Why Mystery?

Many writers assume suspense novels require elite detectives, international spies, or people who apparently learned hand-to-hand combat between Costco runs and accounting executive meetings. In reality, some of the most compelling mystery stories feature ordinary people facing extraordinary situations. Why do they work? Readers connect deeply with characters who resemble people they might actually know.

One effective technique is giving characters challenges they wouldn’t face every day. Think about a construction worker who finds an abandoned baby in a building scheduled to be demolished, the soccer-mom whose a more adept clue-finder than the hapless detective, a senior citizen who uses her cane to trip a would-be jewellery store robber in the mall, or a barista who finds help for a woman on the run?

These situations immediately create emotional investment because readers have encountered people like them in daily life. You have the opportunity to layer on suspense and leave false clues. We can relate to regular folks caught up in ordinary, if a bit unusual, events. The characters are unprepared. They don't have special training, expensive gadgets, or a dramatic soundtrack following them through the supermarket parking lot. They only have instincts, fear, ingenuity, and whatever knowledge they can apply in the moment.

The key to creating realistic mystery situations is understanding that suspense grows from uncertainty and consequence. Readers do not need endless shocks to stay engaged. They gravitate to believable danger and characters who make understandable decisions under pressure. The purpose is showing those characters being brave and creative in the face of danger or unusual circumstances. Often, small acts of courage feel more authentic than cinematic heroics. A nervous witness hiding information from police because a loved one could be in danger can create just as much tension as a high-speed pursuit.

Another useful strategy is using secondary characters to add complications. Friends, neighbours, co-workers, the local dog-walker or family members can unintentionally sabotage plans, reveal secrets, or create conflicting loyalties. Keep in mind that secondary characters shouldn't exist merely as decoration. They should complicate the protagonist’s choices and deepen the mystery. I've built an inventory of quirky secondary characters who were fun to write. Creating them is like having a palate cleanser in between big, serious projects. I'm just waiting for the right story to fit them into

Ordinary characters work well in suspense fiction because readers can imagine themselves in similar situations. That uncomfortable recognition is what engages your readers and keeps them turning pages late into the night.

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Gooooooaaaaaallll!

by Hyacinthe Miller • 2 July 2026

When people think about international sporting events, they often picture the action inside stadiums jammed with tens of thousands of screaming fans. Yet, some of the most memorable moments happen far beyond the first and last whistles. What I’ve seen in Mexico during a FIFA match, is entire towns transformed by watch parties in homes or bars, convoys of vehicles honking horns and waving flags from windows, and everyone out celebrating. We’re all wearing green shirts in honour of our Mexican football team and it’s amazing. It’s been a time when strangers become neighbours for a few unforgettable weeks. Walking through the streets at any time of day, you can feel the energy. Hawkers are selling Mexican themed team shirts of all kinds. Families bring their lawn chairs to the malacon to watch the match on a big screen television set up by the skateboard park. Before and afterwards, folks gather in the central square. A few weeks ago, I was on a flight from Toronto to Mexico City connecting to Guadalajara. Fans from all over the world were wearing team jerseys. There was such a happy buzz of pride and laughter. The man I sat beside was born in Mexico but hadn’t been back in forty-one years (he’d had a complicated life). He had tickets to games in Mexico City (CDMX) and Guadalajara. When we arrived in Guadalajara airport, there were two lines of people dressed in team colours greeting everyone heading out of the terminal. Music, chanting, dancing—I’d never seen anything like it. Last night on my way home from watching the game with a group of friends, there were no cars on the streets. It was eerily quiet. Even the dogs were silent. Yet, form every house I passed by on the way home, I could hear the game and cheers behind the curtains. When Mexico ended the game with a 2-0 win, then the celebrations spilled into the streets. Lots of cohetes being set off, cheering, and horns honking long after the match had ended. Everywhere you look, people are wearing team jerseys, interesting headgear or draping themselves in the flag. The sense of excitement is contagious. What makes the celebration especially memorable is the friendliness of the Mexican people. We saw lots of that hospitality offered in Tijuana to the Iranian team, whose exclusion form the US meant they had to fly out of Mexico for every match, and return afterwards. The Korean team will remember Mexican hospitality for a long time. In fact, there are lots of memes circulating that in nine months, there will be dozens of Korean Mexican babies born with names like Fernando Kim, Yoon Sun Lopez, Andreas Lorenzo Lee, Lourdes Maria Park. Especially in these troubled times, events like soccer with teams from around the world, remind us that competition can unite people and give them a break from political shanigans.

Why Mystery?

Ordinary people = engaging suspense

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