Mystery novel — case, clues, solution in 20 chapters
Build the clue table (real clues, decoys, red herrings) and the suspects' timeline first, then assign 20 chapters across discovery → investigation → second incident → solution. The table protects fair-play, where mysteries most often collapse.
- Who it's for
- Writers planning a fair-play or social mystery novel
- Scale
- 20 chapters · ~7,000 chars each
- Format
- Novel
A sample cover in the genre's style (AI-generated, for reference). Your project starts with your own title and cover.
Sign in with Google and the project is created in your studio right away.
What gets created
Bracketed placeholders like [Protagonist] are renamed once in the story bible.
Documents
- NotePlanning note — clue table and timeline
- ChapterCh. 1 — Discovery
- ChapterCh. 2 — Five people
Bible seeds
- Character[Protagonist]The investigator. Job: [detective / reporter / insurance investigator / …]. Habit of seeing one thing others miss.
- Character[Victim]Who they were. The 24 hours before.
- Character[Suspect A]Has motive, has alibi (false).
- Character[Suspect B]Seems to lack motive.
- Character[Suspect C]The most suspicious — the red herring.
- Place[Crime scene]Paths, exits, sightlines — the basis of the timeline.
- Plot threadThe second incidentCh. 11–13. Breaks the first theory.
- TimelineThe day of the crimePer-suspect timetable. Same as the planning note.
Beat table
| Beat | Range | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery | Ch. 1–3 | The body, five people, five lies |
| First investigation | Ch. 4–8 | Clues shown; alibis tested |
| Wrong theory | Ch. 9–10 | The red herring works |
| Second incident | Ch. 11–13 | The theory collapses |
| Re-investigation | Ch. 14–17 | Strip the decoys |
| Solution | Ch. 18–20 | Every clue paid off; aftermath |
First steps after creating
- 1
Fix the four truth cells first: culprit, motive, method, time.
- 2
Make sure every clue has a 'shown in' chapter.
- 3
Fill the suspect timeline and check for contradictions.
- 4
Plant one real clue as background in chapter 1.
- 5
Run the AI panel's consistency check every four chapters.