Father Knox's Decalogue: The Ten Rules of (Golden Age) Detective Fiction
This tombstone, and Mr. Knox's remains, are in the cemetery at St. Andrews Church, Mells, Somerset, near Frome.
| 1. |
The criminal must be someone mentioned in the early part of the story, but must not be anyone whose thoughts the reader has been allowed to follow. |
| 2. |
All supernaural or preternatural agencies are ruled out as a matter of course. |
| 3. |
Not more than one secret room or passage is allowable. |
| 4. |
No hitherto undiscovered poisons may be used, nor any appliance which will need a long scientific explanation at the end. |
| 5. |
No Chinaman must figure in the story. |
| 6. |
No accident must ever help the detective, nor must he ever have an unaccountable intuition which proves to be right. |
| 7. |
The detective must not himself commit the crime. |
| 8. |
The detective must not light on any clues which are not instantly produced for the inspection of the reader. |
| 9. |
The stupid friend of the detective, the Watson, must not conceal any thoughts which pass through his mind; his intelligence must be slightly, but very slightly, below that of the average reader. |
| 10. |
Twin brothers, and doubles generally, must not appear unless we have been duly prepared for them. |
| Last updated: 30 March 2006 |
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