eMysteries Toolkit

The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. [Project Number: 2019-1-DE03-KA201-060127] 16 Often the detective has an assistant for example in the Sherlock Holmes stories his sidekick is Dr. Watson, who by asking naive questions helps to clarify the theoretical issues. The reader thus has the opportunity to follow the brilliant deductive thinking skills of Sherlock Holmes. Clues Standard ingredients of the investigation into the crime are further puzzling elements, misleading clues (called “red herrings”), and the seemingly watertight alibi; they serve to hamper the investigation and are thus means of increasing suspense. False clues divert attention to other characters. These might have been in the right place at the right time, even if they have nothing to do with the whole thing. In some characters’ hands they are important evidence. False clues are often also plausible. They deceive the reader at least for a while. They are not always immediately identifiable as false leads. In all detective stories the reader follows the detective during his investigations. He reads how the detective compiles witness statements and clues to solve the crime, and he tries to find out the context and background of the crime. Most of the time, however, the detective is ahead of the reader and has experienced or thought things that he does not tell the reader. This increases the suspense, and moreover the detective can baffle the reader in the end with the correct reconstruction of the plot of the crime. Sequence of events The sequence and time period of the events determine the plot. If the plot runs over a period of many years, time jumps are necessary to tell the story in time- lapse. If the action takes place within a few hours, the events take place one after the other. In order that the story does not become too long and the suspense does not come too short, it is often built up chronologically. Flashbacks are difficult to handle. They always tear the reader away from the current story. With a chronological time sequence for the most important characters the best conditions are given to develop a logical and exciting finish to the story.