他在1928年立下了著名的「推理十诫」(Ten Commandments of Detection)，因而对当代及后进作家产生了警惕的作用。
诺克斯十诫：
1 The criminal must be someone mentioned in the early part of the story, but must not be anyone whose thoughts the reader has been allowed to follow.
罪犯必须是故事开始时出现过的人，但不一定自始至终在读者的视线里
2 All supernatural or preternatural agencies are ruled out as a matter of course.
侦探不能用超自然的或怪异的侦探方法
3 Not more than one secret room or passage is allowable.
犯罪现场不能有秘密的房间或通道
4 No hitherto undiscovered poisons may be used, nor any appliance which will need a long scientific explanation at the end.
作案时候，不能使用尚未发明的毒药，或需要进行深奥的科学解释的装置
5 NoChinamanmust figure in the story.
不准有中国人出现在故事里
6 No accident must ever help the detective, nor must he ever have an unaccountable intuition which provesto beright.
侦探不得用偶然事件或不负责任的直觉来侦破案件
7 The detective must not himself commit the crime.
侦探不得成为罪犯
8 The detective must not light on any clues which are not instantly produced for the inspection of the reader.
侦探不得根据小说中未向读者提示过的线索破案
9 The stupid friend of the detective, the Watson, must not conceal any thoughts which pass through his mind; his intelligence must be slightly, but very slightly, below that of the average reader.
侦探的笨蛋朋友，比如华生，必须将其判断毫无保留地告诉读者，此人的智力要在平均水平之下
10 Twin brothers, and doubles generally, must not appear unless we have been duly prepared for them.