I've been attempting to come up with an idea for a fantasy/murder mystery/mystery thriller/psychological thriller novel that's a "spinoff", so to speak, of a planned fantasy/mystery/psychological thriller/action-adventure novel series I have. Even though it takes place in an isolated environment, with some scenarios being loosely inspired by Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None", the novel intends to fill up a few "missing" plot points and tie up some loose ends concerning the events that took place between two time periods other novels in the series took place in (the series intends to use the effects history can have on later dates and the potential corruption of history as a means of world building, emphasizing this with the contrast between what facts the reader knows happened and the potentially corrupted facts presented to the inhabitants, with one or a few books taking place in one time period, and others in another, with overarching mysteries and novels carrying over and readers knowing more than the characters acting as a means of foreshadowing). I do have a motive of murder for a singular character. While its still, heavily, a rough draft, the basic premise is that the host of the event has a chamber filled with every potential record of the "visitors" at his "humble abode," including facts not legally known by a single other human being -- their deepest, darkest possible secrets. However, in turn, I wanted the real murder to become a victim -- a red herring of sorts -- to somebody influenced by the same motivation. However, I find it uncanny and unbelievable that two people stumbled upon the same records and were both likewise led to commit murder of it. I am having issues thinking of how to, however, make it so another character intended for them to commit murder, or led them to with this as blackmail, or really much context of the murders, this motivation or any of the important details.
Can it be that one figures out this thing exists, then either blackmails, or coerces another to take action?
That's possible though I figured its also possible that the victim of blackmail will in turn attempt to blackmail the coercer -- though, while I suppose that can be the excuse for the red herring I was looking for, wouldn't it be more likely that they instead kill the coercer? And why would the coercer pick that particular family member out of everyone else -- besides just plain hating them.
What was in my head was a scenario where a 'dullard' is used for years by someone. That someone knows the dullard's secrets, finds out other guy has secrets. Then convinces dullard other guy is going to reveal all, you better stop him and return the book to me, I know what to do with it!. Or something similar. Dullard/drunk.
Hm... I see. That may work. I may use this. I usually gather multiple ideas before definitively deciding upon anything, but I do like this idea.
If you want to get really castle intrigue-y with it- The family dullard is the shop helper for an old provider to the family. The provider has several servants blackmailed (not a nice guy, climbing the ladder in secret). He learns the dullards secrets, and family, over the years. A servant finds the 'secret' and tells the provider to pay off the blackmail and move away. Then you can explore the backstories of the relationships of the servants with the provider (who could never do anything bad, he has worked for us for decades!), and all the other rabble going on. Parts could be told through what the servants see.
That's actually a really interesting idea, and I have some way to fill that in with one of the ideas I have for later in the series. Among all other potential idea I may think of, that goes high on my list.
