Opening Hook - begin story with an inciting event that grabs the reader and makes them want to know more * “The cat wasn’t fed for 2 days. While she waited for Lucy to come home, she meowed and hollered plaintively. When the detectives finally opened the door, the first thing to draw their attention was the elongated scratches along the doorframe, almost a centimetre deep in places.” Description of Sleuth - the grittier, more troubled, and more stacked against him or her, the better * “Penny woke with the usual hangover, and with a start, realized today was the day her suspension was over. Damn, I’m late, she thought. Her unpressed suit was all she had, but it would have to do. She pulled her dark brown hair into a bun, reheated yesterday’s coffee in the microwave, and jumped into her Jetta. She couldn’t mess this up.” Murder - main event to start off investigation; description appropriate to targeted audience * “Lucy left the fundraiser close to midnight. She smiled. The night had raised almost 25 thousand, and tomorrow the receipts would be forwarded to the fund committee. With the last tune of the night still swirling in her head, she reached into her bag for her car keys. Fumbling, Lucy dropped the keys. She set her bag down. Just as she leaned over to pick up her keys from the asphalt, a hard shove sent her careening head-first into her car door, a large dent with a smear of blood left behind. Her last thought was of needing to remember to feed her cat, Daisy, when she got home.” Mishaps, obstacles, red herrings - events that transpire to complicate the investigation and make the sleuth’s task difficult * “Penny’s feet hurt, her head hurt, her stomach hurt from the punch. All she wanted was her bed. But when she got home what she found would keep her moving forward, in a panic, for another 48 hours. Lucy’s cat was on her bed, eyes marbled, it’s claws stiff in a defensive position. Someone’s playing games here, Penny thought, feeling the edge of panic.” Resolution - the case is solved, there is relief for the sleuth, the murderer is caught (or dead) * “Penny was so tired, and just wanted to get this last interview over with. Pulling her Jetta up to the janitor’s small house, Penny felt near-defeat. This is such a dead-end, she thought. As she walked up to the front door, she peeked briefly into the front window and caught sight of a brown satchel. Wait! That’s Lucy’s! Quickly, Penny called in for back-up, but she couldn’t wait. She pulled her gun and stealthily snuck around to the side door — through a crack she could see the janitor at the stove, frying an egg by the smell. She caught him in her sights and then yelled, “Freeze! You are under arrest for the murder of Lucy Blain.” Her heart felt more steady than it had for weeks.”