 The are the most observant of all genre heroes  Usually, the mystery solver is called upon to risk his life at some point (for the mystery is a story of survival).  The detective always noses around too much for their own good.  What saves them is their clever mind.

 There must be a crime, or at least a crime in the making. The crime could be against a person, place or an object (such as one that has special value).  The crime must then be discovered  Often times the person who discovers the crime gets accused as a suspect later.

 Once the crime has been discovered the mystery solver steps onto the scene.  The mystery solver could be a police officer, a detective, a neighbor, private citizen, relative, etc.  Their reason for taking on the case will vary. It could be their job, they want money, a personal interest, love, curiosity, familial responsibility, etc.

 Next comes the witnesses. The mystery solver must figure out if anyone saw anything.  Very rarely does a witness see a crime exactly as it happened. They observe with different degrees of accuracy.  Also witnesses may not tell the truth if they are trying to protect themselves or others.

 Then we have the suspects. Suspects all have motives, which is why the mystery solver thinks they may have committed the crime.  You cannot identify the culprit from outward appearances alone, which is why detective work must be done.  Other reasons people become suspects are because they were close to the crime when it happened, or they don’t have a solid alibi.  A character’s motive stems from their secret self.

 We always want to uncover more than just the motive. X killed their father because X hated their father. Mystery solvers want to know why. Well, X hated his father because he was cut out of the will. Why was he cut out? Because X got married against his father’s wishes. Why? X wanted to rebel.

 Motives include: revenge, jealousy, lust, greed, altruism, fear, blackmail, fear of exposure of one’s past, abnormality, etc.  The lawbreaker never succeeds entirely in covering up their tracks.  The detective finds clues that lead to the lawbreaker.

 Clues could be: objects that belong to the criminal or are associated with him (example: a lighter left behind a the crime scene with their initials), the murder weapon itself, fingerprints, clothing, a footprint, a handkerchief, etc.  Some clues may even be in the form of information/statements provided by suspects, witnesses, or other characters.

 Often times the mystery solver follows suspects, or himself ends up being followed.  Often times there is a chase of some type which heightens the excitement and adventure.  A chase could be physical, but could also be a contest of outwitting each other.

 The mystery ends with a confession, which is sometimes forced out and sometimes given voluntarily.  Through this the true story emerges and loose ends are cleared up.