History SarcasticConfession / Literature

* Creator/StanislawLem's ''Literature/PeaceOnEarth'' contains "history" of weapon design in the beginning of the third millennium. It was published separately with preface claiming that the text is secret document in future, and the author found no better way to hide the document than to publish it as Sci-Fi.

'''Clare:''' [[InvoluntaryTimeTravel Time travel]].\\

* In the Literature/NeroWolfe short story "The Cop Killer", Inspector Cramer barges into Wolfe's brownstone and demands information on a couple of suspected murderers who were seen coming to consult with Wolfe. Wolfe and Archie casually admit that yes, the two did come there, and in fact are still there nice and cozy in the kitchens. Thing is, they actually ''are'' there, but since Cramer's so used to being screwed around by Wolfe's various machinations and Archie's pranks he assumes they're just messing with him for their own purposes and storms off again.

* In ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'', the MagnificentBastard Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish tells Ned Stark that he shouldn't trust him. Stark takes it as a general advice to be more cynical in King's Landing. In fact, Baelish proves to be quite untrustworthy.
** Later, after he murderes Lady Lysa Arren, he puts the blame on her court singer Merrylion, who ostensibly fell madly in love with her and couldn't bear the news of her carrying Littlefinger's child. Merrylion himself confirms this tale, having been tortured horribly, and to put the final touch on the ruse, Littlefinger ruefully "confesses" to lords of the Vale that it was him who'd killed Lysa... by not recongising the threat in time. Of course, they're quick to console him and assure him that the blame lays solely on the singer.

* Barbara Michaels' ''The Dancing Floor'' has a scene in which a member of a coven points out to the heroine that, since the authorities don't believe in witchcraft, a witch who killed someone by magic could ''brag'' about it and be perfectly safe as long as there was no way that witch could've done the killing ''without'' magic...

* Resident MagnificentBastard Dirk Provin from Jennifer Fallon's ''The Second Sons'' trilogy does this more than once. Every time brilliantly and ''no one'' believes him. Most significantly, his friend straight up ask him what he was doing on one very suspicious afternoon: he tells her that he just sent a message for their mortal enemies to meet them at their destination so he can defect to them and rise to a position of power within a shadowy evil religious organisation that is dominating their country. She laughs it off and gets mad at him once she realises he was telling the truth. Of course it was what he ''left out'' that made her want to actively kill him out of sheer frustration: [[spoiler: that he single handedly put in place a scheme to bring down the entire governmental and religious regime and completely uproot a corrupt and deadly power system that an entire war and the death of thousands of people couldn't stop]]. Suffice to say [[LaResistance the resistance movement]] is mightily pissed off that the only person he told ''this'' particular plan to was a [[ObfuscatingInsanity mad]] mathematician with an opium addiction.

* ''The Shaman Laughs'', by James D. Doss. [[spoiler:The perpetrator confesses directly to the police under the guise of helping them with their investigation.]]

* Creator/StanislawLem's ''Literature/PeaceOnTheEarth'' contains "history" of weapon design in the beginning of the third millennium. It was published separately with preface claiming that the text is secret document in future, and the author found no better way to hide the document than to publish it as Sci-Fi.

* In ''Literature/DragonBones'', when the valet wonders where Ward's new clothes come from, Ward replies "Oh, probably the house ghost. Why don't you ask him?". It turns out the clothes are really from Oreg, who is not quite a ghost, but close enough. This is especially effective because Ward has been ObfuscatingStupidity for a long time, so even people who think he's sincere don't believe him to be ''right''.

* In the ''Literature/AscendanceTrilogy'', [[spoiler:Sage/Jaron]] is the ''king'' [[spoiler:(pun intended)]] of this trope. Although he will out and out lie if needed, he prefers to present the truth in a slanted, sarcastic, or unbelievable way.

{{Sarcastic Confession}}s in literature.

* San does this in ''Zen and the Art of Faking It''.

* In ''Literature/RainOfTheGhosts,'' Charlie accidentally comments about Rain being able to "see magic" in front of Miranda. They try to play it off as an inside joke, with Rain adding that she learned Spanish from a ghost and her dead grandfather resides her in [[MomentoMacGuffin armband]]. It only partially works, because Miranda already knows that they're hiding ''something'' from her and their "joke" doesn't seem all that funny.

* Subverted in ''Into the Thinking Kingdom'', where Simna when captured mentions something about his captors. When they ask how he knows he sarcastically says "A little bird told me" which is just a saying. His captors freak out, as it turns out they actually have birds that are basically thought reading parrots, and they start to think that Simna is actually an extremely perceptive and dangerous person.

* Creator/StanislawLem's ''Peace on the Earth'' contains "history" of weapon design in the beginning of the third millennium. It was published separately with preface claiming that the text is secret document in future, and the author found no better way to hide the document than to publish it as Sci-Fi.

** In ''Why Didn't They Ask Evans?'', the heroine, with the help of a doctor, decides to fake a car wreck in order to gain entrance to what she believes is the murderer's house. The results in the following exchange:

* In ''Literature/RainOfTheGhosts,'' Charlie accidentally comments about Rain being able to "see magic" in front of Miranda. Rain tries to cover with this, saying that a ghost taught her Spanish and that her dead grandfather lives in her armband. It kind of backfires, because Miranda (who already knows that they're hiding something from her) thinks to herself that that's not really funny enough to be a joke.

