When reading “Death and the Compass”, I was most interested in the author, Borges’ six rules in regard to the detective fiction genre. As a result, I chose to write about how these rules fit within this short story.

Rule one that Borges mentions is that the story must not contain any more than 6 characters. This rule was set in place so as to not confuse the reader too much. In this detective fiction, there are no more than 6 major characters.

Rule two is that the criminal has to be introduced in the beginning. In this short story, one of the villains is the second victim, Daniel Simón Azevedo.

Rule three is that the twist villain must not be forced into the role of villain. Although the reader does not get to know much about Azevedo prior to his death, it is revealed earlier on that he has a background in crime, making the reveal of him being one of the villains somewhat believable. 

The fourth rule is the priority of how over who. Toward the final murder, the detective Lönnrott tries to figure out some patterns on how the victim will be murdered rather than the identity of the next victim.

Rule six states that the victim must not have a blood-red death. This rule makes it easier to figure out the cause of death.

The final rule that Borges writes is that the crime must be mysterious without resorting to the use of magic or hypnotism. All of the murders in “Death and the Compass” are mysterious yet do not use any form of magic or hypnotism. All of the murders that can be replicated in real life.

With all these rules set in place, the writer has the foundation for a good detective fiction.