My Favorite Elements of Suspense

Unlike the hated elements of suspense that seem to pop up at random in my daily life (Including but not limited to: the electric bill in the summer, some bizarre mix-up with my health insurance, a notification from Lifelock that someone may be stealing parts of my identity, and the on-going “hunt” to find the car keys), I absolutely enjoy well-crafted literary techniques that compel me to turn the pages of whatever I’m reading at the time.

Since I plan to conduct two workshops this week on those welcome elements of suspense, I thought I’d take a moment and list some of my favorites for you to consider. Here goes:

Foreshadowing – No one can top William Shakespeare’s Romeo when he just happens to mention a dream that he had in which the Capulet’s party led to his death. And then what does he do?  He crashes the party! And what about Mercutio’s final words, “A plague on both your houses!” Talk about curses….

 The Ticking Clock – This is my personal favorite. It seems to appear in most of my novels. Maybe that’s because my life runs like one.

            “If we don’t get moving, we’ll miss our connection to Pittsburgh. You can buy a bagel later!”

            “What? The bill for the water company is still sitting here waiting for a stamp? This is Arizona. They’ll shut off our supply in a minute!”

            I absolutely loved this element in The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3.  And if you’re a movie buff, don’t miss out on the 1950 film noir, “DOA.” 

Cliffhanger Endings – The Da Vinci Code is top on my list. My fingers couldn’t move fast enough for that one. It was the only time when I wished I had a Kindle.

Shift the Point of View – I’m still reeling over Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl on this one. Best use of POV that I’ve seen in a long time, not to mention red herrings, inner thoughts and a litany of other devices that make me marvel. Amazing writing but so disturbing that readers will need intense therapy after they’re done. I immediately had to find a Janet Evanovich novel just so I could sleep at night. Kind of like eating hot chilies and then needing a Rolaids.  

Intense Action – Can anyone possible beat Suzanne Collins for the myriad of tortures that face Katniss in The Hunger Games?  Forest fires, burns, getting forced up a tree, tracker jackers          (wasps on steroids) and a whole lot more…. The protagonist can’t catch her breath and neither can the reader. Superb! 

 And don’t forget the remarkable team of Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston. The Pendergast novels will keep even the most sophisticated suspense readers at the edge of their seats. 

Withholding Information – Agatha Christie launched her career with this one. Find out for yourself with her second novel, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back – The classic coming of age murder mystery, Boys Life by Robert McCammon does this and a whole lot more. It is by far, one of my top ten best books of all time! 

So if you need to take time away from your daily elements of suspense, check out the ones that won’t give you heart failure. Or…you can just wait for your mail to arrive and take your chances like I do.