“The Red-Headed League” is a short story written during the Victorian literary period and belongs to the overlapping genres of mystery, crime fiction, and detective fiction. Stories and novels written in these genres follow a similar formula in which a crime occurs (or mystery appears), and a protagonist seeks to solve it by following the clues and, often via a unique ability to see what others cannot, solves the case or mystery.
One of the key tropes of crime and detective fiction is the way that the investigator at the center of the story reveals their methods and insights at the end, offering readers a satisfying conclusion. This is true for most Sherlock Holmes stories, including “The Red-Headed League.” The following passage captures this typical sort of debrief between Watson and Holmes:
“And how could you tell that they would make their attempt to-night?” I asked.
“Well, when they closed their League offices that was a sign that they cared no longer about Mr. Jabez Wilson’s presence—in other words, that they had completed their tunnel. But it was essential that they should use it soon, as it might be discovered, or the bullion might be removed. Saturday would suit them better than any other day, as it would give them two days for their escape. For all these reasons I expected them to come tonight.”
Here, Watson poses a question to Holmes that readers also have—How did he know when Clay and his accomplice were going to attempt to rob the bank? After refusing to reveal anything to Watson (or readers) earlier in the story, Holmes finally explains himself as part of the dénouement, demonstrating that he is not a gifted psychic or genius (as some may assume) but has simply been using deductive reasoning. Given that Clay clearly no longer needed Wilson out of the way, Holmes deduced that Clay’s tunnel was now complete and made the logical leap that Clay would attempt to rob the bank on Saturday, since banks are closed on Sunday, giving him more time to make his escape.
