Fascinating quotes on mystery

Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man's desire to understand. Here is our best collection of mystery quotes curated by the Plotive review team.

Neil Armstrong

Mystery is not the absence of meaning, but the presence of more meaning than we can comprehend.

Dennis Covington

In a wolrd where everyone is over exposed, the coolest thing you can do is maintain your mystery.

Anonymous

Mystery is the soul of existence.

Kedar Joshi

The mysterious eludes all words of explanation, but it is more significant than all that can be explained. There is always something beyond where we have gone.

Richard Gilbert

Mystery is an intellectual process... But suspense is essentially an emotional process.

Alfred Hitchcock

Mystery is more important than knowledge.

J. J. Abrams

No object is mysterious. The mystery is your eye.

Elizabeth Bowen

Attraction is only intense when mystery is involved.

Anonymous

To remain mysterious, say little and do nothing.

Mason Cooley

Characters can be mysterious and you're not really sure which way they might turn at a given point.

Michael Zaslow

Do act mysterious. It always keeps them coming back for more.

Carolyn Keene

Mystery is the number one conjurer of ideas.

David Lynch

Don't be easy to define. Let them wonder about you.

Anonymous

Mystery is something that appeals to most everybody.

Angela Lansbury

The more mysterious, the more imperfect; as darkness is, in comparison with light--so is mystery, in comparison with knowledge.

Benjamin Whichcote

Mystery is delightful, but unscientific, since it depends upon ignorance.

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Mystery books to add some mystery to your life

If you love a good mystery, you will love these books and eBooks curated by the Plotive review team.

Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain

For fans of Jodi Picoult who want something a bit more substantial, Diane Chamberlain is your solution — and you should start with Necessary Lies, a historical drama about a small town in 1960s North Carolina. Epilepsy-afflicted teenager Ivy Hart and social worker Jane Forrester become friends when Jane begins visiting Ivy’s home, where Ivy cares for her mentally ill sister and elderly grandmother all by herself. The more Jane gets to know the Hart family, the more she struggles with the assignment she’s been given by Grace County Hospital. At what point do her lies to the Harts stop being necessary and start being monstrous?

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

A classic of sinister suspense, Daphne du Maurier’s novel is narrated by “the second Mrs. de Winter.” As you might expect, the story revolves around the first Mrs. de Winter, Rebecca, who has passed away… but who still haunts Manderley estate, where the narrator now lives with her new husband. As Mrs. de Winter #2 learns more about her predecessor, she can’t help but wonder what happened to Rebecca and whether the same fate will soon befall her.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

Alicia Berenson is living the dream, working as a painter in London and happily married to her photographer husband. But even the most idyllic-looking life can be a tenuous illusion — as Alicia demonstrates the day she shoots her husband to death. Now she refuses to speak, even to defend herself. Can a brilliant forensic psychotherapist break her vow of silence — and what horrors will Alicia reveal if he does?

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The Best Mystery Books to Read Right Now

Are you looking for a worthwhile mystery book? Then the team at Plotive have you covered with this great list of mystery book reviews.

The Beast Must Die by Nicholas Blake (Vintage Books, 2012). The story is narrated by a father who tracks down the person he holds responsible for killing his young son in a hit-and-run accident. The story spirals into several twists and turns and displays a psychological insight into the grieving process, vengeance, vanity, and how thoughts are so different from words spoken. Not many people know this but, Nicholas Blake’s son is Daniel Day-Lewis. I guess with such talent; the apple does not fall far from the tree!

Kitty Peck and the Music Hall Murders (Faber & Faber, 2019) is set in the down and dirty underworld of London’s East End. It’s 1880, and dancing girls are missing from ‘Paradise,’ the criminal manor run by the ferocious Lady Ginger. Our eponymous heroine must make her way up from lowly maid to Lady Ginger and save her friends. The characters in these books leap off the page. It’s so evocative—you can almost smell the Thames!

