While creating a compelling, unexpected plot is undoubtedly one of the most important aspects of crime fiction, we can never underestimate the importance of finding the emotional heart of the book either.

After all, if there is nothing to care about in the story – no characters to feel for, no events that pack an emotional punch as well as an intellectual one – the book will end up somewhat empty. It won’t be anywhere near as interesting and readers could well end up asking ‘what’s the point?’

The good news is that the ‘heart’ of crime fiction can come in many guises, so no matter what kind of work you are writing, you should have plenty of interesting options to explore. One common theme in this sort of fiction is the sense of an absence or something being lost. The loss of life, the loss of a loved one, the loss of freedom or innocence, of trust…

That then gives way to a wide range of other emotions that could well be central to a book: anger, love, uncertainty, grief. The challenge is often in deciding where your primary focus should be.

Do you, for instance, decide that the death of the victim is going to be the emotional centre of the book? Or could you make it so that the focus is on a relative of the victim? The antagonist? A combination of several different ideas?

It’s possible to explore a wide range of emotions and actions that add depth and heart to a crime novel. That multiplicity of options is one of the things that makes the genre so compelling, but there is something of a skill in finding where that heart is and making sure it fits in with everything else: the characters, the plot, how you want things to develop and so on.

Still, when it’s done right, that sort of exploration can really help to elevate a book. What do you think?