--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The solution, once revealed, must seem to…" description: "\"“The solution, once revealed, must seem to have been inevitable. At least half of all the mystery novels published violate this law.\" ( Casual Notes on..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eae/raymond-chandler-629_craft_the-solution-once-revealed-must-seem-to_3003071.jpg" --- # The solution, once revealed, must seem to have been… ![“The solution, once revealed, must seem to have been inevitable. At least half of all the mystery novels published violate this law." ( Casual Notes on the Mystery Novel , 1949)” quote by Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eae/raymond-chandler-629_craft_the-solution-once-revealed-must-seem-to_3003071.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eae/raymond-chandler-629_craft_the-solution-once-revealed-must-seem-to_3003071.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eae/raymond-chandler-629_craft_the-solution-once-revealed-must-seem-to_3003071.jpg) > ““The solution, once revealed, must seem to have been inevitable. At least half of all the mystery novels published violate this law." ( Casual Notes on the Mystery Novel , 1949)”” [Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote suggests that good mystery stories feel inevitable once the solution is known, and many novels fail this principle. **In simple terms:** Great mysteries seem inevitable after the reveal; many books miss this. Key Takeaway Craft stories where clues lead naturally to the ending. Themes storytelling structure mystery inevitability craftsmanship Mood analytical instructive Type literary educational When to use this quote - writing workshops - editing sessions - reading groups - author critiques Key Concepts narrative design foreshadowing plot logic Questions to Reflect On - How can foreshadowing be balanced with surprise? - What makes a mystery feel satisfying? A Different Perspective Not all mysteries need to be inevitable; surprise can be valuable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Craft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/craft/) [Mysteries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mysteries/) [Mystery Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery-novel-1990812/) [Mystery novels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery-novels/) [Novel 1949](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel-1949-4777963/) [Published Violate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/published-violate-3103558/) [Solution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solution/) [Solution Revealed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solution-revealed-4777964/) [Technique](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technique/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [At least half the mystery novels published violate the law that the solution, once revealed, must seem to be inevitable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/at-least-half-the-mystery-novels-published-violate-the-law-that-the/) [Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/) > [I had thought for years, probably 30 or 40 years, that it would be a lot of fun to try my hand at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bradley/i-had-thought-for-years-probably-30-or-40-years-that-it-would-be-a/) [Alan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bradley/) > [A mystery novel localizes the awesome force of the real death outside the book, winds it tightly in a plot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/a-mystery-novel-localizes-the-awesome-force-of-the-real-death-outside/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [Has all the trappings of a mystery novel, doesn't it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-cornwell/has-all-the-trappings-of-a-mystery-novel-doesn-t-it/) [Patricia Cornwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-cornwell/) > [I don't believe that murders can be "solved." I think that this is the big lie of the mystery novel, that you should close…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pelecanos/i-don-t-believe-that-murders-can-be-solved-i-think-that-this-is-the/) [George Pelecanos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pelecanos/) > [It's important to write a mystery novel where the takeaway is not a giveaway - where something could be read over and over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimenez-lai/it-s-important-to-write-a-mystery-novel-where-the-takeaway-is-not-a/) [Jimenez Lai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimenez-lai/) > [“Injustice, large and small, was like sour, moldy bread. Consumed often enough, it brought on hunger for the meat of revenge.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-v-lawson/injustice-large-and-small-was-like-sour-moldy-bread-consumed-often/) [B.V. Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-v-lawson/) > [“You alone in Europe are not ancient oh Christianity The most modern European is you Pope Pius X And you whom the windows observe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillaume-apollinaire/you-alone-in-europe-are-not-ancient-oh-christianity-the-most-modern/) [Guillaume Apollinaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillaume-apollinaire/) > [“Humanity thrown together in the equivalent of a Petri dish under a microscope bred malignant organisms as often as benign.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-v-lawson/humanity-thrown-together-in-the-equivalent-of-a-petri-dish-under-a/) [B.V. Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-v-lawson/) > [“But show business has always been like that - any kind of show business. If these people didn't live intense and rather disordered lives,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/but-show-business-has-always-been-like-that-any-kind-of-show-business/) [Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/) > [“There is only one motive for writing a novel: to be published and read. To me there is no distinction between the mystery novel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-franklin-bardin/there-is-only-one-motive-for-writing-a-novel-to-be-published-and-read/) [John Franklin Bardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-franklin-bardin/) > [Although we might think of Holmes as the Ur-sleuth, the seminal inspiration for many writers comes not from the chronicles of Baker Street but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/although-we-might-think-of-holmes-as-the-ur-sleuth-the-seminal/) [Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/) > [There are two ways to approach the writing of a mystery novel: adhere to the rules, or break them with glee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/there-are-two-ways-to-approach-the-writing-of-a-mystery-novel-adhere/) [Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/) > [If you're reading a mystery novel, you kind of want the character to solve the crime instead of completely bumble their way through it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-shaffer/if-you-re-reading-a-mystery-novel-you-kind-of-want-the-character-to/) [Andrew Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-shaffer/) > [“Great mystery novel for the beach. Just when you think you know where the plot is going, it goes somewhere else. Big surprise ending!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-a-milman/great-mystery-novel-for-the-beach-just-when-you-think-you-know-where/) [Harry A. Milman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-a-milman/) ## More by Raymond Chandler > [Television's perfect. You turn a few knobs, a few of those mechanical adjustments at which the higher apes are so proficient, and lean back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/television-s-perfect-you-turn-a-few-knobs-a-few-of-those-mechanical/) [Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/) > [There is no trap so deadly as the trap you set for yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/there-is-no-trap-so-deadly-as-the-trap-you-set-for-yourself/) [Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/) > [Common sense is the guy who tells you that you ought to have had your brakes relined last week before you smashed a front…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/common-sense-is-the-guy-who-tells-you-that-you-ought-to-have-had-your/) [Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/) > [ “Hammett was the ace performer... He is said to have lacked heart; yet the story he himself thought the most of \[The Glass Key\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/hammett-was-the-ace-performer-he-is-said-to-have-lacked-heart-yet-the/) [Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/) > [She jerked away from me like a startled fawn might, if I had a startled fawn and it jerked away from me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/she-jerked-away-from-me-like-a-startled-fawn-might-if-i-had-a/) [Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/) > [A good story cannot be devised; it has to be distilled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/a-good-story-cannot-be-devised-it-has-to-be-distilled/) [Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/) > [Dashiell Hammett took murder out of theVenetian vase and dropped it into the alley.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/dashiell-hammett-took-murder-out-of-thevenetian-vase-and-dropped-it/) [Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/) > [ “He \[James Cain\] is every kind of writer I detest...a Proust in greasy overalls, a dirty little boy with a piece of chalk and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/he-james-cain-is-every-kind-of-writer-i-detest-a-proust-in-greasy/) [Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/) > [It was a blonde. A blonde to make a bishop kick a hole in a stained-glass window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/it-was-a-blonde-a-blonde-to-make-a-bishop-kick-a-hole-in-a-stained/) [Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/) > [“I had been stalking the bluebottle fly for five minutes, waiting for him to sit down. He didn't want to sit down. He just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/i-had-been-stalking-the-bluebottle-fly-for-five-minutes-waiting-for/) [Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/) > [“A three-piece Mexican band was making the kind of music a Mexican band always makes. Whatever they play, it all sounds the same. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/a-three-piece-mexican-band-was-making-the-kind-of-music-a-mexican/) [Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/) > [Mostly I just kill time," he said, "and it dies hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/mostly-i-just-kill-time-he-said-and-it-dies-hard/) [Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/) > [“The book was not new. Dates were stamped on the front endpaper, in and out dates. A rent book. A lending library of elaborate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/the-book-was-not-new-dates-were-stamped-on-the-front-endpaper-in-and/) [Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/) > [Without magic, there is no art. Without art, there is no idealism. Without idealism, there is no integrity. Without integrity, there is nothing but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/without-magic-there-is-no-art-without-art-there-is-no-idealism/) [Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/) > [“The homicide skipper that year was a Captain Gregorius, a type of copper that is getting rarer but by no means extinct, the kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/the-homicide-skipper-that-year-was-a-captain-gregorius-a-type-of/) [Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/) [Explore all 430 Raymond Chandler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/) ## More Craft quotes > [As I progressed in the firm, I learnt the craft, and as I learnt my craft, my