Writers Help Writers: Advice Needed

HELP!!!

Well from Carey to ChrisHayden to Cynique...I think just about everyone here

is a WRITER to my mind.

I've recently taken on a task that's quite challenging---writing a Murder Mystery

novel and creating the Woman Detective lead character.

The imprint I'm on specializes in murder mysteries; it's their main genre though

they signed me as a literary author.

Big HAM that I am...I insisted on penning them a murder mystery.

The thing is....I hardly ever read murder mysteries and I've never dared try to

PLOT and write one before, and no matter how good a writer you are, there's a special

ambiance that pervades the best mystery stories, IMO.

Now that I'm into writing my book, I worry that my lady detective might not be convincing.

I'm supposed to be calling LAMBD on the telephone to get his advice on this, but we keep

missing each other...so hopefully Carey, Chris, Cynique, BookFan and others can give

advice on what not to do and how to make my character seem convincing as a detective.

On the outside Cricket is a very beautiful black police officer newly switched to the

detective's division (Wash. D.C.)...but in her private life is an amazing array of childhood

secrets she's trying to escape. She's smart, but also vulnerable.