Secondly, we all have the sense that crime should not pay. The criminal must be brought to book. Our universe is moral, or the whole thing would be absurd. Even if the local police and the great Scotland Yard detectives fail to apprehend the guilty, a master investigator will surely unearth the villain. In that sense, the detective story and Sherlock Holmes, in particular, are totally different from much nihilistic writing.
Modern novels have no connection between crime and retribution.
Even worse is the fact that crimes are portrayed as without motive or meaning. There is no clear distinction between good and evil, just dismal shades of grey with no plot and therefore no possible solution. That is why the detective story relates to our moral sense that crime is not overlooked. God is the ultimate detective. He knows the secrets and motives of the human heart.