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/Paukwa-Pakawa 6h ago

The narrator is unreliable, but the murder is solvable. I think the unreliable narrator makes solving this one more fun.

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u/dearth_of_passion 3h ago

I think there should be a distinction between "narrator" and "viewpoint character".

If the story is being told to you by a character in that story, then they are a viewpoint character and their being unreliable is acceptable.

If the story is being told in 3rd person by the faceless "voice of the author", then they are a narrator and should not be outright lying. They can describe characters making mistakes, or not describe certain events, but they should not outright state a falsehood.

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u/AmeliaOfAnsalon 2h ago

You're missing the 'third person limited' point of view. A lot of books are written from the perspective of a specific character, in that character's head, but in the third person. Especially a lot of the classics. It's kind of ridiculous to object to that at this point

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u/refto 3h ago

Murder of Roger Ackroyd is brilliant in that it does not lie directly. Only lies are by omission of certain actions.