Thread: Murder Mystery... need ideas...

I am currently working on a Novel.. Murder mystery... serial killer who cuts out the hearts of his victims...

Most serial killers have some type of signature, and though it could be seen as cutting out the hearts as his signature, I have this idea that I want him to leave something at each crime scene.

Basic storyline... Killer is a man in love with woman who owns sportsbar. (He also works for her) She doesn't reciprocate his love, and he goes off on a tangent of killing those closest to her, and cuts out their hearts. {There is more of a storyline here/plot, but it is still developing and not relevant for the moment}

I need some type of signature, and am not really looking for an actual answer, but more or less trying to throw out ideas, and see what sticks...

I am thinking of some type of thing that would relate it back to the sports bar/restaraunt yet I think may be too blunt, and not lead enough mystery...

So... any ideas anyone??? (Thanks...)

Well, it's probably not the sort of book that would interest me much if I'm honest, but I suppose a good signature would be, 'Love you *name of woman*' written in the victim's blood or entrails.

Hmmm if you want it to link back to the sports bar a few ideas (probably not great but thought i would see if any helped!):
Maybe a scaled down copy of a painting (or pieces of the painting) that is hung in the bar or in her office?
Small weights (Maybe too obvious)
Struggling with this a bit as most I think of seem too obviously linked. I will keep thinking!

To be perfectly honest, I think just the removal of the heart is enough of a signature. You could throw something in there like a ribbon tied to the victims finger. Make the ribbon the womans favorite color. You could make the killer only murder women with the same hair and eye color as the woman at the restaurant. These are things that wouldn't necessarily be obvious to anyone at first, but over time (and accumulation of bodies) officials will notice something possibly after questioning or just noticing the similarities in the woman at the restaurant.

Good luck and happy writing!

Thank you everyone for your help. Those are some great ideas. I still am thinking.

Perhaps it could be something in each scene, that is overlooked at first. So at first it seems like the cutting out of the heart is the signature, but in fact there is an even more important signature, one that is simply alluded to in the first murder, but the detective (or somebody else) makes the connection in the third murder.

When the reader reads that part, they remember the brief mentionings before and everything clicks together. Perhaps there is a placement of items in the room that tells a story, something subtle. They notice it in the third murder, then remember the same tablue in the other murders. They realize it is an intentional message!!!

I love that idea and have actually thought about it. I just don't know what to use yet.

A puzzle for the connections beetween the murders? First murder: first piece of puzzle, second murder: second piece of puzzle...
The story will end when the puzzle will be completed. And the puzzle will be a photography of the woman he love.

Perhaps put the heart in a small box in each victims hand....

Originally Posted by Sushie

A puzzle for the connections beetween the murders? First murder: first piece of puzzle, second murder: second piece of puzzle...
The story will end when the puzzle will be completed. And the puzzle will be a photography of the woman he love.

I like this idea a lot and maybe it is that he leaves the piece of the picture where the heart was. I think I maybe able to do something with this idea. If nothing else you guys are helping me out of my writer's block.
Thanks.

Put the heart in a cocktail shaker.

eew! Lol. I don't know if I could even write that. Lol.