Do you know the Greek myth about Cassandra? The story is that the god Apollo wanted Cassandra, but she refused him. As punishment, he placed a curse on her so that she would be able to predict the future, but no-one would believe her. And if you think about it, it’s a terrible curse when no-one believes what you’re saying. In a crime novel, though, it can be an effective way to build tension, especially if the person nobody believes turns out to be telling the truth.

For instance, John Rhode’s The House on Tollard Ridge features an eccentric old man called Samuel Barton. He mourns the loss of his beloved wife, Eileen, and is convinced that he’s found a way to communicate with her. No-one really believes him, although he’s considered harmless enough, but he won’t let go of his assumptions. One day, he is found murdered. Superintendent King investigates, and at first, can’t see a reason why anyone would want to kill the victim. With the help of well-known academic Dr. Lancelot Priestly, King is able to peel away some layers of lies and deceit and work out how and way Barton was murdered. Once they pay attention to the claims Barton has made, they get important clues.

In Agatha Christie’s 4:50 From Paddington, Elspeth McGillicuddy is en route from Scotland to St. Mary Meade to visit her friend, Jane Marple. At one point, another train passes her train, going in the same direction. Mrs. McGillicuddy happens to look out her window and sees a man strangling a woman. She alerts the train authorities and the police, but there’s no evidence, not even a body. Mrs. McGillicuddy knows what she saw, though. She’s very upset that nobody takes her seriously, but she wants to find out what happened. At first, Miss Marple is the only one who thinks her friend is telling the truth. She works out where the body might be, and is able to prove that there was, in fact, a murder. Later, she works out who the victim and the killer were.

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is in part the story of Tom Robinson, who lives in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama. It’s a time of strict segregation and a great deal of blatant bigotry and worse. So, when Mayella Ewell accuses Robinson of rape, no-one believes his pleas of innocence. He’s immediately arrested and imprisoned – in fact, almost lynched. Atticus Finch takes on the task of defending Robinson, and one of his challenges is the assumption that Robinson is lying. Among other things, the novel shows how assumptions and deep-seated biases can impact whether we believe someone or not.

Caroline Graham’s A Ghost in the Machine introduces readers to Benny Frayle. She works for Mallory and Kate Lawson, who want to start a publishing company. Mallory has inherited his aunt’s home and some money, and he and Kate, together with their teenaged daughter, want to start a new life. Benny’s good friend is Dennis Brinkley, a financial advisor who works with the Lawsons. One day, Benny goes to visit Dennis, only to find that he’s been killed by one of the medieval war machines he collects. Right from the start, she believes that he was murdered. But there’s no evidence that it was anything other than a tragic accident. So, Benny goes to visit Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby to ask him to re-open the case. He does look up the information, but he finds that the police did everything thoroughly and professionally. He sees no reason to look into anything further. Nobody believes Benny but she doesn’t let that stop her. Then, there’s another murder. This time, Barnaby has no choice but to believe Benny, and he ends up re-opining the Brinkley case. In the end, he finds the connection between the murders.

One plot line in Gail Bowen’s A Killing Spring has to do with university student Kellee Savage. She goes to her professor, Joanne Kilbourn, claiming that she’s been sexually harassed by another student, Val Massey. Nobody takes her seriously, though. Joanne wants to believe her and says that Kellee needs to go to the university office that handles grievances. Kellee says she’s done that, but to no avail. One night, Kellee has too much to drink and accuses Val in an ugly, public way. Then, she goes missing. Now Joanne is drawn into a missing person case that could be the proverbial tip of the iceberg.

It can be nerve-wracking or worse when no-one believes what one’s saying. That’s especially the case if what one’s saying is the truth. In real life, it’s awful. In crime fiction, it can add a solid layer of suspense.

*NOTE: The title of this post is a line from Steve Winwood’s While You See a Chance.