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Award-winning historical fiction and crime novels

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Detective in an alley

How to end your crime novel

October 14, 2024 by Matt Rees

How to write a crime novel, episode 12

The days are gone when you could just have your detective character gather everyone in the library and point the fingers. Here’s how to end your crime novel today.

A checklist for how to end your crime novel

Here’s what you need to do, briefly:

  • Make the ending high stakes
  • Keep the outcome in doubt until the last moment
  • Have the hero give something up, so that it’s clear how important the right thing is to them
  • Try a false ending. We think it’s all over, but then…

Watch the video on Instagram or Tiktok. Follow my socials for more writing videos like this one.

Category: Blog, How to videos, Write a thrillerTag: how to write, writing, writing tips

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About Matt Rees

Matt Rees

Matt Rees is the award-winning author of nine novels published in 23 languages. He has been compared to Graham Greene, Georges Simenon and Henning Mankell.

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