* In Creator/AgathaChristie's ''The Murder at the Vicarage'' (the first Literature/MissMarple novel), [[spoiler:two characters give implausible confessions shortly after the murder, apparently in mutual attempts to shield each other]]. In fact, they are telling the truth but are not believed.
* In the Literature/NeroWolfe short story "The Cop Killer", Inspector Cramer barges into Wolfe's brownstone and demands information on a couple of suspected murderers who were seen coming to consult with Wolfe. Wolfe and Archie casually admit that yes, the two did come there, and in fact are still there nice and cozy in the kitchens. Thing is, they actually ''are'' there, but since Cramer's so used to being screwed around by Wolfe's various machinations and Archie's pranks he assumes they're just messing with him for their own purposes and storms off again.

* Another Creator/AgathaChristie example: In ''Why Didn't They Ask Evans?'', the heroine, with the help of a doctor, decides to fake a car wreck in order to gain entrance to what she believes is the murderer's house. The results in the following exchange:
-->'''Passerby:''' I say, has there been an accident?\\
'''Doctor:''' No, the lady ran her car into the wall on purpose.

* In ''Literature/TheLostFleet'', Rione convinces Geary that she and Desjani are not [[LoveTriangle fighting over him]] by... accusing him of being arrogant enough to assume that they're fighting over him. It works, and Geary remains ignorant until Rione decides to tell him.]

* In ''[[Literature/RodAllbrightAlienAdventures Aliens Ate My Homework]]'' by Bruce Coville, protagonist Rod has [[CannotTellALie a near-pathological barrier against lying]]. So when the eponymous aliens eat his homework, and he holds the torn sheets up to class, all he can think to do is offer a TitleDrop. Grakker, the aliens' captain, is furious with him for revealing their existence, but diplomat Madame Pong compliments him on "the creative use of truth."

* In ''Literature/AliensAteMyHomework'' by Bruce Coville, protagonist Rod has [[CannotTellALie a near-pathological barrier against lying]]. So when the eponymous aliens eat his homework, and he holds the torn sheets up to class, all he can think to do is offer a TitleDrop. Grakker, the aliens' captain, is furious with him for revealing their existence, but diplomat Madame Pong compliments him on "the creative use of truth."

* ''Literature/NightWatch'': At the start of ''The Day Watch'' Alisa gets a lift to work, and tells the driver she's a witch who wants to turn people to darkness. He thinks she's joking and plays along. She later uses the same trick on a group of little girls she ends up looking after.

* In ''One Lonely Night'', when [[FriendOnTheForce Pat Chambers]] asks Literature/MikeHammer where he got the [[TrustPassword secret pass]] for a Communist spy network, Hammer says, "I killed a guy and took it off his dead body." Pat lets this slide because there aren't any unclaimed bodies in the morgue (Mike shot the man on a bridge and threw the body into the river), though as Mike is walking out the building Pat seems to have changed his mind because Mike hears him shouting at him to come back.

** In ''Discworld/{{Hogfather}}'', the parents who employ Susan as their governess see her leaving the basement with a fire poker, and ask why. Susan answers that their daughter Twyla thought she heard a monster in the basement. They assume that she had gone down to pretend to beat it up for the children's sake, adding that bending the poker was a nice touch. Susan wasn't pretending.
** In ''Discworld/TheAmazingMauriceAndHisEducatedRodents'', Malicia (the mayor's daughter) is an avid "storyteller" with a flair for the dramatic, insisting that every ordinary aspect of life in general has some sort of fairytale-themed supernatural basis. Of course, by this point nobody in town ever believes anything she says, so when the adults of the town finally stop carrying the IdiotBall and go looking for the bad guys (for the wrong reason, of course) and question her and Keith, it leads to this little gem:

** In ''Discworld/GoingPostal'', Moist Von Lipwig often states the truth of what he is as a criminal, and what he does, but in such a way that everyone takes it as him being heroic... and the only one who believes him (and who didn't know beforehand) not only forgives him for what he did that hurt her personally, but also enjoys watching him when he's in the midst of his latest scheme. Oh, and is his fiancée.
*** In ''Discworld/MakingMoney'', when this same phenomenon suddenly becomes tremendously inconvenient, he laments that he must have some dual superpower, to allow little old ladies to see right through him, but like what they see.

* In ''Literature/TheOverstory'', when asked how his field research went, Adam Appich mentions truthfully that he was in jail for five days, which the professor questioning him just assumes is a joke.

* In ''Literature/TheOverstory'' When asked how his field research went, Adam mentions truthfully that he was in jail for five days, which the professor questioning him just assumes is a joke.

* In ''Literature/AliensAteMyHomework'' by Bruce Coville, Rod has a near-pathological barrier against telling lies. So when the eponymous aliens eat his homework, and he holds the torn sheets up to class, he just tells the class the truth. Grakker, the aliens' captain, is furious with him for revealing their existence, but diplomat Madame Pong compliments him on "the creative use of truth."

* In ''Literature/ArtemisFowl'', the fairies [[MustBeInvited can't enter a human dwelling unless they've been invited.]] In a scene in the third book, Artemis sarcastically asks CorruptCorporateExecutive Jon Spiro if he thinks Artemis is going to get the C Cube back with the help of his fairy friends. Spiro laughs and tells Artemis that he can bring all the fairy friends he wants, giving Holly and the rest access to the building. Juliet later gets Holly permission to enter another building by adopting a "little girl" attitude and asking "Can I bring my invisible friend?"