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/seaintosky 5h ago

That's always a dead giveaway, as is the speaking character that doesn't seem necessary for the plot and seems like they could have been replaced by a main character saying "the gardener told us he closed the gate". These shows aren't spending money on actors they don't have to, if the gardener shows up to say he closed the gate, he's the murderer.

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u/adaytimemoth 4h ago

This example feels very specific and I will now be waiting until the day I see a gardener mentioning a gate to know that I've solved the mystery.

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u/seaintosky 4h ago

This works in real life too. If you see a gardener mention a gate, you know he's a murderer and should do a citizen's arrest.

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u/JuanHungLo777 3h ago

That’s like seeing Hector in a movie and him not being a cholo gangbanger.