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Structure and Sources: Mainly keep in mind that the plot comes first and that the actions of the characters are 'retrofitted' into it, which is how a detective story differs from a crime novel where of course the characters themselves drive the plot. Any central pivot, such as an expertise about some unusual subject, is up to the author -- as long as it is accurate.

The Need for Unity: In other words, make the story fit the devised crime. A person -detective, suspect, witness -- should not act out of 'character' just because the plot demands it. In that case, it is better just to redesign the character.

The Detective: This is almost axiomatic -- one must have a detective who is distinctively defined, preferably a series detective (which saves having to create a new one for each book -- easier that way both for the writer and the reader and engenders a familiarity that ensures comfort and a market for new books). Initially defining a detective whom readers can 'identify' with as a familiar friend is one of the hardest things, apart from plotting, for a detective novelist to do, but once done removes the burden of re-explication.

Viewpoint: Standard literary practice, whatever the genre. There has to be a consistency of delivery for the story, no matter what technique is used (first person, omniscient, point-of-view, whatever).

The Crime: There really must be a murder, or at least a major felony -- otherwise, what's the point? Who's ripping off the hand towels at the Dorchester Hotel is hardly the business of a mystery novel.

The Title: "The best advice to the author faced with the selection of a title is not to worry about it." Having a good title and basing the book on it is like the tail wagging the dog. 'Nuff said.

The Plot: Keep it flowing from one thing to another and don't get side tracked into deadends. Well, that's common sense for all fiction.

Emotion and Drama: Of course for dramatic reasons there has to be some of this for the sake of interesting the reader, but for the most part remember that this is a novel of detection, not a love story.

The Puzzle Element: Don't make that the whole story; this is not a crossword puzzle. Background and Setting: Basically, the author should be familiar personally with the location. If you were in Aruba for three hours on a cruise ship trip, don't set your novel in Aruba based on that. Use real settings when possible, for verisimilitude, and be accurate. And, PS, don't borrow somebody else's setting, such as Wuthering Heights.

Characters and Characterization: Not all of the players need to be fully defined -- puppet roles are fine (cops, servants, etc.) -- but at least the detective, the murderer, and preferably the victim should be convincingly realized. Is this obvious or what? But a lot of formula mysteries totally ignore this precept. Style: Avoid corniness, pretentiousness, and overwriting. (Duh...)

The Devices of Detection: Don't be so elaborate as to make the dnouement incomprehensible. Beware of ignorance of the simple rules of evidence and forensics. (Then follows a whole list of things to avoid, like tobacco ashes, locked rooms, footprints, etc., but that is just HH's judgment based on what were clichs then. If it works, then it's OK, right?)

Physical Boundaries: This is basically advice on how long a mystery novel or story should be. Times change -- sometimes very lengthy, sometimes very short, now lengthy again (because of the high cover cost of a book these days -- padding out an extra couple hundred pages, which isn't that more expensive production-wise, makes the reader think it's worth the money).

Some General Considerations: Basically extols the existence of bodies like The Detection Club in England, which encouraged new ventures in this genre, and was a professional forum for both established and hopeful writers. MWA encourages this now in the US (but not so much back then).

The criminal must be somebody mentioned in the story. Supernatural elements are allowable for atmospheric or plot reasons Secret passages or hidden rooms are all right Avoid unknown Amazonian arrow poisons or newly invented Death-Ray machines

Do not use 'foreigners' or other aliens as major characters unless you have some real understanding of their culture and mind-set Avoid accidental solutions, as they are hardly fair in a story of deduction and the presentation of real clues. The criminal should not be someone you have intentionally presented as totally trustworthy. All clues must be revealed, although it is perfectly legitimate to disguise them.

There should but doesn't have to be a 'Watson' or some observing point of view that sees but misinterprets the events under investigation. Do not try to fool the reader with improbable impersonations, such as a woman posing as a man or vice versa

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is a collection of twelve stories by Arthur Conan Doyle, featuring his famous detective and illustrated by Sidney Paget. These are the first of the Sherlock Holmes short stories, originally published as single stories in the Strand Magazine from July 1891 to June 1892. The book was published in England on October 14 1892 by George Newnes Ltd and in a US Edition on October 15 by Harper. The initial combined print run was 14,500 copies. The book was banned in the Soviet Union in 1929 for occultism, although the book shows few to no signs of such material. However, later the embargo was lifted.

