...or the variation where a detective has a friend/companion/new
acquaintance that may or may not be the killer and accompanies the detective
around to investigate, thus possibly investigating himself (though he is not
the main character, i.e. the detective). Jay Bonasinga (among others) used
this in HEADCASE.
Ron C.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com [mailto:rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com] On
> Behalf Of Mark Sullivan
> Sent: Wednesday, April 08, 2009 1:48 PM
> To: rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: Re: RARA-AVIS: question about plot idea
>
> And then there's the unreliable narrator variation where a detective will
insert
> himself into an investigation of himself in order to muddy the waters
and/or deal
> with any evidence or witnesses that are found. The reader may or may not
be in
> on the detective's guilt. Won't give the title and ruin things, but Wade
Miller did a
> nice job with this idea.
>
> Mark
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jeff Vorzimmer
> Sent: Wednesday, April 8, 2009 3:55 PM
> To: rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: Re: RARA-AVIS: question about plot idea
>
> Dave,
>
> I believe this plot device was first used in Kenneth Fearing's novel The
Big Clock,
> which was remade as recently as 1987 as No Way Out. Although not a
detective
> and not really guilty of a crime, the main character is hired to find a
suspect that is
> of course, himself. Also was that kind of the theme of the film Momento?
>
> Jeff
>
> ---- davezeltserman <davezelt@rcn.com> wrote:
> > I heard a thriller writing talking the other night about how his latest
book has the
> "unique" plot device of having the detective investigating the crime and
realizing
> that he might be the guilty party. This immediately brought Hjortsberg's
Fallen
> Angel to mind, as well as one of my own books, and vaguely reminded me of
a
> Cornell Woolrich book. I'm guessing this is actually a pretty common plot
device,
> with the detective suffering blackouts, amnesia, etc., and am wondering
whatever
> books people here have read that use this.
> >
> > --Dave
> >
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> RARA-AVIS home page: http://www.miskatonic.org/rara-avis/
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> RARA-AVIS home page: http://www.miskatonic.org/rara-avis/
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : 08 Apr 2009 EDT