A good detective story has a recognisable rhythm and plot points. But how did these tropes come about? And what happens when you break the rules?

This episode of Shedunnit was first released in February 2019 and is repeated here in a rerecorded and remastered version.

Find more information about this episode and links to the books discussed at shedunnitshow.com/therules.

The podcast is on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram as @ShedunnitShow, and you can find it in all major podcast apps. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss the next episode. Click here to do that now in your app of choice.

Books and articles mentioned in order of appearance:

—The Red House Mystery by A. A. Milne

—T. S. Eliot on detective fiction

—The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

— S. S. van Dine’s “Twenty Rules for Writing Detective Stories”

—Strong Poison by Dorothy L. Sayers

—The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie

—Unnatural Death by Dorothy L. Sayers

—Ronald Knox’s Decalogue

—The Golden Age of Murder by Martin Edwards

—Busman’s Honeymoon by Dorothy L. Sayers

—The Hollow Man by John Dickson Carr

—The Eye in the Museum by J. J. Connington

—The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

— "Who Cares Who Killed Roger Ackroyd?” by Edmund Wilson

—Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie

—The Crime at Black Dudley by Margery Allingham

Find a full transcript of this episode at shedunnitshow.com/therulestranscript

NB: Links to Blackwell’s are affiliate links, meaning that the podcast receives a small commission when you purchase a book there (the price remains the same for you). Blackwell’s is a UK bookselling chain that ships internationally at no extra charge.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices