Murder CaseAt a prestigious private detective academy, students are assigned cold cases to solve as their final exam. One student uncovers new evidence in a case involving the unsolved murder of a famous author. Her investigation reveals that the victim’s stories were not as fictional as they seemed, and that the truth might involve the academy’s administration.
- The Politician's Erased DayIn an alternate reality where everyone has the ability to erase a single day in their life from everyone's memory once they turn 18, a detective specializing in "erased day" cases struggles to uncover the truth behind a high-profile politician's day of choice. As the investigation deepens, the detective uncovers a web of political intrigue and deception.
- The Missing Cat CaseWrite a story about a detective who is assigned a mundane case of a missing cat, only to discover it is linked to a series of elaborate burglaries in the wealthiest part of town.
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