partners and the firm threw up different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/punit-renjen/as-i-progressed-in-the-firm-i-learnt-the-craft-and-as-i-learnt-my/) [Punit Renjen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/punit-renjen/) > [Learn your craft. You want to be a doctor or a teacher - it's very important to learn your craft and indulge in it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-horry/learn-your-craft-you-want-to-be-a-doctor-or-a-teacher-it-s-very/) [Robert Horry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-horry/) > [What I didn't know that by sticking to craft we would blow open some doors that I never saw opened before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lipton/what-i-didn-t-know-that-by-sticking-to-craft-we-would-blow-open-some/) [James Lipton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lipton/) > [All the craft skills that I have, I feel like I developed and honed in drama school. It's the most important thing for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-holland/all-the-craft-skills-that-i-have-i-feel-like-i-developed-and-honed-in/) [Andre Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-holland/) > [“There is something deeply satisfying in shaping something with your hands. Proper artificing is like a song made solid. It is an act of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/there-is-something-deeply-satisfying-in-shaping-something-with-your/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I have a lot of fun working and training and learning and trying to figure out the different aspects of my craft.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-cannonier/i-have-a-lot-of-fun-working-and-training-and-learning-and-trying-to/) [Jared Cannonier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-cannonier/) > [I probably learned most of my craft from singing to the radio.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-b-schmit/i-probably-learned-most-of-my-craft-from-singing-to-the-radio/) [Timothy B. Schmit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-b-schmit/) > [The key to acting - from what little I know about that wonderful craft - is listening, and interacting with the other person in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gray/the-key-to-acting-from-what-little-i-know-about-that-wonderful-craft/) [James Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gray/) > [It is by losing himself in the objective, in inquiry, creation, and craft, that a man becomes something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/it-is-by-losing-himself-in-the-objective-in-inquiry-creation-and/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [“The instruction here is not for every kind of writer - not for the writer of nurse books or thrillers or porno or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/the-instruction-here-is-not-for-every-kind-of-writer-not-for-the/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [I take a pretty expansive view of craft, which is to say I don't see craft as just being technique - it's also process;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-take-a-pretty-expansive-view-of-craft-which-is-to-say-i-don-t-see/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [“Writing is a craft, being an author is work, and having readers and a following is a gift.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-kannengieser/writing-is-a-craft-being-an-author-is-work-and-having-readers-and-a/) [Michael J. Kannengieser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-kannengieser/) > [You need to know your craft.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorena-garcia/you-need-to-know-your-craft/) [Lorena Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorena-garcia/) > [I have developed my eye as a cinematographer through the craft of operating. When I am not operating, I am often anxious, uncertain, restless,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-richardson/i-have-developed-my-eye-as-a-cinematographer-through-the-craft-of/) [Robert Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-richardson/) > [Muscle is good, but craft is better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wace/muscle-is-good-but-craft-is-better/) [Wace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wace/) [Browse all 514 Craft quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/craft/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The solution, once revealed, must seem to have been inevitable. At least half of all the mystery novels published violate this law.\" ( Casual Notes on the Mystery Novel , 1949)”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Raymond Chandler" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/the-solution-once-revealed-must-seem-to-have-been-inevitable-at-least/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Craft" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/the-solution-once-revealed-must-seem-to-have-been-inevitable-at-least/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eae/raymond-chandler-629_craft_the-solution-once-revealed-must-seem-to_3003071.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eae/raymond-chandler-629_craft_the-solution-once-revealed-must-seem-to_3003071.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eae/raymond-chandler-629_craft_the-solution-once-revealed-must-seem-to_3003071.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The solution, once revealed, must seem to have been inevitable. At least half of all the mystery novels…” — Raymond Chandler", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Raymond Chandler", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The solution, once revealed, must seem...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/the-solution-once-revealed-must-seem-to-have-been-inevitable-at-least/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/the-solution-once-revealed-must-seem-to-have-been-inevitable-at-least/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```