eMysteries Toolkit

The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. [Project Number: 2019-1-DE03-KA201-060127] 58 Ideas for clues from well-known detective stories It is important to distinguish what is a clue and what is not. The clues are a kind of map that guides the readers and the protagonist through a path to the solution of the mystery. Clues are, after all, the physical tests that lead the protagonist towards a direction, but they are not situations or coincidences that other characters make. Clues can be inserted at any moment of the story, even at the beginning, and some of them will have to be the decisive one to solve the enigma. In Läckberg’s The Ice Princess there are several types of clues: a) There is physical evidence: a newspaper article on the Lorenz tragedy when the son of Nelly Lorenz disappeared; a last phone call made by one of the characters called Dan, a painting that connects the painter to the victim. b) There is information given by witnesses: one of the people Patrick questioned turns out to be lying about a program she said she was watching on TV. It turns out it was not broadcasted that day. Other characters claim to have seen certain people going into the victim’s house at a certain time. c) There are silences kept by some characters and lies told by others to protect themselves. There are also false clues, which give dynamism to the story. False leads are information that are designed to confuse the reader and the protagonist (sometimes even the secondary characters) by making them suspect something is wrong. They are essential to create suspense and tension. To think about the clues, start by making a list of them, both true and false, and think about when to place them in the plot. Think about the decisive or essential clue, the one that solves the mystery. In Läckberg’s , The Ice Princess the decisive essential clue that solves the mystery is to find out that as a child Alex had been abused and given birth to a child, Julia, who is known as her sister.