Perfect for writers and editors … 
Incredible! Excellent value and would expect nothing less from Louise Harnby. ​Depth and quality guaranteed!
MMBookReader • ★★★★★ Amazon reviewer

Learn how to craft killer sentences that keep readers turning the page​

This practical handbook shows you how to line edit crime, mystery and thriller fiction with confidence.
Each chapter explains how the topic works, then provides an accessible framework for editing at sentence level, and finishes with a lengthy before-and-after worked example that demonstrates line editing in action.
The goal: You’ll learn how to hone and apply sentence-level craft that will ensure the book’s scenes keep readers turning the pages long into the night.

​See how line editing strengthens a scene’s momentum

Read the complete ‘Momentum: Reducing drag’ chapter free. Explore a practical framework for identifying what’s slowing a scene down, then see a before-and-after edit with explanations of the changes.
This 17-page PDF includes the introduction and full contents list. No sign-up required.

Price

£29.99

Format

EPUB 3, PDF, Kindle and paperback
Print trim: 7" x 10"
125,000 words
​420 pages

Access

Amazon: As an Amazon Associate I earn a small commission if you purchase using the Amazon links.

EPUB 3 and PDF are available from my Payhip store (you get both!).

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★★★★★
I picked this up because I am a full-time crime novelist and wanted to see what a line editor looks for.
I can’t believe how many crime things it supports. It might take me a long time to read all of it but spot checking items I know that are in my books showed she addresses them in great detail.
Rick Mendes, US crime writer
Verified Amazon purchase

The line editing topics we’ll explore ...

Part 1. Essential foundations
Viewpoint • Psychic distance • Showing and telling • Atmosphere and mood • Decluttering prose • Momentum​
Part 2. Reader engagement and orientation
Opening pages • Opening lines • Foreshadowing • Clues • Suspicion • Misdirection • Suspense • Scene transitions • Chapter exits
Part 3. Character communication
Voice • Dialogue, thought and subtext • Interrogations • Embedded dialogue • Slurs in dialogue
Part 4. Pace, pressure and flow
Scene beats • Rhythm • Scene pacing • Tension • Urgency • Repetition • Verbs and adverbs ​
Part 5. Character presentation and identity
First-person narrator presence • Character references • Identity-led pronouns • Character description • Character framing • Backstory​
Part 6. Action, threat and harm
Fight scenes • Chase scenes • Fear and unease • Pain and injury • Gore and brutality • Aftermath, shock and trauma​

Why trust my advice?

I'm a professional fiction editor who's been helping writers tell better stories for twenty years. Here are four things worth knowing about me:

1.  I work exclusively with indie authors.
2.  I'm a genre specialist. Crime, mystery, suspense and thriller fiction are my thing.
3.  Line editing is my passion. Helping writers master sentence-level craft is one of the most rewarding parts of my job.
4.  This isn't my first rodeo. You might already have read Editing Fiction at Sentence Level. It's my bestselling book by a
​     mile. This new handbook takes the conversation much further for crime, mystery and thriller writers.

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