A recent interesting post from Moira at Clothes in Books has got me thinking about clues in crime fiction. Of course, almost all crime fiction stories have clues in them – things that give the sleuth ideas or hints about the crime. Some clues are more subtle than others, and some don’t make sense at first. Well-thought-out clues can make for brilliant additions to a crime novel, and if they help the reader match wits with the author, so much the better. Here are just a few I’ve noticed in some books. I’ll be eager to read which ones you’ve noticed.
Agatha Christie offered many different sorts of clues in her stories. In one, for instance (no title or name of sleuth – no spoilers here!), the placement of a piece of furniture gives the sleuth a clue to the killer. In another, the sleuth notices that one character has a slight injury, and that provides an important clue. There are lots of other examples, too. It’s one reason why fans of Christie’s work know that paying attention to even little things can provide a lot of useful information.
The Shape of Water was Andrea Camilleri’s first novel to feature Sicilian police detective Commissario Salvo Montalbano. In the novel, the body of political powerbroker Silvio Luparello is discovered at The Pasture, an area notorious for drug deals, prostitution, and the like. He was an important figure, and it’s going to be a scandal when the news of where he was found gets out. Montalbano is called to the scene and begins an investigation. It’s obvious from the way the body was found that Luparello had had a sexual encounter just before his death, so at first, it’s believed that he was killed by a prostitute. But Montalbano isn’t so sure. Something about the crime scene isn’t right, in his opinion, and he gets reluctant permission to spend some time making sense of what he’s noticed. And in the end, it helps to lead him to the truth.
In Donna Leon’s Through a Glass Darkly, Venice Commissario Guido Brunetti and his team investigate when the body of Giorgio Tassini is discovered at the glass blowing factory where he served as night watchman. At first, the death looks like a terrible accident. But Brunetti isn’t so sure it was an accident, and he looks more deeply into the case. And it turns out that more than one person might have had a motive for murder. For one thing, Tassini had accused the local glass blowing factories of illegally dumping toxic chemicals, and several factory owners do not want that information to come out. There are other motives, too, that might have gotten him killed. It’s not an easy case, but in the end, a ferry ticket – something others didn’t even notice, really – turns out to be the key to finding out who killed Tassini.
Sarah Ward’s In Bitter Chill begins in 1978, when Sophie Jenkins and Rachel Jones go missing as they’re walking to school together. Rachel is later found, cold, frightened and disoriented, but alive. Sophie, however, is never found. Rachel can’t be much help; she’s been through too much. The police do their best to find Sophie, but with no success. Years later, the body of Sophie’s mother, Yvonne Jenkins, is discovered in the hotel room where she was staying. Detective Inspector (DI) Francis Sadler and Detective Constable (DC) Connie Childs begin an investigation. It seems as though Yvonne has committed suicide, and it could be related to her daughter’s disappearance. But if so, why did she wait so many years to take that drastic step? It could be murder, but if so, who murdered her and why? It’s a difficult case, and it means that Rachel Jones must re-live what happened to her in order to help the police. In the end, a sock proves to be a vital clue to the truth. It’s not something you’d really notice at first, but even something that small can be important.
There’s also Alex Michaelides’ The Maidens. In that novel, London psychotherapist Mariana Andros travels to Cambridge when her niece, Zoe, asks for her help. It seems that Zoe’s friend, Tara Hampton, was found murdered, and Tara’s boyfriend, Conrad, is accused. Zoe says that Conrad’s innocent, and she wants Mariana to help clear his name. Mariana is reluctant; she’s not a police detective, and she has no experience at sleuthing. But Zoe begs her to stay, so she agrees. There’s soon another murder, which makes it clear that Conrad is innocent, but there’s still the matter of a new victim. Now, the police have to wonder whether there’s a serial killer at work. So Mariana continues to stay, mostly to see that Zoe is safe. It turns out to be a complicated case, but a letter provides an important clue that changes everything. Once Mariana understands that clue, she gets to the truth about what happened.
Clues really are essential for most crime stories. They can be subtle or obvious and can take any number of forms. That’s why sleuths have to pay close attention to as much as possible. After all, something that doesn’t seem to matter at first could be the key to a mystery. Thanks, Moira, for the inspiration. Folks, do treat yourself to a visit to Moira’s great blog. You’ll find excellent reviews and discussion of books, clothes, popular culture, and what it all means for us.
*NOTE: The title of this post is a line from Jerry Winn, Alfred Smith, Joe Hooven’s Gimme Little Sign, made famous by Brenton Wood.
Crime Writer Margot Kinberg 
I’m useless at spotting clues – I’d be the worst detective in the world! But I do love re-reading a book once I know the solution, and seeing how cleverly the author planted the clues. Of course Christie is the mistress of leaving clues in full sight and yet getting the reader to look elsewhere!
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I miss more than my share of clues, too, FictionFan. And I do the same thing you do; I sometimes re-read a book just to see how I was fooled the first time. It hasn’t improved my skills very much, but it’s fun! You’re right, too, I think, about Christie. She could leave a clue right in plain view, almost with a finger pointing to it, saying, ‘This is a clue!’ and readers still wouldn’t notice!
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So interesting Margot! I’m not always good at spotting clues, although I did pick up some elements in a couple of recent GA books I read. But I tend to fall very strongly for the red herrings, so I suspect I’m better at just letting the sleuth do it for me!
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Thanks, KBR! You’re most definitely not alone. I’ve fallen for more than my share of red herrings, too. Sometimes I get it right, but sometimes…well, no. That’s when it’s good to have a sleuth who can explain everything! Perhaps that’s part of what it means to go along for the ride in a story?
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Margot: I enjoyed the post. I am far from skilled in deciphering clues in crime fiction. What I do note from my legal career are inconsistencies. Rotenberg, in his first book Old City Hall, has the accused, Kevin Brace, who is a national morning radio host, only communicate with his lawyer in writing. It is inconsistent with his career but I admit I did not think of the importance of the inconsistency. Brace’s fictional lawyer and myself thought it some form of quirk on the part of Brace when we should have thinking about why he refused to talk and pursuing the issue. The “why” turned out to be an important clue.
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Thanks, Bill; I’m glad you enjoyed the post. And you know, inconsistency can be a very important clue, if only we notice it. Old City Hall offers a fine example of that, too, so I’m glad you brought it up. When I first read the book, I noticed that not speaking wasn’t consistent with a radio personality, but didn’t think much about it. As you say, though, the reason for that inconsistency ends up being very important to the story. It’s an interesting way to plant a clue.
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