John Dean – Crime Writer

One of the key skills that a crime writer has to master right from the beginning of their career is how best to use the Red Herring, the technique whereby the author drops in information that has been deliberately designed to mislead the reader.

It’s a massively useful tool (not for nothing is the Crime Writers’ Association’s membership magazine called Red Herrings), and one that remains as important today as when it first emerged as a literary technique.

Now, crime writer John Dean has published a feature which aspiring writers in particular may find useful, explaining the Red Herring’s history and how crime writers make best use of the technique – you can read it on his new website here at Feature – In praise of the Red Herring – John Dean – Crime Writer