Read the first page of a mystery novel where the dog was the killer and it made me question clue placement

Was browsing a used bookstore in Portland last Saturday and flipped through a random crime novel. On page 3, the guy's golden retriever had a piece of torn fabric in its mouth. I laughed out loud and immediately knew the dog did it. Finished the whole book in two days. The author literally hid the clue in plain sight under a couch cushion. It got me thinking about how we debate foreshadowing in book club. Has anyone else read a book where the author was way too obvious with clues?

2 comments

2 Comments

young.emma1d ago

Portland bookstore, same aisle last month. Found one where the killer was a pair of knitting needles. The author hid them in the first paragraph as a "poker set". Too easy.

the_henry20h ago

Huh, that's interesting. Never thought about hiding the murder weapon in plain sight like that. But here's something that bugs me about it: if the killer is knitting needles, the victim probably has stab wounds. So the coroner's report would be way more specific than just "punctures" (you know, they'd note the shape and depth). That's the angle nobody's talking about. Authors rely on readers not knowing basic forensics, and most of them get away with it because people don't ask questions. Actually read one where the weapon was a frozen leg of lamb (classic Roald Dahl style) but the autopsy completely ignored the thawing pattern. Drove me nuts.