“Really? No such thing as a dumb question?”
If I’m only a few pages into a novel and already questioning the how and why of the plot, kudos to the author. I settle in, ready to untangle a good story. A good story invites me to participate. If I have no questions because everything is being explained in sequential order and I don’t need to do any of the “work” in solving the mystery, kudos to the book seller for being able to unload a useless pile of words, but “No, I won’t be buying another of your books.” And I’ll write a review to warn other reader
Personal preference and taste aside, there’s a time in every story to reveal a detail and cause a plot to twist, and there is a chapter or sentence where the tiniest of details needs to blend into the plot without slowing the author’s pace. Readers may, or may not, be able to recall the exact page or paragraph number, but they’ll find satisfaction in remembering that detail when the plot is finally complete. As a writer, I’m trying to remember that elementary key to giving a reader information.