Part I: Preparation. The rules and how to bend them / by Jeremiah Healy ; Sparks, triggers, and flashes / by Marilyn Wallace ; On work schedules / by Dick Lochte ; Writing with a partner, or...What part of "no" don't you understand? / by Warren Murphy ; Expertise and research / by Faye Kellerman and Jonathan Kellerman ; Where do I find a Jewish Indian? or How I stopped worrying and learned to love research / by Stuart M. Kaminsky ; Background, location, and setting / by Julie Smith
Part II: The process. Characterization / by Michael Connelly ; Rounding up your characters / by Margaret Maron ; Writing a series character / by Sara Paretsky ; The amateur sleuth / by Nancy Pickard ; Vivid villains / by Sandra Scoppettone ; In search of a novel / by George C. Chesbro ; Building without blueprints / by Tony Hillerman ; Outlining / by Robert Campbell ; Perspectives on point of view / by Loren D. Estleman ; Dress for success : developing your personal style / by Carolyn Wheat ; How to write convincing dialogue / by Aaron Elkins ; Pacing and suspense / by Phyllis A. Whitney ; Depiction of violence / by Bill Granger ; Clues, red herrings, and other plot devices / by P.M. Carlson ; The book stops here / by Lawrence Block ; In the beginning is the end / by John Lutz ; Revision / by Jan Burke ; How to find and work with an agent / by John F. Baker ; Dial M for market / by Russell Galen ; The mystery novel from an editor's point of view / by Ruth Cavin
Part III: Specialties. Writing mysteries for young readers / by Joan Lowery Nixon ; The joys and challenges of the short story / by Edward D. Hoch ; The medical thriller / by Tess Gerritsen ; Legal thrillers / by Linda Fairstein ; Historical mysteries : the past is a foreign country / by Laurie R. King ; From the cradle to the pen : the evolution of a true crime writer / by Ann Rule ; E-media : crime fiction e-volves / by G. Miki Hayden ; The best of the genre and a reference list of books on writing and technical information / by Angela Zeman and Barry Zeman.
