Are you a fan of the crime novel and want to write your own but are struggling to come up with a plot idea? Below you will find 10 crime novel plot ideas that can help to set off that creative spark and get your ideas flowing.
10 Crime Novel Plot Ideas
1 A story about a serial killer where the killer leaves an unusual calling card at the scene of the crimes.
2 A story about a serial killer that is enjoying the cat and mouse game with the police.
3 A private investigator novel where the simple case the investigator agrees to take on becomes a dangerous and scary venture that the investigator can’t walk away from.
4 A crime novel told from the POV of the killer.
5 A story where a shady cop comes good or a good cop goes shady.
6 A story about a vice team where one of them must go undercover and become one of the drug lords to get intel.
7 A story about the aftermath of the crime being solved – the arrest, the court case etc.
8 A story where one of the victims actually turns out to be the perpetrator.
9 A story where the team of cops investigating a murder begin to be killed off one by one.
10 A story about a vigilante killer.
Happy writing.
Which of the crime novel plot ideas was your favourite? Let me know in the comments 🙂
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#4 is intriguing. A short version would be Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart.
I’ll have to have a read of that. I’ve written a few short stories that way myself and I’m tempted to do a novel that way one day.
Some of these ideas have reminded me of a film I’ve seen recently – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing – I think you’d enjoy it xx
I’ll have to look it up 🙂 x
Number 1. A story about a serial killer where the killer leaves an unusual calling card at the scene of the crimes, has me very intrigued. #AnythingGoes
You’ve never read The Tell-Tale Heart? It’s terrific. Here is a link to it: https://www.poemuseum.org/the-tell-tale-heart. I even wrote a short take-off of it, called The Tell-Tale Timex, which is here if you’re interested: https://silverfoxlair.blogspot.com/2009/06/tell-tale-timex-theme-thursday-tale.html
I know it’s shocking that I’ve never read it! That’s rectified now though although I have to admit I preferred your version
You are so clever at getting the creative juices going. I always think we as a family watch and read so many crime things we should be able to write them too – they are so very clever though as a genre. One day perhaps! #AnythingGoes
Give it a go!
Wow, I consider that to be quite a compliment! Thanks so much.
You’re welcome 🙂
POV of the killer, that sounds like an awesome book! #AnythingGoes
I wish I could write a crime novel, I love watching and reading crime so it would be right up my alley. I love the idea of number 4 from the killers POV #BloggerClubUK
Go for it!
I love reading crime novels (reading an Ann Cleeves ‘Vera’ book at the moment). I quite like the idea of 8 with the victim as perpetrator. Not a fan of books written from the killers POV as I find it a bit too disturbing, especially as I read before going to sleep! #bloggerclubUK
I haven’t read any of the Vera books I think they’d be a bit tame for my tastes but then again that’s probably because the show butchered them lol.
Hi, I do like reading a crime novel, number 4 is my favourite #bloggerclubuk