Readers love a good twist—that moment where everything they believed about a character or situation turns out to be wrong. This is where red herrings come in. It keeps your readers on their toes, trying to anticipate your next literary move.
What is a Red Herring?
A red herring is a false clue. It’s a deliberate distraction to lead your readers away from the truth. Think of it like a trail of breadcrumbs, except they lead to the wrong house. But it’s only temporary!
They raise questions and make your readers second-guess what they thought they knew. They also add a layer of fun. Done right, your reader will think, “Well played. You got me there.” And they’ll pay closer attention, eager to catch your next move.
The term was popularized by William Cobbett, who described using smoked fish to distract hunting dogs away from rabbits. The fish was usually herring, and the smoking process turned its flesh red.
Red herrings show up most often in mystery, thriller, and suspense stories. But they can work in almost any genre, from romance to fantasy to horror.
Red Herring Examples
Here are a few famous examples of red herrings, taken from literature, movies, video games, and television.
Warning! Spoilers below.
Psycho
Throughout the movie, Norman’s mother is uncooperative and controlling. The audience are led to think she’s the murderer, and her timid son an unwilling accomplice. Turns out, Norman is Mother.
Bioshock
You play as Jack, a man exploring the crumbling underwater city of Rapture. A voice on the radio, Atlas, guides you through the chaos. He helps you survive, earns your trust, and pushes you toward one goal: kill the city’s evil founder, Andrew Ryan.
But Ryan isn’t the real threat. Atlas is actually Frank Fontaine, a criminal mastermind. The kind voice you trusted was using a simple, repeated phrase to control your every move.
Doctor Who
Series 5 introduces the Pandorica, a legendary prison said to hold the universe’s most dangerous being. If it ever opens, the universe will fall apart.
In a clever twist, the Doctor’s greatest enemies built it to trap him. They believe he’s the one who will cause the universe’s end.
And, it turns out, the Doctor isn’t even the threat. It’s the cracks in the universe caused by an exploding Tardis.
Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
In Prisoner of Azkaban, Sirius Black escapes and goes out to kill Harry. People keep saying he betrayed Harry’s parents and is one of Voldemort’s most loyal followers.
Nope, he’s actually innocent. The one he’s after is Ron’s pet rat, who turns out to be an animagus and the real traitor.
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
Ten people are invited to an island. Each one is guilty of a crime but was never convicted. But their mysterious host never appears. One by one, they begin to die.
They realize the killer is among them, following a nursery rhyme that predicts their death. Suspicion falls on a missing guest, assumed to be in hiding. But he’s already dead—and the real killer is someone they thought was a victim, who faked his own death to finish the job.
How To Add Red Herrings to Your Story
Here is how you misdirect your audience without souring your narrative.
Start with the real solution first.
Know the actual truth of your mystery. Who really committed the crime? What actually caused these strange events?
From there, work backwards to plant misleading clues. You can’t mislead your reader if you’re still figuring it out yourself.
Point suspicion on a character.
Develop characters who naturally draw suspicion. The quiet neighbor with strange habits. The person with an obvious motive. The individual with no alibi.
They’re perfect vessels for red herrings. Even if your readers catch on, they’ll second-guess themselves as your story twists.
Scatter false clues.
Place clues throughout the story that point to wrong conclusions. They could be:
- Physical evidence that seem damning but prove to be useless.
- Witness statements that are false, unclear, or misinterpreted.
- Coincidences that appear meaningful but aren’t.
- Timelines that don’t add up.
They should make sense to your story’s internal logic. If it feels random or forced, you’ll break the reader’s trust. And trusting red herrings is a big part of their power.
Support your false trails.
Drop a few hints to support or cast doubt on your red herrings. Make it difficult for your audience to know what information is reliable. They’ll need to make a choice on which to believe and reject.
Tie it to a subplot.
Don’t simply drop a red herring into the story. Link it to a character’s goal or a minor event. Let your main character believe it and chase it down.
That gives it weight. If it doesn’t feel connected, readers will forget it fast.
Use with other narrative techniques.
You can reinforce a red herring by using other techniques:
- Unreliable narrators share inaccurate information.
- Limited viewpoints don’t show the full picture.
- Information gaps force readers to make wrong assumptions.
- Plot twists can re-contextualize earlier events.
Techniques like these help you manage what readers think they know and guide them to a specific train of thought.
Time your reveals carefully.
Place your reveals where they can make the most impact. If you have multiple, stagger them so as not to overwhelm the story and your readers.
Timing keeps the tension tight. For example, a sudden twist hits harder when it shows up right as the information becomes crucial.
Resolve it.
Don’t tease your audience without providing them with closure. Show why the red herring seemed true and what the real answer is. If you don’t, it becomes a plot hole.
Why Do Writers Use Red Herrings?
Red herrings are great for misleading your readers and building suspense. You can shift attention away from the truth, making the reveal much more satisfying.
Without them, it would be easy to guess how a story ends. And many readers do love guessing ahead of the story.
But you do need to make them relevant to the story. Otherwise, the payoff becomes a betrayal. It doesn’t feel earned, and more like a last-minute gotcha to spite your readers.
What’s your favorite example of a red herring? Share your thoughts below!
If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:
- What Is a Red Herring? Definition and Examples
- 10 of the Most Popular Thriller Tropes with Examples
- Elements of Suspense that Will Keep Your Readers Hooked
Cole is a blog writer and aspiring novelist. He has a degree in Communications and is an advocate of media and information literacy and responsible media practices. Aside from his interest in technology, crafts, and food, he’s also your typical science fiction and fantasy junkie, spending most of his free time reading through an ever-growing to-be-read list. It’s either that or procrastinating over actually writing his book. Wish him luck!
