SECRETS AND SUSPENSE

Nancy J. Cohen

 No matter what genre you read, you probably like an element of suspense.  This keeps you turning pages and makes the book a quick read.

For a whodunit type mystery, the secrets are part of the game.  As authors, we aim to raise questions in the reader’s mind.  Traditional mysteries always have a puzzle to solve, and giving each suspect a secret for the sleuth to discover drives the story forward.  For my Bad Hair Day mysteries, I’d write these loose ends on a separate sheet of paper or on my plotting board. It was important to make sure I answered them by the story’s end. 

SILVER SERENADE, my newest release, is a futuristic romance with a paranormal element. The story has secrets plus adventure and treachery thrown in for good measure.

Silver is an assassin sent to terminate Tyrone Bluth, an intergalactic terrorist. Her mission goes awry when she meets Jace Vernon, a convicted murderer who needs Bluth alive to prove his innocence. The pair teams up to catch the leader of Tyrone’s Marauders while each one schemes to accomplish his/her own goal. As an example of how you can use secrets in a romance, here are some questions raised in this story [spoiler alert]:

 Who betrayed Silver and tipped off Bluth to destroy the research facility where she worked as an agronomist, right after she’d just made an important new discovery?

This, plus the fact that Bluth earlier was responsible for a raid that killed her parents, is the driving motivation that propels Silver to become an agent for S.I.N. (Security Integrated Network).

Who framed Jace for murder? 

He has no recollection of the night his parents died but was found with the murder weapon in his hand the next morning.  Bluth’s ship was spotted in the vicinity.  Jace suspects someone close to him hired Bluth to do the deed and cast the blame on him.  Who stands to gain the most from Jace’s incarceration?

What happened to Jace’s sister?   She disappeared the night his parents were killed and is feared to have been abducted.

How will Silver and Jace accomplish their opposing goals without killing each other first? 

When they lose their first lead, where should they look for Bluth next?

How did Bluth trace Silver’s identity so fast?

Was Mixy’s accident intentional?  Mixy is Jace’s Elusian valet and a valued sidekick who adds a touch of humor to the story.  He’s also the source of the paranormal element as he links mentally to Jace’s emotions, magnifies them, and displays them for all to see.

Who killed Silver’s boss?

What happens on Stacktown, a spooky planet where people go but don’t return?

Read this passage from Silver Serenade.  See how many questions come to mind.  Silver has just entered her apartment on Earth after several offworld adventures.  Jace accompanies her.

 “Jace!” she hollered, her voice laced with distress.

“What’s wrong?”

He raced to her side and skidded to a stop. Inside her bedroom, opened drawers spilled clothing onto the carpet. Info chips splattered among torn papers and broken glass. Paintings tilted askew on the walls, while a wooden chair lay broken on the floor next to a smashed mirror.

With cool stiffness, Silver pointed to a still form beside her circular bed. A woman lay on the floor, vacant eyes staring at the ceiling, dark hair spread in a congealed pool of blood.

“Major Wendy Dean, Chief of S.I.N.” Silver’s voice came out a choked mumble. “She’s dead.”

“I can see that.” Alarms clanged in his head. “Silver, it’s a setup. We have to get out of here.”

Her dazed eyes regarded him. “How could this happen? I just spoke to the major in her office earlier.”

He felt her mingled guilt and horror, amplified by Mixy’s [psychic]bond between them. “Likely the killer lured her here. This place is probably being watched. The authorities may already be on their way.” Panic seized him. He’d been in this situation before.

“But they’ll know we didn’t do it. Witnesses will confirm our presence at my uncle’s house.”

“Evidence can be planted.” His mouth set in a grim line, he shoved the body with the toe of his boot. “Bluth’s agents could have done this to incriminate us, or else the traitor in your government might be responsible. Any leads in that regard?”

“Major Dean said she’d look into it. She might have found more than she’d bargained for. Oh, stars.”

“We’ve got to move out. Now.”

 Think about your favorite series either on TV or in books.  When one major question is answered, another one pops up to drive the story forward.  So just when it appears things will be solved, another cog in the wheel obstructs the journey.  This quickens the pace because now the heroes have to move in a new direction to deal with the additional threat.  If you want a perfect example of story questions, watch episodes of Lost.  As soon as one question is answered, more take its place.

These loose ends create suspense because the reader wants to find out the answers.  You keep turning pages to find out why…or what happened.  Why is the hero so adamant in his prejudice against Yanurans?  See Starlight Child, the third futuristic in my Light-Years series.  This question involves character motivation.  As readers, we might not always be filled in right away on why a character acts the way he does.  We keep reading to learn what drives him. 

Any time a character has a secret, it adds suspense.  It can be a good secret (i.e. paying for an elderly aunt’s care) but we, the reader, don’t know that yet. So in addition to the story questions, it behooves the writer to give his characters secrets to unfold during the course of the tale. Naturally they should be related to the plot and in some way explain the person’s actions or attitude.  Just make sure that all the questions are answered by the end of the book.  There’s nothing more frustrating for a reader (or TV viewer) than turning the last page or ending a series and still not having all the answers.  Secrets add suspense but they should be solved by story’s end to bring the tale to a successful conclusion.

What kind of story secrets intrigue you the most as a reader?

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To learn more about Nancy, please go to:

 Website: http://nancyjcohen.com

Blog: http://nancyjcohen.wordpress.com

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Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/nancyjcohen

To Purchase Silver Serenade: http://www.thewildrosepress.com/nancy-j-cohen-m-831.html

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