Sandrine’s Case by Thomas H. Cook (Mysterious Press, 2013) is the story of a man on trial for murdering his wife. He refuses to defend himself, and his young daughter, having just lost her mother, cannot understand why her loving father remains silent. As the trial progresses, the man learns things about his wife that he’d never known and fell in love with her all over again. As beautiful and romantic a crime novel as I’ve ever read.

The Pew Group (Doubleday, 1985) by Anthony Oliver is a delightful “forgotten” British farcical mystery featuring the outrageous Lizzie Thomas and her companion in crime, John Webber. It’s the first of four comedic mysteries by world-renown Staffordshire antique dealer and critic Anthony Oliver. Starting from the first murder (“She didn’t mean to do it, but somehow Doreen Corder’s foot went out just as her detested husband reached the top of the stairs”), this book will keep you entertained and educated in the world of Staffordshire figures and village shenanigans. You’ll probably not eat ham at a funeral anytime soon, either. This title is an excellent cozy mystery with a quirky, dark side.

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Great quotes on the mystery of time

Take a read through these great quotes on the mystery of time curated by the content team at Plotive.

“Time has no dominion over love. Love is the one thing that transcends time.”

Jeaniene Frost

“Time moves slowly, but passes quickly.”

Alice Walker

“Time is the twine to tie our lives into parcels of years and months. Or a rubber band stretched to suit our fancy.”

Rohinton Mistry

“The main problem with this great obsession for saving time is very simple: you can’t save time. You can only spend it. But you can spend it wisely or foolishly.”

Benjamin Hoff

“Any time not spent on love is wasted.”

Torquato Tasso

“Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.”

Carl Sandburg

“In eternity there is no time, only an instant long enough for a joke.”

Hermann Hesse

“Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night. In their gray visions they obtain glimpses of eternity, and thrill, in waking, to find that they have been upon the verge of the great secret.”

Edgar Allan Poe

“And yet it takes only the smallest pleasure or pain to teach us time’s malleability.”

Julian Barnes

“We have only a little time to please the living. But all eternity to love the dead.”

Sophocles

“Time and tide wait for no man.”

Stephen King

“The experience of eternity right here and now is the function of life. Heaven is not the place to have the experience; here is the place to have the experience.”

Joseph Campbell

“I am not particularly interested in saving time; I prefer to enjoy it.”

Eduardo Hughes Galeano

“Time expands, then contracts, all in tune with the stirrings of the heart.”

Haruki Murakami

“Real museums are places where Time is transformed into Space.”

Orhan Pamuk

“Time is more complex near the sea than in any other place, for in addition to the circling of the sun and the turning of the seasons, the waves beat out the passage of time on the rocks and the tides rise and fall as a great clepsydra.”

John Steinbeck

“I have realized that the past and future are real illusions, that they exist in the present, which is what there is and all there is.”

Alan Wilson Watts

“Time is a slippery thing: lose hold of it once, and its string might sail out of your hands forever.”

Anthony Doerr

“The memory of everything is very soon overwhelmed in time.”

Marcus Aurelius

“Time is what keeps everything from happening at once.”

Ray Cummings

“Time moves in one direction, memory another. We are that strange species that constructs artifacts intended to counter the natural flow of forgetting.”

William Gibson

“The strongest of all warriors are these two — Time and Patience.”

Leo Tolstoy

For more great mystery content and great mystery reviews, check out Plotive.

Best Real-Life Inspired Mystery Books

Real-life situations serve as the best inspiration. While some writers choose to craft stories from their imaginations, others employ their real-life events. Here are some of the best eBooks that cover murder and mystery from real-life encounters.

In Cold Blood - Truman Capote

This eBook follows the story of the brutal murder of a local businessman and his family. The murder happened on a small farm located in Holcomb, Kansas. At the trial, the jury spent about an hour to get at the verdict, which guaranteed a death sentence. It took Capote close to six-year to finish writing the book after extensive, severe research on the incidence. Most of the information was given to him by the famous author Harper Lee.

