Unlocking the mind of a detective

On a damp night, you can just make out the silhouette of a man in a deer-hunting cap and a trench coat, placidly standing in a corner. His pipe is lit and his gaze is fixed on something.

You follow his line of sight to find him studying a Chinese peddler selling goods across the street. The man furrows his eyebrows and walks away, very deep in his own thoughts. Naturally, you are drawn to this austere man – this peculiar fellow you chanced upon.

You try to follow him at his brisk pace through the crowd, but you lose him just as he turns the corner. Just then, another hurrying stranger bumps into you and shoves a folded piece of paper into your hand.

You open the note and it is a telegram that reads: “Follow at own risk. Death is a light consequence for irresponsible meddling. You have been warned.” You heave a sigh and slump on the wall adjacent to you. You have just found yourself in another mystery.

Mystery stories are definitely one of the most loved genres of fictional literature. Ever since Edgar Allan Poe created Monsieur C. Auguste Dupin in his short story, The Murders in Rue Morgue, detective pieces have become popular and this popularity has never waivered. Of course, the most timeless or perhaps, the most iconic figure for a detective is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, who first came onto paper once A Study in Scarlet was published in The Beeton’s Christmas Annual in 1887. More contemporary detectives left the antique and Victorian London for a more modern audience.

In 1927 and 1930, the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew made their respective debuts in the area of juvenile fiction. Set in America, these stories were less strange and less dark than their English predecessors, which made the pieces palatable for the young, yet curious reader.

There is something so inarguably engaging in well-written detective stories. The main mystery or plot can sink its fangs into a reader and drag him or her along for the rest of the adventure.

In essence, most detective stories are so appealing because they tell of the seldomly explored corners of society – the criminal underground. The idea of crime, instead of being feared, is toyed with and interpreted differently from one detective story to another.

For some reason, the exploitation of violence, theft, murder and syndicates has a worldwide appeal. For example, in Japan, Asian detective stories dominate the content of magazines that fill the racks at bookstores. These magazines track the movements of Yakuza (Japanese Mafia) as they do business, whether legal or illegal.

But of course, the main star of the mystery story is the detective and it is to him or her we attribute the efforts of dissecting a crime scene and the evidence until the motive and man are found.

It is the detective’s method of thinking that makes him stand out.

Detectives have a certain way of unravelling the truth. Taking a closer look at Sherlock Holmes, he is fond of solving mysteries that come his way. What makes this detective so legendary?

“It is of the highest importance in the art of detection to be able to recognize out of a number of facts which are incidental and which are vital. Otherwise your energy and attention must be dissipated instead of being concentrated,” -The Reigate Squires, a Sherlock Holmes short story.

Using his profound skills as a detective, Holmes first analyzes the circumstances of a crime. Hypothetically speaking, allow yourself to place Holmes in a setting unknown to him. Picture him being trapped inside wherever that is. One would find Holmes scrutinizing every single detail in the room. Despite how insignificant a small detail might be, he would take it all in because he tries to look at situations in various perspectives. He foresees how each detail would affect something when placed in a certain situation.

How can you find out if you are observant? Pretty simple actually, when placed in a pressured environment, you still maintain the ability to think clearly without letting panic affect you.

“When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” –The Sign of the Four

Through his past cases, Holmes subtly tells us to focus and gather facts that lead to proving one’s theory.

Another trick of Holmes in handling difficult situations is emotional detachment. Emotions can complicate objectivity.

Many tend to think about the outcome that would affect them emotionally, which may blur one’s decision and judgement. Perhaps this is also the reason that there are more male detectives than female detectives. Females tend to follow their emotions in making decisions, which is probably the reasoning for the argument that males can handle circumstances better than women.

“It is a capital mistake to theorize before you have all the evidence. It biases the judgment.” -A Study in Scarlet.

When intuition comes into the picture, Holmes makes certain that all the facts and logic are in line with his intuition, as completely following gut-feel could lead to poor calls in making decisions.

Now that we have explored the mind of a famous detective, we are left flabbergasted wanting to be like them, too. Imagine living life seeking for answers and truth, always faced with life’s thrill of solving all sorts of cases and mysteries, always being a target for danger and finding oneself in the stickiest situations.

In reality, we do face similar situations like these detectives. We have our own set of problems we have yet to figure out for ourselves. Though the difference between us and the detectives we look up to is that we tend to forget to use logic. Logical reasoning is taken for granted.

Living in these modern times, we want answers instantly with technology. Thinking that we could never be like them is an exaggeration. It does not take much to hone the skills we similarly have with detectives.

In conclusion, as Sherlock Holmes famously says to his assistant Watson in, “The Crooked Man”, “It seemed to me that a careful examination of the room and the lawn might possibly reveal some traces of this mysterious individual. You know my methods, Watson. There was not one of them which I did not apply to the inquiry. And it ended by my discovering traces, but very different ones from those which I had expected.”