Murder mysteries always have a motive to the killing; these motives can range from jealousy, revenge to wealth and power. Another key aspect in a Murder mystery is the need for a detective to try to solve the mystery. Another important ingredient to a murder mystery is that you need a crime or a murder to take place. Alibis are often found in murder mysteries this simply means where someone was at the time of death. Another feature of a murder mystery is a murder weapon, this is important as this could leave a direct trail back to the murderer. Suspense is also another vital ingredient in a murder mystery as this keeps the reader interested in the story. In the old times it was considered that typical goons had to be the villains, but this changed over time. Now days anyone could be behind the murder.

All these aspects are needed in the story for it to be considered at all to be a murder mystery.

I have read the two stories which both belong to the murder mystery genre. I'm going to compare both stories to see the differences and the similarities between the stories.

The first story I read was the Speckled Band by the author Arthur Conan Doyle, which was written in 1892.The other

In the speckled band the first eight lines of the play are used to introduce as to main character Sherlock Holmes.

Mr Maloney doesn't want to eat as he has important news to tell his wife, we are not told what he says but we are given the impression that he wants to break up with her. Mrs Maloney is devastated with this news and is very emotional. 'Watching him with a kind of dazed horror as he went further and further away from her with each word.'

Also MRS Maloney is not your normal villain, she is a loving caring and most of all a women.

The reason for me not liking The Speckled Band is because the story line was not very original and it was mundane and predictable. Also it was very old story and it was too long.

He also looks at every single possibility before ruling anything out. He notices little things witch might seem irrelevant at the time but can provide the key to solving the murder. 'You remember in her statement she could smell doctor Roylotts cigar from her sisters bedroom' from this he was able to work out that thee must be another connection between the two rooms. This in fact was a ventilator that was used for the snake to get to Julia stoner and killed her, and that is how he solved the mystery.

Whereas the setting for The Lambs To The Slaughter is a modern setting, it is set in the house of the victim and the murderer. When we are introduced to the setting we are given the impression of a warm and loving environment, which is the exact opposite of The Speckled Band. So when the murder does happened we are shocked and surprised.

story, which I have read, is The Lamb To Slaughter, which was written by Roald Dahl in 1954.

She goes to kitchen and picks up the first thing in the closet witch happened to be a leg of lamb, she then heads back to the living room and hits her husband in the back of the head and kills him.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Lambs Slaughter, Sherlock Holmes, Speckled Band, Band Murder, Step Father, DR Watson, speckled band, lambs slaughter, murder mystery, sherlock holmes, Conan Doyle, murder weapon, Lamb Slaughter, Roald Dahl, helen stoner, Helen Stoner, speckled band murder, step father, mystery detective, julia stoner, realised villain, ingredient murder mystery, slaughter speckled band,
Approximate Word count = 1594
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)