Great Jones - Shop now
$0.99

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Sold by Amazon.com Services LLC.
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Sue Coletta
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

60 Ways To Murder Your Characters: Crime Writer's Reference Guide Kindle Edition

by Sue Coletta (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 59 ratings

Looking for inspiration on how to murder your characters?



With this handy research guide, no longer will you need to search for ways to murder your characters, or stare at a blank screen while you mull over the character development of your antagonist. Many of the murder methods listed in 60 Ways to Murder Your Characters come with ways you can use them in your novel, short story, or flash fiction.

From the basics, like a shotgun blast to the head to the more creative ways to commit murder on the page, this research guide will help bring your crime scenes alive.

Let’s face it. Being an author isn’t an easy endeavor. Crime writing is even harder, because we need to ensure our stories ring true. That’s why I’ve given you the exact measurements for how to dissolve a body in lye or acid, for instance. If I can help your stories ring true, then I consider it a win. Don't let the preview fool you. There's all kinds of information in this guide.

If you check out my blog, you’ll find endless posts on research, forensics, and police procedures. Let my passion for crime help you. One element of my psychological thriller/mystery, Marred, that readers found the most chilling were the crime scene details and forensics.

Don’t take my word for it.

What others are saying about Marred as it relates to this guide…

“Coletta’s carefully researched writing style and whip-smart dialogue brings the reader inside a world of >b>unthinkably gruesome murders, crime scene forensics, and criminal psychology as Sage and Niko try to stop a brutal, twisted killer. The intrigue builds through many plot twists and turns, and Coletta’s vivid, heart-stopping descriptions are so jarringly real that there are several scenes I'll never forget.”

“Be prepared to accompany Niko and his team to some grisly crime scenes; even if the descriptions are not too stretched, you clearly see that Sue Coletta is serious about her research.”

“The twists, turns, and hidden clues keep you immersed in pure story right from the heartbreaking prologue to an end you’ll never see coming. But what impressed me most—and this is coming from a person who spent a lifetime as a real-life homicide detective and forensic coroner—is the accuracy of detail in the crime scenes and how well woven the forensic evidence is.”

“There’s no doubting the amount of research that’s gone into this story. The vivid, disturbing and grisly descriptions of crime scenes and the forensic details are chillingly detailed. A well-structured, dark and suspenseful plot, which makes it easy to get caught up in the narrative and be drawn to Sage.”

“Sue Coletta isn't going to spare you the gory details or an honest look behind the crime scene tape. She's a well versed author in all things crime who indelicately dumps you into the middle of a life which has been disrupted, disturbed, and marred by the evil acts of a solitary man.”

“I pre-ordered this book and, as soon as it downloaded to my Kindle, I began reading. I couldn't stop reading. I finally finished it in the middle of the night and enjoyed every page. Ms. Coletta's forensic details are superb.”

“Her scenes are vivid, the crime scene details clearly well-researched, and the plot one that will keep you guessing right up until the end.”

Are you ready to find inspiration to murder your characters?

I’ve included surprise bonuses for further research.

Have fun killing your characters!
Previous slide of product details
  1. Print length
    34 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    April 19, 2016
  4. File size
    480 KB
  5. Page Flip
    Enabled
  6. Word Wise
    Not Enabled
  7. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
Next slide of product details

Editorial Reviews

Review

For some reason that I still don't understand, reviews are much harder to gain with collections and non-fiction guides. If you enjoyed the this compilation of murder methods, please take a moment to review. A simple star-rating is enough. Reviews are crucial to a book's discovery. Amazon rewards books with numerous reviews by showing them to more people (you may have noticed suggestions when shopping; those spots are often the results of reviews). I realize it's a pain, but I'd truly appreciate it..
Conversely, if you did not find this guide helpful, forget I mentioned it. LOL .
Thanks so much.

From the Author

One of my favorite things to do is research how to murder my characters. I've shared my research as way to inspire you to be more creative in your stories. Enjoy!

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01EK6D3CG
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sue Coletta; 1st edition (April 19, 2016)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 19, 2016
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 480 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 34 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 59 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Sue Coletta

Sue Coletta

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Sue Coletta is an award-winning crime writer and an active member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers. Feedspot and Expertido.org named her Murder Blog as “Best 100 Crime Blogs on the Net.” She also blogs at the Kill Zone (Writer’s Digest “101 Best Websites for Writers”) and is a Resident Writing Coach at Writers Helping Writers.

Sue lives with her husband in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire. Her backlist includes psychological thrillers, the Mayhem Series books 1-3, psychological thriller/mysteries, Grafton County Series, and true crime/narrative nonfiction, Pretty Evil New England. Now, she exclusively writes eco-thrillers, the Mayhem Series books 4-7 and continuing.

