Detective Stories

A detective story begins with a crime and ends with a solution. In the worlds of Sherlock Holmes and Nero Wolfe, the gray cells do much of the deducing. In today’s fast-paced world, exploits in the story's middle encourage a sequel, making tension equally important to the puzzle.

Though not a true example, as no crime is involved, a 16tth century novel, The Travels and Adventures of Three Princes of Sarendip illustrates the elements of detection. Three princes are asked to explain how they know a certain, unseen camel is blind in one eye, lame, and missing a tooth. They deduce the blindness is obvious because the camel eats grass from only one side of the track, even though the grass is thicker on the other; uneven hoof prints in the dust indicate a dragging leg and reveal the camel’s lameness; and lumps of partly chewed food left in the animal's path suggest a missing tooth. (You can substitute an elephant and several blind men.)

Edgar Allan Poe introduced the detective story. Decades later, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s adventures created a full-blown interest in detective novels.

Rex Stout and Erle Stanley Gardner were my first. Do you have a favorite?