The Mousetrap question: Agatha Christie was a master of suspenseful writing. In The Mousetrap, she uses the play’s setting, the events of the plot, and a flurry of false facts to build and sustain suspense. What is the effect of these techniques? Write an extended response in which you explain what suspense is and why it matters in mystery writing. Then consider how each of these three techniques contributes to the play’s suspense.

As you answer, use a five-paragraph structure. Introduce the work and explain what suspense is and why it matters in the first (introductory) paragraph. End this first paragraph with a thesis about Christie’s use of the three techniques of suspense. Then, in the second paragraph, discuss setting and suspense. In the third paragraph, discuss how the plot events build suspense. In the fourth paragraph, deal with how false information creates suspense. Finally, conclude your essay with a brief paragraph in which you make your thesis statement clear once again. Throughout your response, use details from the play to support your ideas.