Write about a sleuth who’s a little too keen, but not because they have a traumatic past they won’t talk about.

Posted in Mystery on Sep 22, 2023

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✍️ 10 stories

“The Case of the Devil’s Helmet” by Jonathan Page

Submitted to Contest #217

I was working on a sim corpse when I was called to Professor Sheehan’s office on urgent business. Never in a million years did I think I’d find him dead when I got there. As a criminology student and graduate lecturer at Limeridge University with an internship with major crimes at Limeridge PD, the last thing you expect to be doing is investigating a crime scene in which your own mentor is the victim.When I arrived, Christina Papadakis, the Professor’s TA, was already on site. She wore a sharp pantsuit over a thin, wiry frame....

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“THE FAITHFUL SECRETARY” by Charles Corkery

Submitted to Contest #217

THE FAITHFUL SECRETARY “Harlowe!”The match I had struck in the darkness, illuminated the shocked face of Detective Robert Malone, 6th Precinct, as he stepped back in alarm.“Wh...what are you doing here?”“More to the point, Bobby, what are you doing here?”The here in question was the hotel suite of my client, Magda Bathsheba Goering, quite a mouthful, I know but, hey, I’m just a private dick hired by this young lady at five hundred bucks per day, a week paid in advance, so who am I to argue?As I turned slightly to reach from my comfortable ar...

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“Hidden Book of Clues: The Puzzle of the Vanishing Heiress” by Francisco Valdez

Submitted to Contest #217

The rain poured relentlessly outside, the sound of it drumming against the windows of Arthur Pendleton's office on the second floor of a shabby building in the heart of the city. A dim, flickering desk lamp was the only source of light in the room, casting eerie shadows on the stacks of dusty case files that lined the walls. Arthur, a private investigator with a penchant for puzzles and a keen eye for detail, stared intently at the photograph in his hand. It was a picture of a young woman, her smile radiant and eyes sparkling with mischief. ...

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“2 Disappearces One Sleuth!” by Randy Ramos

Submitted to Contest #217

HER name is Daisey Shes about 30 years of age She loves watching true crime 24/7 such as Investigation Discovery Netflix and true crime docs Shes what you might call a true crime junky. One-night Shes watching the news and they report an unsolved case of a missing woman about 25 years of age her name is Abagil Wood the news reports where she was last seen at a park named Shady Hills, on the other side of town of Liberty Idaho where both Daisy and Abagil are from Liberty is a small town with a population of 50,000 give or take where...

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“Bottom of the Bottle” by Rado Randriamamonjy

Submitted to Contest #217

Guilt cascades through Detective Nguyen like hot embers down a meat chute as the tequila trickles down his throat. The sizzle of the booze is familiar. It's laced with equal parts relief and shame. He taps on the bottle. Several taupe-colored, worms squirm and wiggle inside. The detective, a stout man of Vietnamese and Irish descent, shakes his head and sighs.This is gonna kill me. He returns the bottle to the inside pocket of his over coat and wipes his mouth dry. The man drops a handful of Tic Tacs in his mouth and emerges from the stall. ...

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“Sleepyside Summer. ” by Julie Grenness

Submitted to Contest #217

Sleepyside at summer again. Sister Heloise, the young one, had escorted the much older nuns to their summer retreat. They were on vacation, to relax on a sunny shore, rest, replenish, paddle in a sparkling bay. Their summer abode was the usual very old-fashioned timber dwelling, by now familiar. Sleepyside was a slow old place, only one store, with a petrol pump at the front. People went to Sleepyside, off the beaten track, to replenish their wellbeing on a sedate type of holiday. Sleepyside was not yet trendy, a place where time passed, th...

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“Nora Collins and the AI Building” by Maddy Shilts

Submitted to Contest #217

Please note: This story contains descriptions of mild mutilation and body horror. Nora Collins had always been fascinated with industrial horrors. When real world buildings or technology imploded, disfigured, and rotted itself away to create a monstrosity of metal, plastic, and ash that looked like something out of a science fiction movie. The way the front of an exploded steam engine freight train looks like disembodied arms reaching out from the darkness to snatch away their next unsuspecting victim or the way the half-melted p...

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“ELIANA, THE SLEUTH” by Melinda Madrigal

Submitted to Contest #217

SCORE! One for the sleuth. In your face Cloverdale police. I solved your mystery. The poor puppy was hiding in plain sight. Next time listen to Eliana when she tells you the puppy is hiding under the big tree at the lake. I knew the puppy was under the big tree but nobody listens to kids. Now I can do my happy dance and say in your face grown-ups. I dance all the way home. I see my mom shaking her head. She's probably saying, "I have a crazy daughter." Mom you are so right. I love solving mysteries. You can't get me to stop. I love readi...

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“Gigi and the Detective” by Len Rely

Submitted to Contest #217

The wealthy bachelor Simon Belvoir had arrived at the country house during the night. This far north it was only fifty-five degrees in August, and the place was so new there wasn’t a single amenity that had ever been used. New and cold. When he came out of his stateroom in the morning he was wearing a wool vest with four gold buttons over his dress shirt. Passing by the room next to his in the uppe...

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“The Ballerina's Bunion: A Jack Cliche Mystery” by Levi Michael

Submitted to Contest #217

There was no doubt that she had been beautiful. Now her young corpse lay impossibly contorted among the refuse in the alley. I took a deep drag of my cigarette and pitched it as I blew a thick plume of smoke into the cold night air, whisps curling through the hard edges of the streetlight. My partner, McGuffin, leaned over her body in a crouch, looking her over. He huffed a breath of regret and stood with a grunt. We weren’t exactly in our prime these days. “You hate to see it,” he said, shaking his head. “Sure do,” I agreed, lightin...

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Write about a sleuth who’s a little too keen, but not because they have a traumatic past they won’t talk about.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 10 stories

“The Case of the Devil’s Helmet” by Jonathan Page

“THE FAITHFUL SECRETARY” by Charles Corkery

“Hidden Book of Clues: The Puzzle of the Vanishing Heiress” by Francisco Valdez

“2 Disappearces One Sleuth!” by Randy Ramos

“Bottom of the Bottle” by Rado Randriamamonjy

“Sleepyside Summer. ” by Julie Grenness

“Nora Collins and the AI Building” by Maddy Shilts

“ELIANA, THE SLEUTH” by Melinda Madrigal

“Gigi and the Detective” by Len Rely

“The Ballerina's Bunion: A Jack Cliche Mystery” by Levi Michael

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about two characters who like each other but don’t get a happily-ever-after.

Set your story in a creepy mansion — except nothing horrifying takes place in it.

Write about a person who's been called to mentor someone in a special skill, but doesn't really want to.

Write a story about a warrior who doesn’t want to kill the dragon.

Contest #217

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

284

Contest entries

130

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: