Sequel Reminders

Abstract

The fifth chapter switches to a different, structural issue: that of sequels, which have always appealed to authors of detective fiction. What does returning to an inaugural character require to revive interest in fresh adventures? In turn, how might a single sequel become a larger series, transforming the second novel into a succession of more or less ordered books that avoid simply starting over again, each as if anew? What instead does it take to weave together an enriched, intertwined history for a central detective, even one initially imagined as relatively two-dimensional? Exploring how subsequent novels cement reader loyalty by either addressing or sidestepping earlier episodes, this chapter looks at the stylistic stitching needed to integrate back-stories with more recent episodes. And it takes up the idiosyncratic strategies authors select to fuse memories and flashbacks together with psychological patterns, shaping the sum of individual parts into a more unified portrait.