[This is taken from an e-newsletter sent out by the writer Bruce Hale. You can find more information at Bruce Hale Writing Tips.]
When I wrote my first mystery, I had no idea how to do it. I
actually had characters tell my detective riddles that would lead
him to the next thing he needed to discover. To be honest, I had
no clue how to construct a clue.
But after you write a few of these things, you start to see how the
mystery is made. Herewith, four helpful hints on writing a mystery:
1. Play fair with the reader
Mystery readers hope that you’ll surprise them, but that surprise
must be a fair one. You can’t tease readers with three suspects
throughout your story, and then suddenly reveal that a character
they’ve never met is responsible. That’s not playing fair.
Don't forget the unwritten rule: write!
Many mystery readers try to figure things out as they go along. To
play fair with these people, you need to plant a clue or two that
points toward your real culprit. Make it subtle, a throwaway line
perhaps, but make sure it’s there.
2. Keep your reader’s age in mind
Obviously, the mystery in a Cam Jansen chapter book is going to be
just a tad simpler than that in a Raymond Chandler tale. You want
to keep your reader guessing, but you don’t want things to be so
convoluted that he or she gets completely lost — especially in a
children’s book.
Your story should be just a little trickier than readers think they
can handle. If you have any doubts, ask a reader in your target
age range to take a look at the story. If your story leaves her
completely clueless, it’s time to simplify.
3. Merrily misdirect
One of the keys to successful mystery writing is misdirection.
Your readers should suspect every possible culprit but the real
one.
How do you do this? Make your clues point strongly toward one
character, then show that he’s innocent. Make your suspects take
actions that can have two interpretations, and let the reader and
detective erroneously assume the worst.
4. Write from the ending
Most mystery writers I talk with say that they figure out the
ending first — what’s the crime, who’s the culprit, why’d they do
it? — before plotting the rest of the book. Once you’ve got that
sorted out, it’s a matter of concealing it.
You’ll want your detective to take a circuitous route, often
running into brick walls. You’ll want her to think she’s got it
all solved, only to have the rug pulled out from under her.
Mysteries are all about the progressive unraveling of the unknown.
But it’s the *way* you unravel it — using misdirection, considering
your reader, and playing fair — that makes for a satisfying read.
Booker's Blog 
Sign of times: Quality Used Furniture
While the photo is not the clearest it could be, in its own way it may match the hand-painted sign that reads “Quality Used Furniture,” and underneath it are sections of firewood. Could the sign be referring to the birds that once nested in the tree’s branches? To the squirrels, rodents though they may be, that once frolicked about from sturdy limb to sturdy limb as they ventured forth from their squirrel nest? Or is this type of furniture what is meant by rustic or roughing it? Possibly this is a Platonic set of furniture. Furniture glimpsed obliquely and incompletely in its state of perfection.
What do you think it is? Make up your own caption and send it my way. I may list the most interesting ones.
The sign read: Quality Used Furniture
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