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Murder Mysteries

 Murder Mysteries
type
TVTItem
 Murder Mysteries
label
Murder Mysteries
 Murder Mysteries
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MurderMysteries
 Murder Mysteries
comment
Murder Mysteries is a short story by Neil Gaiman which was adapted first into an audio drama for the Sci Fi Channel website's Seeing Ear Theatre and then into a Dark Horse graphic novel illustrated by P. Craig Russell.The story is divided into two main layers. The first is a framing narrative that focuses on a British man (the narrator) remembering his younger years when he was stuck in Los Angeles while trying to get back home. During his stopover, he briefly hooks up with an old flame named Tink, and after leaving her apartment he meets an older man who tells him a story in exchange for some cigarettes. The older man tells the narrator of when he was the angel Raguel, the embodiment of God's vengeance, and of his investigation of the first murder in the history of existence after the body of another angel, Carasel, was discovered dead in the Silver City. Along the way, he interacts with several other members of the divine hierarchy, including a pre-fallen Lucifer.The conclusion of the story is, not too surprising for Neil, a bit of a Mind Screw. The ending can be interpreted in different ways, and Gaiman himself provides an answer (see below), but it's hard to pin things down definitively.
 Murder Mysteries
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2023-11-27T15:01:25Z
 Murder Mysteries
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2023-11-27T15:01:25Z
 Murder Mysteries
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Dropped link to God: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Murder Mysteries
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DBTropes
 Murder Mysteries / int_1869b4b1
type
Unreliable Narrator
 Murder Mysteries / int_1869b4b1
comment
Unreliable Narrator: The narrator often mentions that he remembers certain things with crystal clarity and others, not at all. There's a reason for this, but what it might be is down to interpretation.
 Murder Mysteries / int_1869b4b1
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Murder Mysteries / int_1869b4b1
 Murder Mysteries / int_1994ba0b
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Gone Horribly Right
 Murder Mysteries / int_1994ba0b
comment
Gone Horribly Right: Of course, Raguel eventually figures out that Zephkiel is actually God - Raguel was created to be an investigator, after all. Unfortunately, Raguel makes the connection a little too late, but God had not intended him to figure out that he was the Chessmaster behind the actual murder.
 Murder Mysteries / int_1994ba0b
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 Murder Mysteries / int_1e7c47ab
type
Stealth Pun
 Murder Mysteries / int_1e7c47ab
comment
Stealth Pun: The story is a murder mystery but it is also a murder mystery.
 Murder Mysteries / int_1e7c47ab
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Murder Mysteries / int_1e7c47ab
 Murder Mysteries / int_323fd510
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Everyone Is a Suspect
 Murder Mysteries / int_323fd510
comment
Everyone Is a Suspect: Not because everyone hated Carasel, but because there was no obvious motive in the first place, and Raguel is willing to interview everyone in the Silver City to get to the bottom of things if he has to.
 Murder Mysteries / int_323fd510
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Murder Mysteries / int_323fd510
 Murder Mysteries / int_3f0b2f50
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Make It Look Like an Accident
 Murder Mysteries / int_3f0b2f50
comment
Make It Look Like an Accident: Even though it looks like Carasel had died from falling, Raguel figures out pretty quickly that he was dead before the body hit the ground.
 Murder Mysteries / int_3f0b2f50
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Murder Mysteries / int_3f0b2f50
 Murder Mysteries / int_40c57041
type
Manipulative Bastard
 Murder Mysteries / int_40c57041
comment
Manipulative Bastard: Zephkiel, aka God. By the end, it's clear that the murder was a multi-stage Batman Gambit, with the eventual goal being to provoke Lucifer's fall from Heaven. In the end, only Raguel can put the pieces together, and he is thoroughly disgusted.
 Murder Mysteries / int_40c57041
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 Murder Mysteries / int_4977559e
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Our Angels Are Different
 Murder Mysteries / int_4977559e
comment
Our Angels Are Different: They're naked and sexless, for starters.
 Murder Mysteries / int_4977559e
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Murder Mysteries / int_4977559e
 Murder Mysteries / int_518de95b
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Always Murder
 Murder Mysteries / int_518de95b
comment
Always Murder: It's right there in the title, folks.
 Murder Mysteries / int_518de95b
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Murder Mysteries / int_518de95b
 Murder Mysteries / int_5dfa0fde
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Omniscient Morality License
 Murder Mysteries / int_5dfa0fde
comment
Omniscient Morality License: The only way for God to not come off as an absolute bastard for His plan.
 Murder Mysteries / int_5dfa0fde
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 Murder Mysteries / int_6b2b3b59
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The Reveal
 Murder Mysteries / int_6b2b3b59
comment
The Reveal: Raguel assembles all of the suspects for his own angelic parlor scene.
 Murder Mysteries / int_6b2b3b59
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Murder Mysteries / int_6b2b3b59
 Murder Mysteries / int_7c4f6612
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Comic-Book Adaptation
 Murder Mysteries / int_7c4f6612
comment
Comic-Book Adaptation: P. Craig Russell drew one of these for Dark Horse, which is ironic because the story seems to be set in the DCU. note The Silver City is from DC Comics and Lucifer has a lot of similarities to his portrayal in Neil Gaiman's Sandman.
