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
>
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