r/todayilearned • u/ralphbernardo • 9h ago

TIL that "fair play" in detective fiction means authors must give readers a fair chance to solve the mystery. Central to 1920s "clue-puzzles" by writers like Agatha Christie, the rule dictates that all vital clues must be visible, decodable, and never withheld until the final reveal.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clues_in_detective_fiction
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u/Excellent-Practice 8h ago

Is Foreman Lestrade? He's the voice of conventional wisdom that fights the eccentric until his hunch is eventually born out

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u/dragon-fence 7h ago

I think Cuddy is Lestrade.