One idea could be a detective investigating a series of art thefts in a big city. The thief seems to have a very specific taste in art and always leaves behind a strange symbol at the crime scene. Another idea is a small - town lawyer who discovers a deep - rooted corruption scheme while defending a seemingly innocent client. Or perhaps a story about a group of hackers who target banks but end up uncovering a much larger criminal conspiracy.
A crime fiction story could center around a small town where a series of murders occur. The victims all seem to be connected in some way, perhaps they were all involved in a long - forgotten scandal. The local sheriff, who is new to the town, has to deal with the suspicion and secrecy of the townspeople while trying to solve the murders. There could be a sub - plot where the sheriff has his own secrets that could potentially interfere with the investigation.
You could write a story where a jewel thief targets a famous actress during a high - profile awards ceremony. The thief manages to swap the real jewels for fakes right under everyone's noses, but leaves behind a single clue that a sharp - eyed security guard picks up on.
One idea could be a story about a detective who is investigating a series of art thefts in a small, wealthy town. The detective discovers that the thief is actually the curator of the local museum who is stealing the art to sell on the black market to pay off his gambling debts.
A crime short story could revolve around a con artist who targets wealthy, lonely widows. She befriends them, gains their trust, and then slowly drains their bank accounts. But one of her targets has a secret of her own - she was once a con artist too. This leads to a battle of wits between the two women, with the younger con artist realizing she may have bitten off more than she can chew.
You can start by looking at real - life crimes and giving them a fictional twist. For example, if there was a famous bank robbery, you could change the location, the motives of the robbers, and add some unique characters. Another way is to think about different occupations and how they could be involved in crime. A librarian could be stealing rare books, or a doctor could be involved in illegal organ trading. You can also get inspiration from different settings like a cruise ship, an abandoned asylum, or a high - tech corporate office.
Imagine a story where a forensic scientist discovers a pattern in a series of seemingly unrelated crimes. The crimes are spread across different states, but the evidence left behind points to a single mastermind. The scientist teams up with a hard - boiled detective, and together they follow the trail of evidence. They face many obstacles, including attempts to destroy the evidence and false leads planted by the criminal. As they get closer to the truth, they realize that the mastermind has a personal vendetta against one of them.
You could write about a group of art thieves who plan to steal a famous painting from a highly secured museum. They spend months studying the security system, the guards' routines, and even the building's layout. But what they don't know is that one of their own is an undercover cop. This creates a tense situation where the thieves are constantly on edge, suspecting each other, while still trying to pull off the heist.
They still influence modern crime stories a great deal. For instance, by ensuring that the criminal is introduced early, it keeps the mystery within a certain framework that the readers can follow. Modern writers often abide by these rules to some extent to make their stories more engaging.
The main ideas likely revolve around an alternative view of crime fiction. It might explore aspects that are not typically covered in the mainstream history of crime fiction, perhaps looking at under - represented sub - genres, forgotten authors, or different cultural perspectives within the genre.