Crime Writer Margot Kinberg

Most stories start with some sort of catalyst or inciter: something that puts the plot of the story in motion. In crime fiction, that something is often a murder or the discovery of a body. But if you think about it, not all crime stories use that catalyst. The action of the story really begins with something else.

For example, Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None begins with the catalyst of ten invitations to spend some time on Indian Island, off the Devon coast. Each recipient accepts the invitation (but for different reasons), and the group gathers at the island. Oddly enough, their host does not appear, but has sent word for everyone to settle in. Dinner that first evening goes off well enough, but later, each person is accused of causing the death of at least one other person. Everyone is shocked, and just about everyone denies the accusation. Then, one of the guests collapses and dies of what turns out to be poison. Later that night, there’s another death. Before long, it’s clear that someone has lured everyone to the island, and now everyone is a target. Now, the survivors have to stay alive long enough to find out who is killing them. You are absolutely right, fans of A Murder is Announced.

The action in Daphne du Maurier’s Jamaica Inn starts as Mary Yellen travels from her home in Helford to live with her Aunt Patience and Uncle Joss Merlyn. That was her mother’s last wish, and it starts the events of the story in motion. Right from the start, Mary is uncomfortable. Her Uncle Joss is abusive, rude, and threatening, and Aunt Patience is withdrawn and seems afraid. Their home, Jamaica Inn, is in poor repair. Although it’s called an inn, there don’t seem to be any guests there. Mary is lonely and unhappy, but she feels an obligation to stay. Then, she discovers some eerie things seem to be going on at the inn. Little by little, she uncovers some very dark truths that get her into real danger.

In Robert Barnard’s Death of an Old Goat, Professor Bobby Wickham and the rest of the English faculty at the University of Drummondale prepare for the visit of a most distinguished guest, Oxford Professor Belville-Smith. The university is in a small town in rural Australia, not on Belville-Smith’s usual speaking tour route. But he’s giving a series of lectures in Australia, and Drummondale is one of his stops. His visit turns out to be the catalyst for the action that follows. The English faculty does what it can to get ready, but when their guest arrives, things start to go downhill. For one thing, Belville-Smith doesn’t really hide his contempt for his hosts, and his snobbishness. For another, his lectures don’t go well. He’s not an inspiring speaker, and he’s given the same lectures so many times that his delivery has become mechanical. One night after a ‘greet the guest’ party, Belville-Smith is found dead in his hotel room. He was insufferable, but a lot of people are and don’t get murdered. Besides, he was a guest, so presumably he didn’t have close ties to the area. So Inspector Bert Royle will have his work cut out for him to find out who is responsible. 

Pablo De Santis’ The Paris Enigma features Sigmundo Salvatrio, the son of a Buenos Aires shoemaker. His greatest wish is to become a detective, just like the famous detectives who are the heroes of the age. He gets his chance when he is accepted into the school of detection run by Renaldo Craig. Craig is a founding member of the Twelve, a world-famous group of detectives, so it’s especially meaningful for Sigmundo to be considered for a place at the academy. The Paris World’s Fair of 1889 is coming up, and the Twelve are to give presentations there. But suddenly, Craig claims illness and says that he cannot attend. He delegates Sigmundo to go in his place, and that trip sets the rest of the story in motion. When Sigmundo arrives in Paris, he meets the Twelve and their assistants, and soon finds himself drawn into a case of multiple murders.

And then there’s Brian L. Porter’s A Mersey Killing: When Liverpool Rocked and the Music Died. Liverpool in the early 1960s is the place to be for fashion, culture, and mostly music. The Beatles are on their way up, and there are other groups like Gerry and the Pacemakers who are already having success. Brendan Kane and his group the Planets want to make it big, too. They’re talented enough, and do have some local success, but big fame has so far eluded them. Then, Brendan presents the group with a plan: they’ll give success one more try; if they don’t make it, he’ll leave the group and try to make his fortune in the US. The other band members don’t agree at first, but eventually, they come round to his point of view. The band tries one more time, but they don’t get the notice they need, so Brendan puts his plan in motion. And that sparks the rest of the action in the story. Some thirty years later, human remains are dredged from the Liverpool waterfront, and Detective Inspector Andrew ‘Andy’ Ross and Sergeant Clarissa ‘Izzy’ Drake of the Merseyside Police are put on the case. They slowly link the remains to the Liverpool scene of the early 1960s, and they find out what happened to Brendan Kane and the Planets.

It’s not always a murder or the discovery of a body that sparks the action in a story. The catalyst can be a letter, a trip, a telephone call, or something else. Whatever it is, in crime fiction, it usually leads to dangerous places…

*NOTE: The title of this post is a line from Little River Band’s Reminiscing.