Sue’s appeared on the Emmy award-winning true crime series, Storm of Suspicion, and three episodes of A Time to Kill on Investigation Discovery. Learn more about Sue and her books at https://suecoletta.com.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
59 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Top reviews from the United States

  • Abbigail Holmes
    5.0 out of 5 stars First Aid For Every Mystery Writer
    Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    You don't know how to kill your character? You are not sure how it should look like? What steps to take? Is it really possible to kill someone that way?
    If you've ever written a mystery novel, you probably found yourself questioning one of those questions. The good news is, there are answers to your questions. In this very book. Along with plenty of examples and links which lead to other sources about pretty everything you need: police procedure, police jargon and so on.
    If you need to kill someone (in your story, of course), this is something I should strongly recommend to read before killing.
    2 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Brief, but effective
    Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Not quite as much info as I'd like, but lots of links to use for the future. The serial killer quotes are a nice touch.
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Daisy
    5.0 out of 5 stars Sits next to my Thesaurus
    Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Finally, a book that genuinely helps fire a stray neuron on how to murder your characters. I'm grateful for the ease of use and ideal layout. The author gives the perfect elaboration to help me thread the scenes in my cozy mysteries. Yep, 60 Ways sits close by me. Thank you, Sue, for the needed assistance.
    2 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • EB
    3.0 out of 5 stars You Probably Know Fifty of These
    Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    I'm not sure this short book was meant to be anything more than it is; maybe I just hoped for more from it that it was meant to give. In either case, it's an average little booklet so I rated it that way.

    It does list sixty different ways a writer of mysteries or thrillers could murder a character, but it does little more than that. Most of the methods are the kids of options that could occur to any of us given the task of writing a list like this one: chainsaw, corkscrew, insulin... Some are downright obvious (shotgun and strangulation, for example. She does sprinkle a few that are unexpected (and lesser known, at least to me) such as blue-ringed octopus, though at least in that case you'd have to be amazingly creative to incorporate it into most story lines.

    Her sense of humor made it a fun book to read, despite some grisly items. For methods of murder, however, I'd recommend a book on forensics that provides more useful details.
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • highlandlas
    4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting read
    Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Interesting book and quick to read. I thought some of the ways were a bit out there. I can't see using them in my books, but they were interesting.
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • T.E. MacArthur
    5.0 out of 5 stars Better than I’d hoped
    Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Of course, I hope no one ever examines my current reading material - I’m trying my hand at writing a mystery.

    The author has a wicked sense of humor and uses it liberally. She provides a good list to get your authorly juices flowing. This is not a complete list and you get only a basic understanding of various causes of death, but you will glean enough to narrow down your research.
    2 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Harvey Stanbrough
    5.0 out of 5 stars As Excellent as Her Fiction
    Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    This is an invaluable reference book for writers of Detective/PI/Mystery/Crime or Thriller fiction. Sue Coletta knows her stuff and shares here the same knowledge she regularly applies in her novels. Don't pass up the opportunity to own this book.
    2 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Benjamin Thomas
    4.0 out of 5 stars A Nice Resource
    Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    I like this bite size resource. Although small, it's packed with very useful information on killing your characters Way to go Sue!
    2 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • Chris
    5.0 out of 5 stars Best Ever!!!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 24, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    I have to say that this book has been titled incorrectly.....I suggest that it should be called something like '60 ways to miss any future appointment'.
    It is true...when you start reading this absolutely corking book you will lose completely yourself, you will be sucked into some sort of time warp, your outside life will pass you by, your family will be a distant memory, your immediate surroundings will be some sort of vague haze around you, you just won't be able to concentrate on anything, all that will matter will be the urge to keep reading, turning each page with excitement, and already missing the page you have just read....IT IS THAT GOOD!....it is completely unputdownable, I have never known anything like it..words fail me, quite simply, it is easily the most addictive read of all time! There were times when I was so absorbed I forgot to breathe...this book really should carry a Government Health Warning, I can see the A & E hospital wards having case after case of readers being admitted, struggling to breathe, clutching their latest Sue Coletta, wheezing and gasping, wheeled in on a gurney, not even realising they are there as they turn the next page...the nurses saying 'We've got another Sue Coletta victim, that girl has so much to answer for, once they start reading her stuff, they just forget to breathe, ok lets get some oxygen, oh, and pass the crowbar, let's get that book off of 'em....' I won't say anymore, I think you get the picture....this book is amazing, buy it while you can, just ask a family member with a stick to stand close by as you read it, they may need to prod you every now and then......I won't say anything about the content, just know that it is beyond your imagination.....my only regret in reading it is that I don't have it to look forward to, I so envy you having not yet read it, you are soooo lucky....why are you reading this review when you could be reading Sue Coetta's book right now, what is the matter with you, go and buy it!!!
    One person found this helpful
     Report

Report an issue


Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report