Must there be a detective in a detective novel?

Answer 1

well DUH! It's a detective novel! A retarded baboon could've figured that out!

o.0

Added later by KayteeKat:I guess it is generally hard to make without one, but it is possible. The person solving the crime doesn't necessarily need to be a detective, it can be someone very cunning (or at least not a professional investigator. In the Detective genre, wikipedia claims that "it always contains criminal and detective settings."

So there, literature is not "bound" to clichés, people make it so, but in truth, it is not. You can have someone who is not a detective or cop solve the mystery as long as you include settings fitting of a detective story.

Answer 2

Well, to some extent, they can. For example, I read Nancy Drew and learned that you can use a clothes rod to help break out of a closet. They can also teach you logical thinking skills and to expect the unexpected.

However, in many real mysteries, you have to use forensics and help of the police. Besides reading novels, you could also read fun fact books about clues and fingerprints and stuff if you want to be a good detective.

Hope that helps.