The Long Drop – Denise mina

Originally published on March 2, 2017, this eBook tells the story of William Watt, a man accused of killing his family in the 1950s. The author carefully crafted the facts to make the tale a gripping tale of dark in dangerous times.

Murder on the Orient Express - Agatha Christie

This story was inspired by the real-life tragedy of the kidnapping and murder of Lindbergh's baby that happened two years before this book was proclaimed. Later on, the book spawned two movie adaptations that serve as an inspiration for three television series. The story features a Belgian detective Hercule Poirot as a character to depict it’s a real one.

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Find the Best Entertaining Audiobooks for Your Inner Sleuth

There is nothing as interesting as listening to a good audiobook. Audiobooks provide listeners with a great way to educate and entertain themselves. Here are some fantastic mystery audiobooks that will leave your heart racing.

The Secret History- Donna Tartt

Donna is both the writer and the narrator of this audiobook. She explores the effects of Bunny's death, both on the socially and academically set aside students. She knows the characters of the book well, which makes it an intricate exhilarating story.

Still Life- Loise Penny

The narrator of this audiobook is Ralph Cosham, a British-born American film and voice actor. In this audiobook, a body is found lying by the three pines in the woodland. Inspector Gamache is investigating this murder.

The Cuckoo's Calling - Robert Galbraith

English actor Robert L Glenister is the narrator of this audiobook. Joh Bristow hires Afghan War veteran and private investigator Cormoran to determine the reason behind his sister's death. Joh's sister was a supermodel. Cormoran lost his leg in Afghanistan as a result of a land mine explosion. Sadly, he is down with only one client, which means it is hard for him to make money. His office is now his home, and he has broken up with his girlfriend. Consequently, he’s facing lots of challenges. In 2013, the book won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for the best mystery thriller.

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Quickly Read Crime and Mystery Books

There’s nothing quite like diving head first into a good mystery or crime novel, but many of us just don’t have the time for a lengthy read. When you’re craving a great read but you find yourself short on time, here are three great books that don’t require too much of an investment.

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (128 pages) Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has spun many tales involving his famed detective Sherlock Holmes, but The Hound of the Baskervilles may be one of the most famous. This time around the mystery involves an attempted murder and a terrifying legend of the supernatural. Coming in at a mere 128 pages the minimal investment come with great rewards!

The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler (144 pages) Another addition to a series that follows a different kind of detective, Raymond Chandler brings us in to the world of PI Philip Marlowe as he’s hired by an old man to look into threats of blackmail. Its 144 page length makes The Big Sleep a quick but thoroughly enjoyable read.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (64 pages) Although not specifically a story of mystery Robert Louis Stevenson was certainly no stranger to intrigue. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde speaks profoundly to the internal struggle of good vs. evil inside mankind, and does so concisely, coming in at a breezy 64 pages.

Looking a deep dive into the world of mystery? Visit our online library at www.plotive.com for a wide variety of ebooks, audiobooks, music, and more. Accessible anytime, anywhere, and available on all your favorite devices.

Mystery fiction: What makes a good detective?

A good mystery book would be nothing without a good detective, but is there a secret formula for creating the perfect fictional detective or are they all as unique as they crimes they investigate?

For a start, all mystery stories need some sort of central investigative figure. It helps to anchor the story and provides a platform for other strands of the story to come together on. Of course, different writers will take a different approach. Detectives can be young or old, male or female, professional or amateur.

There are many different components to making up a fictional detective. In more classic mystery writing, such as Agatha Christie, sleuths were trusted, yet eccentric, like Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot.

There are often some common tropes of more modern detectives. Hard drinking, unconventional yet driven to do the right thing and prepared to go to great lengths to solve the mystery, even going against the best advice of superiors or friend and family. Cracking the case is all that matters and a good writer will show this gradually comes to consume our hero. Oh, it also helps that he or she has few skeletons in their closet too.

