All 66 outline templates

Classic Whodunit

A crime is committed, multiple suspects emerge with motive and opportunity, a detective gathers clues, and the reader is invited to play along. The reveal must be both surprising and inevitable in retrospect. Fair-play rules pioneered by Knox and Van Dine ensure supernatural elements, last-minute strangers, and withheld clues are off-limits.

Who it's for

  • Writers crafting a locked-circle mystery where readers can solve it.
  • Fans of Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, or the genteel British tradition.
  • Stories requiring intellectual engagement and witty dialogue over action.
  • Novels where the detective's deductive process is as entertaining as the crime.
  • Readers who enjoy suspicion shifting, surprise revelations, and satisfying payoffs.

The beats

  1. The crime — murder or mystery introduced. Body discovered; initial chaos.
  2. Suspects circle — cast of suspects introduced with initial alibis, motives hinted.
  3. Investigation begins — detective interviews, cross-examines. Early clues surface; reader sees them too.
  4. Red herring — false lead pulls focus; suspect seems guilty.
  5. Reversal — apparent solution proved wrong by new evidence.
  6. True clue — overlooked detail or reinterpreted evidence surfaces.
  7. Reveal — detective names the culprit, laying out the logic chain.
  8. Aftermath — justice, motive fully exposed, theme lands.

Worked example

A wealthy heiress is found poisoned in her locked study during a house party. Present at the manor: her acerbic brother (needs the inheritance), her lady's maid (was seen entering the study that morning), a visiting painter (rejected by the heiress years ago), and the long-suffering accountant (the heiress discovered he'd been stealing).

The detective initially suspects the maid (opportunity); then the painter (motive). But the study was locked from the inside. A seemingly innocent detail emerges in a re-interview: the accountant's comment about the heiress's heart condition. He poisoned her drink knowing she'd retreat to the locked study to rest. She locked the door; he had a duplicate key all along. The fair-play logic: readers saw the detail, overlooked its weight. The detective did not cheat; they simply connected what was always visible.

Strengths

Deeply engaging for readers who enjoy puzzle-solving. Every clue earns its place. The best whodunits feel like a game between author and reader. When the reveal lands correctly, it provokes a satisfying aha moment without feeling cheap or rigged. Intellectual rigor rewards close reading.

Weaknesses

Requires meticulous plotting; loose threads tank reader trust. Can feel slow or procedural to action-genre readers. If the culprit is guessed too early, tension deflates. The fair-play covenant demands all clues be visible and logical; violating it (adding a clue at the last moment, or hiding vital information) alienates readers.

Pendraic notes

Pendraic seeds the Whodunit as an 8-beat Standard template. Use the Standard or Heavy structure preset to keep each beat visible and its content in view. Pay special attention to the “Suspects circle” beat: use that section to define each suspect's motive, opportunity, and a telltale physical or behavioral detail that will matter at the reveal. Tag those details with a scene or character label so Pendraic's context bundle can pull the right scenes during drafting. Red herrings are most effective when a suspect seems guilty of the crime but is actually guilty of something else (or innocent of both). Plant those twists explicitly in the outline so your drafts align.