 Murder Mysteries / int_7c4f6612
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Murder Mysteries / int_7c4f6612
 Murder Mysteries / int_819b6384
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Sympathetic Murderer
 Murder Mysteries / int_819b6384
comment
Sympathetic Murderer: It's pretty hard to not empathize with Saraquael. Hell, even Lucifer sheds tears for him.
 Murder Mysteries / int_819b6384
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Murder Mysteries / int_819b6384
 Murder Mysteries / int_857d1626
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Power Glows
 Murder Mysteries / int_857d1626
comment
Power Glows: Raguel glows whenever his aspect comes upon him.
 Murder Mysteries / int_857d1626
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Murder Mysteries / int_857d1626
 Murder Mysteries / int_9d12bbc1
type
Foreshadowing
 Murder Mysteries / int_9d12bbc1
comment
Foreshadowing: Almost everything the narrator says during the first part of the story, depending on one's interpretation.
 Murder Mysteries / int_9d12bbc1
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Murder Mysteries / int_9d12bbc1
 Murder Mysteries / int_ab5eea65
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Dramatic Irony
 Murder Mysteries / int_ab5eea65
comment
Dramatic Irony: Hearing Lucifer say "Azazel would follow you anywhere" is a little chilling when you know what's coming.
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Murder Mysteries / int_ab5eea65
 Murder Mysteries / int_afc6df04
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What You Are in the Dark
 Murder Mysteries / int_afc6df04
comment
What You Are in the Dark: Lucifer willingly puts himself through these sorts of tests.
 Murder Mysteries / int_afc6df04
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Murder Mysteries / int_afc6df04
 Murder Mysteries / int_b85c06f2
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Glowing Eyes of Doom
 Murder Mysteries / int_b85c06f2
comment
Glowing Eyes of Doom: Raguel, whenever he is angry or using his powers.
 Murder Mysteries / int_b85c06f2
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Murder Mysteries / int_b85c06f2
 Murder Mysteries / int_bef696dd
type
Mind Screw
 Murder Mysteries / int_bef696dd
comment
Mind Screw: Did the man murder Tink and everyone else in the apartment? What did Raguel give him? How much of this is God controlling? What happens to the narrator in the elevator? There's a lot to screw your mind within here. Word of God: Yes, it was a murder, as it's all in the title.
 Murder Mysteries / int_bef696dd
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Murder Mysteries / int_bef696dd
 Murder Mysteries / int_d104235d
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Fair-Play Whodunnit
 Murder Mysteries / int_d104235d
comment
Fair-Play Whodunnit: It is pretty obvious that Saraquael had something to do with the murder even before The Reveal. Zephkiel's name means "God's Knowledge" and he is supposed to be one of 7 archangels who rule Heaven.
 Murder Mysteries / int_d104235d
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 Murder Mysteries / int_d39e327f
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What the Hell, Hero?
 Murder Mysteries / int_d39e327f
comment
What the Hell, Hero?: Raguel manages to deliver one of these to God Himself.
 Murder Mysteries / int_d39e327f
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Murder Mysteries / int_d39e327f
 Murder Mysteries / int_e567510d
type
Determinator
 Murder Mysteries / int_e567510d
comment
Determinator: Do not try to stop Raguel from doing his job. It will not end well.
 Murder Mysteries / int_e567510d
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 Murder Mysteries / int_e7b0229a
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Laser-Guided Amnesia
 Murder Mysteries / int_e7b0229a
comment
Laser-Guided Amnesia: It's implied that Raguel removed the narrator's memory of some of the events of the night they met.
 Murder Mysteries / int_e7b0229a
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Murder Mysteries / int_e7b0229a
 Murder Mysteries / int_e851b5
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The Plan
 Murder Mysteries / int_e851b5
comment
The Plan: God appears to be running one of these.
 Murder Mysteries / int_e851b5
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Murder Mysteries / int_e851b5
 Murder Mysteries / int_ee045685
type
Council of Angels
 Murder Mysteries / int_ee045685
comment
Council of Angels: No official council, but angels seem to be running things without direct contact from God.
 Murder Mysteries / int_ee045685
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 Murder Mysteries / int_eece5183
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Have You Seen My God?
 Murder Mysteries / int_eece5183
comment
Have You Seen My God?: The angels seem to be working without ever actually knowing where God is, but Raguel finds Him in the end.
 Murder Mysteries / int_eece5183
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 Murder Mysteries / int_f76b8969
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Anthropomorphic Personification
 Murder Mysteries / int_f76b8969
comment
Anthropomorphic Personification: Sort of, angels have specific roles, which sometimes seem to possess them.
 Murder Mysteries / int_f76b8969
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 Murder Mysteries / int_f788b2c5
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Love Makes You Evil
 Murder Mysteries / int_f788b2c5
comment
Love Makes You Evil: Saraquael murders Carasel because he cannot bear the pain of loving him and not being loved back. The implication of the frame story is that the narrator murdered Tink for the same reason.
 Murder Mysteries / int_f788b2c5
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Murder Mysteries

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Murder Mysteries
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Angel Works / int_a3ca8429
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Discount Lesbians / int_a3ca8429
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Let Off by the Detective / int_a3ca8429
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Murder Mysteries
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Place Before Time / int_a3ca8429
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Scary Shiny Glasses / int_a3ca8429
 Murder Mysteries
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