I need a gripping mystery short story that keeps readers on edge from the opening line to the final reveal. The piece should be serious and thrilling in tone, weaving tight suspense, credible red herrings, and a payoff that feels both surprising and inevitable.
Scope
• 10,000–12,000 words of polished prose
• Detailed plot outline and character profiles before drafting begins
• Two milestone drafts with my feedback incorporated
• Final edit ready for publication (line-edited, proofread, and formatted in Word & PDF)
What matters most is a well-structured narrative arc, realistic dialogue, and pacing that escalates tension chapter by chapter. Experience with mystery tropes, clue placement, and subtle foreshadowing is essential; familiarity with tools like Scrivener or Final Draft is a plus but not required.
Please share a brief note on your approach to crafting suspense and one sample of previous mystery or thriller work.
