Real Crimes to Inspire Your Next Mystery

By Jen Dodrill

 As a fellow mystery writer, I know the pain of staring at a blank page, wondering where to begin. After watching so many real-life crime stories, I’ve wondered, “What if?” What if I used an actual crime to inspire me? How could chilling, bizarre, and unsolved mysteries be turned into a piece of fiction?

 This idea is nothing new for writers. The Lindbergh kidnapping inspired Murder on the Orient Express. Psycho came out of Ed Gein’s horrific crimes. And one of my personal favorites, Jaws, was inspired by shark attacks that happened in 1916 off the New Jersey coast. I know, it’s not a mystery, but what if …?

 Typically, I write cozy mysteries, which have mild to no gore and sex. Some of these stranger-than-fiction crimes are twisted and not something that would work for a cozy. Or maybe they could. A little adaptation, some creative license, and ta-da!

 If you decide to turn a true crime into a mystery – gritty noir, cozies, or thrillers – think about these things:

·       Research the real crime and look for ways to change it for fiction

·       Consider what location/setting you want to use

·       Decide your characters’ backgrounds

·       Modify your characters' ages

·       Delve into your characters’ secrets

·       Explore the what-ifs, the twists and turns life can take

Here are five real-life cases that you can use as a springboard:

1. The Isdal Woman (Norway, 1970)

In 1970, a partially burned body of a woman was found in a remote valley in Bergen, Norway. No one knew who she was, and the items that were discovered had their labels removed. Questions: Was she a spy? A criminal? A victim of something darker? Consider setting your mystery in a small town with similar circumstances to the real crime. Maybe your protagonist is a local journalist who realizes the murdered woman wasn’t the first … or the last.

2. The Murder of Julia Wallace (Liverpool, 1931)

William Wallace received a message to meet a potential client at a fake address. When he returned home, he found his wife brutally murdered. Wallace was arrested, convicted, and then acquitted. Questions: The perfect alibi? Or, a perfect frame job? Consider incorporating modern technology into the story, such as a spoofed phone call, GPS tampering, or a deepfake alibi. Or, flip the POV—tell it from the perspective of the real killer who thinks they got away with it.

 3. The Circleville Letters (Ohio, 1970s–90s)

Residents of Circleville began receiving threatening, anonymous letters detailing their secrets. One woman’s husband died in a suspicious crash involving tampered brakes. A suspect was arrested, but the letters continued to be sent while he was in prison. Questions: Who was the letter writer? One person, or many? Secrets are often used to blackmail people—layer in modern touches, such as anonymous emails, burner phones, or deep web message boards.

 4. The Tamám Shud Case (Australia, 1948)

A man was found dead on Somerton Beach. A scrap of paper reading “Tamám Shud” (“it is ended” in Persian) was discovered in his pocket and was traced to a rare book in a stranger’s car. A phone number and a sequence of letters were found in the back of the book. Questions: Was the man a spy? Who did the phone number belong to? Think about weaving this cryptic message into your story. Your protagonist might be a cryptologist studying conspiracies.

 5. The Boy in the Box (Philadelphia, 1957)

The body of a young boy was found in a box in the woods. No one came forward to claim him. Despite facial reconstructions, national press, and decades of investigation, the case went cold until DNA matched him to a family in 2022. Still, how he died remains murky. Questions: Why was this child abandoned, and who covered it up? Consider using genealogy to identify the victim. The detective must unravel what happened and determine why an entire neighborhood kept it quiet for decades.

These ideas are narrative seeds: the strange timing, the anonymous threats, the eerie symbolism. As writers, we can ask, “What if?”

• What if the wrong person went to prison?

• What if the murder was never meant to be solved?

• What if the killer is still alive—and watching?

 In real life, crimes aren’t always solved. Closure doesn’t always happen. However, in fiction, the writer gets to decide who lives, who dies, and who pays for their actions.

 Happy plotting—and remember, truth really is stranger than fiction.

 

Bio:

Jen Dodrill is living out her dreams on the pages of her books, bringing readers compelling stories of inspiration and hope for both good and bad times. 

Her first book, Birds Alive! An Empty-nesters Cozy Mystery was released in 2024. Book #2 in the series, Where’s the Quetzal, came out in February 2025. Book #3, No Egrets, will be published in 2026. Jen has co-authored a novella collection, Trinity Sands Beach Club, with Deborah Sprinkle and Sharon H. Carpenter, which was released June 17, 2025.

For more information about Jen and her books, check out her blog: https://jendodrillwrites.com/.