Detective Fiction Stories--Shocker Endings

Sometimes readers have clues that are given throughout the story that help them figure out the case the detective is trying to solve. However, writers like to throw the readers off guard by using a technique called "shocker endings." This works great in Detective Fiction because readers are surprised when the story ends differently than they expected. This technique was used in several stories in the book "100 Dastardly Little Detective Stories." These stories were written by such writers as O. Henry, Bill Pronzini, R. L. Stevens, Ray Darby, Hugh B. Cave, Walt Sheldon, Jack London, Bret Harte, and many others. Ray Darby, in his story "According to Plan" uses the shocker ending technique. As I read the story, I kept wondering what was going to happen. This story was about a man named Ben Wayne. He escaped from prison and climbed into his car and headed for the border. He disguised himself as a doctor. I thought I knew what was going to happen to Ben Wayne. However, when I came to the end, I had to stop and think about the story I had just read. I was surprised by the ending.

"The Carnival Caper" by R. L. Stevens was another excellent story that used a shocker ending. This story was about a man who robbed a carnival owner. The detective, Nancy Trentino, rushed to the crime scene. The carnival security guard told her the robber had already been shot. Nancy went to where the robber was lying and questioned the carnvial manager. Throughout the story, I wasn't sure what was going to happen. The ending really surprised me.

Both of these stories were well written and full of suspense that caused me to want to keep reading so I could find out what happened. I'm looking forward to reading the other stories in the book.

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