the puzzle game
The Puzzle Game The puzzle game is a short story written by Patricia D. Maida and Nicholas B Spornick. This short story explains the reasoning behind almost all detective stories. The puzzle game demonstrates how all detective stories follow a “puzzle tradition” that produce the reader with intrigue and intellectual stimulation. The puzzle games found in detective stories operate on multiple levels with varying complexities derived by an ingenious author. These games follow many variations and rules, but will never allow you to fully comprehend who the victim, the murder, and sometimes even who the sleuth is in the story. Two fascinating detective stories that follow the format of the puzzle game are “Silver Blaze” by Conan Doyle, and “The mysterious Affair” bye Christies. Christie is a great detective author because of how many styles she incorporates in her stories and how many games she likes to “play” at one time. For instance, In the Mysterious Affair, Christie uses the element of hidden identity or impersonation. In this method, the murder is allowed to move freely within a familiar environment without arousing any suspicion. For example, the main character devised his murder plan in the most secretive manner possible and then waited until he had no suspicion on him, but made sure there was much confusion between the rest of the circle until he was able to act and make his move. After reading the puzzle game, I do find it helpful to understand detective fiction, especially with this piece by Christie. I was able to pick up on the scheme of things and pick out the murderer much quicker since I knew certain techniques and rules to the game. In the story of Silver Blaze, the puzzle game was also a helpful reading tool to solve the unique detective story. Conan Doyle also used the hidden identity technique. The story was about a stolen race horse named Silver Blaze. The horse was stolen from a local stable that was lightly guarded by only