Over 120 "Mystery & Crime" Writing Prompts
During a high society gala, a renowned jewel, reported to be cursed, goes missing. The host hires a down-on-luck private investigator to find the jewel discretely. Uncovering layers of motives, the investigator stumbles upon secrets that might have been safer left untouched.
Fiction
Mystery & Crime
A young detective is handed her first major case, which eerily parallels the unsolved disappearance of her mother two decades prior. Create a story where she uses her own family history as a map to solve both mysteries.
Fiction
Mystery & Crime
Women Detectives
In a small mountain town isolated by a snowstorm, the local sheriff discovers a series of coded messages hidden in library books. Each code deciphers to reveal a resident’s darkest secret. When a sudden death occurs, the sheriff must unravel if the secrets and the coded messages are mere coincidences or part of a sinister plot.
Fiction
Mystery & Crime
Following a high-profile robbery at a luxury watch store, a rookie detective is assigned her first major case. She quickly realizes that each stolen watch was custom-made for specific high-ranking officials around the world. As she tracks the watches, she uncovers a deep web of political intrigue and international espionage.
Fiction
Mystery & Crime
Detective Fiction
During the vibrant Afro-Caribbean festival, a notorious masked figure known only by their traditional moniker is found murdered. The main character, an elderly woman who’s been the community's unofficial historian, uses her knowledge of past conflicts and reconciliations within the cultural mosaic of her city to uncover hidden motives.
Fiction
Mystery & Crime
Multicultural Fiction
A female detective, known for her unorthodox methods and razor-sharp instincts, is called to a small, coastal town where a series of seemingly unconnected individuals have vanished over the course of a single, stormy night. Each missing person's last known location forms a peculiar pattern that only she can decipher.
Fiction
Mystery & Crime
Women Detectives
A retired detective receives an anonymous letter revealing the location of the final piece of evidence needed to solve their last unsolved case — a notorious bank robbery from a decade ago. The catch: retrieving it involves breaking into a crime lord's heavily guarded estate. Explore the moral dilemmas and physical dangers the detective faces as they consider crossing the line between law enforcer and law breaker.
Fiction
Mystery & Crime
Crime Fiction
A mysterious new smartphone app promising to fulfill users’ deepest desires goes viral. However, users start to disappear after achieving their greatest wish. A skeptical tech journalist becomes entangled in the investigation, trying to decipher how the app’s algorithm is connected to the vanishings.
Fiction
Mystery & Crime
Crime Fiction
The residents of a high-rise apartment building receive an anonymous text claiming one of them is a fugitive in disguise. The message includes a time limit to figure out the identity of the fugitive before the police are alerted, sparking paranoias and alliances among neighbors.
Fiction
Mystery & Crime
After moving into a charming, old house, a young journalist finds a collection of encrypted love letters hidden in the attic. Decoding them reveals they are messages between spies during a past war, hinting at an unsolved assassination that could change historical records.
Fiction
Mystery & Crime
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