Several books dedicated to writing have been published in the “Teach Yourself” (Ucz się Sam) series. One of them is the book “How to Write a Detective Novel” by Leslie Grant-Adamson, published in 1999. Leslie Grant-Adamson reveals the secrets of writing both the classic detective story and books belonging to modern varieties of the genre. What elements make up a good detective story? Where to get ideas? How to link? How to build character profiles? How to develop the plot? How to get the necessary information? How to improve your style and use different storytelling techniques? How to get out of a situation from which there is no return? In addition to answers to these questions, the Book includes advice on establishing contacts with the publisher, explains the rules for editing the text. This amateur translation was made from the Polish edition, and not from the English original. It includes the first nine chapters of the book and describes the main stages of writing a detective novel, ending with its publication.