In some crime novels, some is accused of a crime, and even imprisoned. But then, another murder shows that the wrong person has been arrested. That plot point can add interest to a story and build tension. It can also add some interesting conflict over who really committed a crime.

For example, in Agatha Christie’s Mrs. McGinty’s Dead, Superintendent Albert ‘Bert’ Spence approaches Hercule Poirot about a case he worked. It seems that James Bentley has been arrested and convicted for the murder of his landlady. Spence has come to believe that Bentley may be innocent, and he persuades Poirot to look into the matter. Poirot visits the village of Broadhinny, where the murder took place, and talks to the people who knew both the victim and the accused. He soon finds that more than one person might have killed Mrs. McGinty, but there’s still a strong possibility that Bentley could have done so. Then, there’s another murder. Bentley couldn’t have committed that crime, since he was in prison. It’s soon clear that someone else has a reason for murder.

Håkan Nesser Mind’s Eye begins as a schoolteacher named Janek Mitter wakes up after a long night of drinking. He’s soon shocked to discover the body of his wife, Eva Ringar, in the bathtub. As you can imagine, Mitter is soon suspected of the murder, and in fact, is arrested and tried. He claims that he’s innocent, but there’s just too much evidence against him, so he’s found guilty. He doesn’t remember much of anything that happened on the night of the murder, so instead of being placed in a regular prison, he’s remanded to a mental institution. It seems the case is settled, although Mitter continues to claim that he’s innocent. Then, there’s another murder, this time of Mitter himself. Now, it’s clear that someone else probably committed the original murder. Inspector Van Veeteren and his team re-open the Ringmar case and we learn how it’s connected to Mitter’s death.

Nelson Brunanski’s Crooked Lake is the story of John ‘Bart’ Bartowski. He and his wife Rosie own a fishing lodge in northern Saskatchewan and live in the small town of Crooked Lake. One day, the town is rocked when the body of Harvey Kristoff is found on the grounds of the Crooked Lake Regional Park and Golf Course. It’s not long before Nick Taylor is arrested for the crime. There’s evidence against him, too. For one thing, Kristoff had recently fired Taylor and removed him from his position as head groundskeeper at the park. For another, the two had a loud argument that was witnessed by more than one person. Taylor knows he’s innocent, so he asks his friend Bart to find out what really happened. Bart’s hesitant at first; after all, much as he doesn’t want to think about it, Taylor could be guilty. Besides, Bart’s not a cop. Still, he starts asking questions and looking into the matter. Then, there’s another death. Taylor couldn’t be responsible for that murder, so Bart and the police have to work out who else had a motive.

Angela Makholwa’s Red Ink introduces Lucy Khambule, who is one half of a Johannesburg publicity company called The Publicists. One day, she gets a telephone call from Napoleon Dingiswayo, who is in a maximum-security prison for committing a series of violent crimes. He’s called her because he wants her to write his story. It turns that she had written him a letter a few years earlier when she was studying journalism, and now he’s reached out. This book could establish Lucy as an author, so she agrees to visit Napoleon in prison. They begin a series of meetings, during which Lucy begins to see how he could be attractive to his female victims, even though she herself has no interest in him. Then a series of disturbing, violent things begins to happen. Napoleon is in maximum-security conditions; there’s almost no possibility he could be responsible for what’s happening. But if it’s not him, who is it? And is he in any connected with those crimes?  Lucy finds herself increasingly uneasy about the situation as she tries to get the notes for her book without bringing any danger to herself.

There’s also Kate Rhodes’ Crossbones, the first in her series featuring psychologist Alice Quentin. She is approached by Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) Don Burns to interview a killer, Morris Cley, who is soon to be released from prison. Her task will be to see if he’s likely to represent a threat to the community. She determines that he is not, and plans are made to release him. The next night, though, Alice discovers the body of a young woman while she’s out for a run. The murder bears the hallmarks of a pair of killers who are now in prison, but there’s no way they could have committed the crime. Now, the police and Alice have to work out whether Cley was committing a ‘copycat’ murder, or whether there’s another killer at work.

It can add layers to a story when there’s an unexpected murder after the police or sleuth catch the person they think is guilty. It can ratchet up tension, create character development, and make for a solid plot point. Which examples have stayed with you?

*NOTE: The title of this post is a line from Claude-Michel Schönberg and Herbert Kretzmer’s Who Am I.