The 12 stories in this collection are:

"A Scandal in Bohemia" "The Red-Headed League" "A Case of Identity" "The Boscombe Valley Mystery" "The Five Orange Pips" "The Man with the Twisted Lip" "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" "The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb" "The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor" "The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet" "The Adventure of the Copper Beeches"

After our narrator Dr. John Watson gets married (to Mary Morstan, in Conan Doyle's second Sherlock Holmes novel, The Sign of Four) he doesn't see Holmes quite as often as he used to. As Watson sets up a happy home with his wife, Holmes remains as weird as ever, hanging around their old place in Baker Street and alternating between cocaine and criminal cases. Watson happens to be passing his former apartment on the walk back from his medical practice one evening, and decides to stop in to see his old pal Holmes. The two bat jokes back and forth about Holmes's deductive ability. Holmes finally comes out and asks if Watson can even recall the number of stairs that lead up to the 221B Baker Street apartment, and Watson admits that he cannot. "Ah ha!" crows Holmes: proof that, while Watson sees the same things that Holmes does, he fails to observe them.

A new client arrives to meet Holmes and, after trying to hide his identity for about two seconds, comes clean: he is Wilhelm Gottsreich Sigismond von Ormstein, Grand Duke of Cassel-Felstein and hereditary King of Bohemia (whoa, that's a lot of letters for one name! Bohemia, by the way, is now part of the modern-day Czech Republic). His problem is that he's about to marry the daughter of the King of Scandinavia. The thing is, though, she's from a family with very strict morals, and she wouldn't be pleased to know that he had a serious affair with another woman before their engagement. This woman is Irene Adler who lives on in Holmes's memory as the woman. She's a singer who met the King in Warsaw, where they subsequently had a bit of a fling. Unfortunately, the King allowed himself to be photographed with Adler, and she has the picture. The King wants Holmes to recover the incriminating photo. Holmes agrees.

Holmes then puts on a disguise and goes to Irene Adler's current house in London to stake it out. He finds out that she gets frequent calls from a lawyer, Godfrey Norton. Holmes even happens to be on the site when Adler rushes out of her house to meet Norton at a small church and get this our detective is actually called upon (still in disguise) to be the witness for her marriage to the guy. After their surprise elopement, Adler goes back to her house, and Holmes realizes he has to hurry to get the photo back before she has a chance to leave with her new husband. Holmes comes up with the perfect plan for finding the photo: he disguises himself as a clergyman, stages a riot outside her house, pretends to be injured, and is carried into her living room for medical treatment. Meanwhile, Watson, waiting outside, throws a smoke bomb into her house through the open living room window. In a moment's panic, Adler runs for a small hidden compartment in the wall, where, Holmes guesses, she keeps the photograph. At this discovery, and amidst the confusion, Holmes takes off with Watson in tow. The two wind up back at Holmes's apartment building. As Holmes is looking for his key, a young man walks by and greets him by name, with a cheery "Good evening." The next morning, the King of Bohemia arrives at Holmes's apartment, where Holmes and Watson are waiting. All three head off to Adler's house. To Holmes's surprise, an elderly woman is expecting them. She hands Holmes a letter signed by Irene Adler and addressed to Holmes himself.

Adler's letter tells Holmes that she had been warned that he was on her trail. Even so, she didn't recognize him immediately when she saw him disguised as such a kindlylooking old priest. But she guessed that it was Holmes when she realized the smoke bomb was a fake fire alarm. Adler then confirmed Holmes's identity by putting on men's clothes (she was once an actress), following him to his home, and greeting him by name. Adler tells Holmes she's keeping the photos as collateral against the King should he ever decide to ruin her reputation. But for now, she's content to live with her new, much worthier husband, and she considers the matter finished.

The King is satisfied with this news, even though Holmes apologizes for failing to recover the photo. Holmes then asks the King if he can keep the photograph of Adler alone that accompanied the letter. The King, surprised, agrees. Watson finishes the story by adding that, while Holmes used to joke about women's intelligence, he hasn't been cracking wise lately: Adler will always be, for Holmes, the ultimate woman.