Sherlock Holmes, Nancy Drew, Jessica Fletcher, Thomas Magnum, Philip Marlowe. These characters have entertained us with tales of their exploits in solving hard crimes. Their mystery stories have become many fans' favorites over the years, and you might want to add yours to the never-ending list. For you to succeed, you need to understand the key elements that each of these stories contains. And below are 10 major elements that make a great mystery story.

Create a Strong Hook: You need to capture your reader's interest from the first paragraph of your story and keep them hooked right to the end. You have to provide them with enough information to know that there is a crime, there is a need to solve it, and get them interested in solving it. If you don't achieve these from the start, the reader will likely lose interest quickly and move to something else. As a mystery writer, you need to tease the reader with more discoveries, raise questions that arouse curiosity, and craft an intriguing conflict.

Add a Mysterious Setting: Let the setting provide a tense atmosphere that is unsettling and mysterious. A dark basement filled with cobwebs and a foul smell poses a lot more tension than an orchard or a poolside. Tense settings help support the anxiety of something unknown waiting in the dark and keep readers on the edge, anticipating the worst.

There Should be an Unsolved Crime: An unsolved crime is the reason a mystery story exists in the first place, so it is pretty obvious to include it. This crime should be grave enough to create the major conflict that carries the story, resulting in an investigation which the main character is on their way to solve.

Craft an Interesting Investigator: A crucial aspect of a mystery is a character devoted to solving the crime. He could be a police detective or a private investigator. More important than the character's profession is a backstory that explains his undying dedication and personal investment in solving the crime. Your investigator is more interesting if he has some links to the crime or the culprit.

The Culprit Should be Very Evasive: The criminal mastermind is also a crucial part of a mystery story and must only be discovered at the climax when they are caught. Finding the culprit is what moves the story forward. So, the villain needs to be evasive, clearing his tracks even though he makes minor mistakes that leave a couple of clues.

Use a Fast-pace Narration Style: The story needs to move fast; there is no need for unnecessary details that don't help in solving the crime. Something should always be happening; the investigator is discovering and chasing new leads. These leads must not always bring readers closer to the culprit; some could be there to throw the investigator off track.

Create a Lot of Clues: To involve your readers on a deeper level, you need a whole lot of clues. Turn your readers into your number one detective; let them try to put the pieces together along with the investigator in the story. To achieve this, you need to sprinkle a lot of clues that captivate readers, making them want to get to the end to see how the crime gets solved. Clues are the fundamentals of a mystery story. Without them, a mystery is not worth reading.

Drop Hints of More to Come: A mystery story usually includes hints of what is soon to happen; this element is known as foreshadowing. These hints can help make the discovery at the climax more likely, though least expected. It could be in the description of a character, a dialogue, an object at the scene of the crime, a document that doesn't get serious attention. You can also explicitly state a hint to make readers anticipate a future conflict.

Throw the Reader Off Track: This element is known as a red herring, and it is an essential element of a good mystery. You can use false clues to create other possible suspects that the investigator and your reader become more invested in, even though they are far from significant. You can create multiple suspects and dubious characters with suspicious conduct, none of whom eventually becomes the culprit. 

Let the End be Worth it: Finish strong with a grand, mind-blowing, unforeseen yet plausible revelation. This happens in the climax where the investigator finally solves the murder and uncovers the true culprit. Make sure you provide a reasonable alibi for every other suspect and an explanation for why every false clue is indeed false.