The Northwest times. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1947-1955, 1947-11-14
The Book Corner:
Scribe Gives Tips on How to Write
Whodunit Novels Short, to the Point

can be considered a potential sus-
pect also.
Creeping Butler
Naturally, there's butler thrown
In who creeps around from chaps-
er eleven, peeking through keyholes
and hiding behind doors, doing
everything that makes him lock Ike
very suspicious character. You
can consider him as a queer char
acter.
SO, with three potential suspects,
the author starts throwing IN her.
rings after behring's. Not only
red ones but IN all colors and
shapes. There's the fat lady on
the third floor with her son Jun
ior, a regular nuisance AS mat
ter of fact it Is Juniors bat that
| knocks off Ezra Jones. The gar
dener, is a guy who keeps running
out in the middle OF the night to
water dahlias in chapter three. Of
course, you don't have to worry
! about him because in chapter four
he is slapped over the bean with
a shovel. which ends his career Tor
the remainder OF the story.
Fireworks Start
Just about chapter nine, old man
Ezra's shyster comes in the front
door to read the will Here Is
where a bit of fireworks starts be-
cause, In this chapter the reading
Of the will ends with everybody not
satisfied except the lawyer himself
In fact it seems that the shyster
manages to collect a tidy sum for
himself and the nephew who ex-
poets about 90 million ducats finds
he is shy about Is million. Likewise
the niece gets nickel with the chips
Ira Knowall, the hawkshaw In
the case, pops in and out asking
questions and looking under rugs
all through the story Then in
chapter thirteen the grand climax
is reached
! Grand Climax
Knowall gathers all the suspects
into one room. Niece, nephew
butler, the fat lady on the third
floor, Junior. the lawyer, some
queer who entered into the story
in chapter five, the plumber who
came in on the same chapter, the
;, guy with the Cats Paw heel ano
Panco soles-the Inspector Gum
shoes, a maid and last but moi
least, bum who comes around the
back door.
So with all the suspects gathered
I in this one room, with Inspector
. Gumshoes all ready to make the
arrest, the hawllshaw announce:
very dramatically:
1.-The murderer Is in this very
rooml"
Naturally everybody is surprised
and everybody looks at each othel
and as a result they all get fidgety
Now comes the payoff. Everybody
Is sitting or standing like statues
rs Ira Knowall sweeps the group
Suddenly he stops In front of thu
vt lady on the third floor and say
! she Is the one who does away witt
old Ezra and the gardener.
Everybody is surprised to see thu
/ results including the reader, be-
cause, how could such nice ia
lady do such a dastardly deed
But Ira Knowall has all the an
swers, the motive and such. TIL
motive, you ask? Well, It's YER
simple.
| The fat lady's son Is the hidden
| son of old Ezra. The fat lady
| wants some Of his ducats but
II Ezra does not wish 10 have any
| scandal brought out about his do
ings In his younger days. The fat
| lady does not like the quick
| brushoff and gets very angry
: AS a result, she picks up Juniors
/ bat and conks Ezra and lays him
| out for good. The gardener sees
this and tries 10 blackmail the
! poor fat lady so naturally, moi
wanting to be blackmailed, she
clouts him over the bean with a
shovel.
You can see how simple 1t is I
write mystery novel. In my ne2
article, Wen take up more intri
.s.... ia 4