What elements would you say make up the perfect murder story? When you read about a murder mystery you need to be intrigued and want to keep reading. Authors often do this by using suspenseful and ominous moods to keep the reader interested. In Roald Dahl’s mysterious story “The Landlady,” he engages his readers with the building of suspense as the excerpt goes on. Authors often create captivating moods through the development of setting and foreshadowing. When Billy Weaver goes to Bath, the narrator explains how the deadly cold wind “was like a flat blade of ice on his cheeks” (106), giving us a feeling that something is off. As Billy walks through Bath, he finds that all of the building are identical, giving us a feeling of isolation and abandonment. As Billy was …show more content…
When he rings the bell the woman springs the door open and Billy “hadn’t even had time to take his finger from the [button] (108). The Landlady’s odd behaviour gives the reader an uneasy feeling that she is dangerous. When Billy walks into the house he notices that “there were no umbrellas, no walking-sticks -- nothing” (109), making us feel suspicious of this woman. There were no signs of anyone else in this house, even though she explained how she was swamped with applicants. If this lady is that picky about who stays, then something must be wrong. This foreshadows on the fact that something bad will be happening to Billy. Once Billy get his room set up he goes down to sign the guest book. He noticed that “there were only two other entries above his on the page” (111), which makes us question whether or not the women was telling the truth and how safe it really is there. Whilst Billy and the landlady were sitting in front of the fire, Billy noticed how the little dachshund and the parrott were not alive. Billy starts asking The Landlady questions about the stuffed pets and she tells him “ ‘ I stuff all my little pets myself when they pass away ’ ” (116), making the readers fear for Billy’s