This a narrative element that is used to throw off readers and lead them to false conclusions. This is an especially popular literary device to use in detective stories and thrillers. An author provides one or more red herrings intentionally to divert attention away from the true object or person of interest, thereby making the conclusion to the book more of a surprise. A device used to draw attention to a certain element to mislead the reader. A red herring may be intentionally used to lead the reader to a false conclusion.