8 Elements of a Detective story

1. Genial admiring narrator - somewhat incomprehensibly follows teh detective around
2. The detectives intelligence and analytical abilities are always greater than the police
3. a trail of circumstantial evidence of false clues (aka red hairing) point to the wrong person
4. It is usually the least likely person that turns out to be the killer
5. A seemingly trivial or irrelevant detail holds the key to the crime
6. There is usually an unexpected strategy employed by the detective to solve the case
7. The more bizarre the crime, the simpler the solution
8. When all possible scenarios have been eliminated whatever remains, however improbable, must be the answer

Ratiocination - the process of deduction