Bingo Hilldweller Mysteries

[Nurumaiel]

Bingo Hilldweller, a hobbit in the Shire who's hobby is to solve mysteries....

I've been pondering this idea for awhile. A Lord of the Rings mystery series. However, before I start putting my time into writing it, I need to know what thoughts are about it. A good idea? Bad? All right? Wonderful? The worst you ever heard?

Awaiting Answers,
Nurumaiel

[nevlhachien]

i think it sounds fun and interesting. i wound read the stories. i think you really should start writing them. now i am all excited and i want to write something like that!!!

[Nurumaiel]

Nev,

Feel free to write your own if you'd like. I feel as though I've been reading too many Miss Marples, but ah well. I hold no claim to the idea of a LotR mystery series, though I'm going to do one. I do, however, have claim to Mr. Bingo Hilldweller.

Nuru

[nevlhachien]

I am so angry because I have so much homework lately that I havent been able to write anythin! But this weekend maybe I will get to. I think I already started writing a story about all of the adventures of an elf maiden so maybe i should write more on that instead of starting a new thing. Yeah that is what I will do.

[Elentari]

I think it's a great idea!

Homework is annoying... plus I should be revising for year 10 exams *whitles; twiddles thumbs* I haven't added anything to my book for ages. I did a tiny bit at school, but that was cause the internet was down... ;D

[Nurumaiel]

From now on as I finish chapters I'll give out extracts. I don't want to hand out all of it until it's finished, so...

Let me know what you think.

EXTRACT OF CHAPTER ONE
The Pile of Leaves

His keen eyes spotted a large pile of leaves beyond the clearing, in a dark little place in the woods. "Now I wonder who could have wanted to put the leaves there," he said softly to himself. Not that it really matters… it just seems to be the tradition of those in Bindbale to put the leaves in the clearing, where they always have. And all these hobbits like to follow tradition. He grinned. Except for myself, of course.

Making up his mind to investigate this, he turned, then stopped. Later he would investigate. That was the biggest pile of leaves yet, and he wanted to go kick it down. If he kicked the top layer off, he'd still have the bottom layer to kick, and that would leave him with two piles of leaves. With that thought eagerly in mind, he scurried towards the pile, slipping on the carpet he had created, laughing delightedly to himself each time he fell. The old hobbit women who sat stitching together in their gardens spoke in perfect truth when they said sometimes Griffo Hill didn't act his fifty-two years!

Griffo came to the pile of leaves and stared at it for a moment, trying to fix the image in his head to last through the long winter that was to come. It was almost too beautiful a pile to destroy. Someone had obviously arranged it with the greatest care.

"All right, then," he said, taking a deep breath. "Die!" And he kicked at the top of the leaves. He never got around to kicking the bottom of the pile that still remained, however. With a little cry he stumbled back, leaning against a tree trunk and breathing heavily, staring in wide-eyed horror and shock down at the leaves. Lying in them, just where he had kicked the leaves off, was a young hobbit woman, her open, staring eyes wider than Griffo's own, filled with terror… and a knife was plunged into her heart.

[Nurumaiel]

EXTRACT OF CHAPTER TWO
Ale and Fire

Bingo interrupted him rather rudely, but he didn't care. He knew how Griffo could ramble on sometimes, and that was most certainly something he did not want. Maybe later, when he wanted the story told again in great detail, but right now he wanted nothing said from Griffo but an answer to one of his own questions.

"Why couldn't you get a mug of ale at the Wood? That's a much shorter walk than all the way to Bywater."

"Well… I…" Griffo hesitated, then he leaned forward and said quietly, "I wanted to see you, Bingo… about all this."

"HA!" Bingo yelled, leaping to his feet. His pipe, forgotten for the moment, dropped to his chair. Pacing back and forth, he rubbed his hands together in satisfaction. "Ho, ho, ho!" he said, grinning broadly. "So you think I'm all that clever, do you? So good with burglaries and murders?"

"Burglaries and… er, Bingo, I don't quite understand."

"Oh." Bingo stopped pacing and looked at Griffo with a little frown. "Of course you wouldn't. You're from Bindbale Wood, after all. But here in Bywater I'm known as an excellent story-teller… and I specialize in mysteries."

[Nurumaiel]

EXTRACT OF CHAPTER THREE
Miss Mirabella Banks

"Er… yes. But, I say, Bingo, how do we know it's this Mirabella Banks? I've never seen the dead hobbit in my life before, and I've never heard of Mirabella Banks."

"Haven't you?" the Shirriff's voice had a sharp tone in it. "We could identify her for you in much detail. We learned, you see, from reliable sources, just who she was, and everything about her relations."

"Hurrah!" said Bingo, clapping and leaping towards Bridger. "Allow me to congratulate you, Shirriff, for your admirable work in such a short time. Now, identify her in detail."

Griffo had turned very pale and he sighed turning his face. "No need to," he said. "I'll admit it. I know who Mirabella Banks is, and the body we found was indeed hers." He looked back to them, great pain and grief in his eyes and on his face. "She was my daughter."

"There, you see, he knows who she is," said Bingo, completely unfeeling for poor Griffo. "I guessed as soon as he said he'd never seen her in his life, because, as we know, that's what they all say. I, you know, specialize in the art of storytelling and murders have been - "

Bridger cleared his throat as a polite way of interrupting Bingo. "Perhaps, Mr. Hill, you would like something to drink? I think, sir," he said, addressing Bingo this time (whose name was unknown to the Shirriff), "that it would be much easier to talk over a drink."

"Yes, yes, I'll get something."

"No, no need to do that. We'll just go to the Green Dragon."