Of course, a detective must have a high degree of intelligence and a slavish devotion to detail. They won’t let anything be glossed over and frequently notice things that others don’t. That’s what sets them apart. Often the main investigator and the supposed culprit may share some things in common and the culprit may relish pitting their wits against the person investigating them.

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Murder Musts for Mystery Writers

A great murder mystery doesn’t have to be elusive, here are some tips and tricks for any aspiring murder mystery writer.

Sometimes a murder can be a crime of passion. The mystery may not have to be in the method, maybe the murderer lost their temper in the moment? That doesn’t mean they weren’t good at covering their tracks, however, and much of the mystery can center around the trail of clues rather than the details of a diabolical plot.

The victims can be bad guys too. Maybe it was a betrayal? Maybe a bad debt finally did them in? Or perhaps it was an old score to settle? Whatever the reason, just because someone’s a victim, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re innocent. Bad blood between the bad guys can make for a compelling read, especially if the sleuth is at all conflicted when it comes to preventing more bloodshed.

Why stop at one? A central murder is a great way to get the ball rolling, but who says the fun has to stop there? The murders can multiply as the sleuth tries to solve the case, with each wasted minute endangering another life.

Armed with these tips you’ll be writing a great mystery in no time, and as your plot progresses you may just come up with some tips of your own. Happy writing!

Looking for a deep dive into the world of mystery? Visit our online library at www.plotive.com for a wide variety of ebooks, audiobooks, music, and more, accessible anytime from your favorite devices.

The Many Faces of Mystery

Murder mystery? Spy thriller? It’s one of our favorite genres, but with so many different titles falling into the mystery folder a look into the sub-genres of mystery is definitely worthwhile. Here are some of the more notable sub-genres within the wide world of mystery that you can start exploring today.

Murder/crime mystery. Perhaps most commonly representative of the mystery genre, the classic “who done it” covers a wide range of mystery novels, often with a key protagonist (usually a detective - professional or amateur.)

Noir. Borrowing many elements from murder and crime mysteries, the world of Noir gives us a stylised interpretation of the classic mystery, often focussing on the private investigator of the 1940s and 1950s.

Spy thriller. Often focused on the world of intrigue, spy thrillers combine mystery with suspense to keep us guessing with every turn of the page.

Paranormal. Without a doubt, the unexplained can simply be out of this world, and the paranormal certainly plays a big part in the success of many mystery novels to the point where it could be a stand-alone genre of its own.

Historical. Often times mystery books are no work of fiction. With countless unsolved mysteries found in the pages of history books, deep dives into non-fiction mystery make up a significant portion of the genre.

Ready for a deep dive into the world of mystery? Visit our online library at www.plotive.com for a wide variety of ebooks, audiobooks, music, and more, available anytime on your favorite devices.

Books Inspired by Real Life Mysteries

Real life often can be stranger than fiction, and can also serve as excellent inspiration! Though some authors choose to craft tales of pure imagination, others take real life events and carefully weave fact into fiction. Here are three stories of murder and mystery inspired by real life events.

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. A classic by all accounts, Truman Capote’s tale of the brutal murder of a local Kansas businessman, his wife, and their children, at the hands of two ex-farmhands is closely based on real life events. At the trial, the jury took just 45 minutes to arrive at the guilty verdict, which at the time carried a mandatory death sentence. It took Capote six years to write the book after extensive research, much of which was assisted by famed author Harper Lee.

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie. Featuring Belgian Detective Hercule Poirot, Murder on the Orient Express was inspired by the real life tragedy of the kidnapping and murder of the Lindbergh baby just two years prior to the book’s publishing. The novel would later spawn two movie adaptations and serve as inspiration for three different television series as well.

The Long Drop by Denise Mina. The Long Drop tells the story of William Watt, a man wrongly accused of the murder of his family in 1950s Scotland, and Peter Manuel, the only man who seemed to have any answers. The award-winning Mina carefully crafts facts into a gripping tale of a dark and dangerous time.

Looking for more deep dives into the world of mystery? Check out www.plotive.com for a wide variety of compelling reads.