The Hook (Two Sentences)

“A husband becomes prime suspect when his wife vanishes on their anniversary. But which version of their marriage is the truth?”

This hook establishes the thriller’s core: nothing is as it seems.

The Core Paragraph (Five Sentences with Connections)

Nick Dunne believes marriage is about playing your assigned role (lie). THEREFORE when Amy disappears, he performs grief badly, making himself the prime suspect. BUT Amy has orchestrated her disappearance to frame him for murder. THEREFORE Nick must prove his innocence by exposing Amy’s lies. BUT the truth about their marriage is worse than either of their lies.

Character Foundations

Nick Dunne

1. The Wound: Father’s misogyny and violence shaped him
2. The Lie: “I can be a good man by not being my father”
3. The Mask: The charming, easygoing guy
4. The Want: To be seen as innocent
5. The Need: To face his own capacity for darkness
6. The Engine: His passivity enables Amy’s manipulation

Amy Elliott Dunne

1. The Wound: Parents commodified her as “Amazing Amy”
2. The Lie: “I must be perfect to be loved”
3. The Mask: The cool girl, the perfect wife
4. The Want: To punish Nick for not loving her performance
5. The Need: To be seen without the mask
6. The Engine: Her perfectionism becomes psychopathy

Conflict Grid

But/Therefore/Meanwhile in Action

The thriller structure alternates present investigation with past revelations:

• Nick discovers Amy missing THEREFORE calls police
• BUT his behavior seems suspicious
• MEANWHILE (flashback) Amy’s diary reveals different marriage
• THEREFORE police suspect Nick more
• BUT Nick realizes diary is fabricated
• MEANWHILE Amy executes next phase of plan
• THEREFORE Nick must play Amy’s game to survive

Why This Thriller Works

Structure: Every revelation recontextualizes what came before Character: Both protagonists are villain and victim Momentum: Truth makes everything worse, not better

The genius is that both characters’ lies are partially true. Nick IS capable of violence. Amy IS performing constantly. The thriller works because solving the mystery doesn’t solve the problem—it reveals a deeper horror.

Key Thriller Applications

1. Information as Weapon: Use Therefore/But to reveal information that reverses everything
2. Unreliable Narrators: Character lies literally shape the narrative
3. Meanwhile Misdirection: What happens offscreen matters most
4. Truth as Trap: Characters’ needs conflict with survival

Thrillers thrive on the gap between Want (solve the mystery) and Need (face the truth about yourself).