crime fiction
Detective story category
Crime fiction is a genre of literature centered on criminal acts—usually murder—and their investigation or consequences.
The category encompasses detective novels, police procedurals, thrillers, and noir, united by their focus on lawbreaking and the pursuit of justice or resolution.
She reads crime fiction almost exclusively, especially Scandinavian noir.
The genre ranges from cozy mysteries with amateur sleuths to gritty tales exploring the psychology of criminals themselves.
Something unexplained or unknown
- whodunitCrime fiction identifying perpetrator
- cozyWarm and snug
- police proceduralCrime fiction emphasizing investigation
- hardboiledTough, cynical fiction style
noir · locked room · amateur sleuth · culprit · perpetrator · victim · plot twist · red herring
Private investigator
- investigationFormal examination of facts
- cluesHints toward answers
- deductionConclusion from premises
- whodunitCrime fiction identifying perpetrator
gumshoe · inspector · casebook · magnifying glass · private eye · solve · puzzle · interrogate
Tough, cynical fiction style
- femme fataleTreacherous enchantress
- cynicalDoubting human goodness
- grittyCoarse or courageous
- shadowyObscured by darkness
pessimistic · fatalistic · corruption · underworld · gangster · seedy · rain-soaked · neon
Stretched or strained state
- cliffhangerSuspenseful unresolved ending
- anticipationState of awaiting something
- dreadIntense anticipatory fear
- forebodingFearful anticipation of harm
menace · peril · jeopardy · ominous · unreliable narrator · plot twist · misdirection · foreshadowing
Medical examination after death
- evidenceFacts supporting truth
- ballisticsProjectile motion science
- fingerprintsRidge patterns identifying individuals
- DNAHereditary code molecule
blood spatter · toxicology · pathologist · coroner · lab · trace evidence · chain of custody · CSI
Covert information gatherer
- spycraftMethods of secret agents
- undercoverSecretly engaged in espionage
- clandestineConcealed from authorities
- covertIntentionally concealed
double agent · mole · counterintelligence · infiltration · surveillance · dead drop · handler · asset
mystery
Something unexplained or unknown
- whodunitCrime fiction identifying perpetrator
- cozyWarm and snug
- police proceduralCrime fiction emphasizing investigation
hardboiled · noir · locked room · amateur sleuth · culprit · perpetrator · victim · plot twist · red herring · sidekick
sleuth
Private investigator
- investigationFormal examination of facts
- cluesHints toward answers
- deductionConclusion from premises
whodunit · gumshoe · inspector · casebook · magnifying glass · private eye · solve · puzzle · interrogate · witness
hardboiled
Tough, cynical fiction style
- femme fataleTreacherous enchantress
- cynicalDoubting human goodness
- grittyCoarse or courageous
shadowy · pessimistic · fatalistic · corruption · underworld · gangster · seedy · rain-soaked · neon · cigarette smoke
tension
Stretched or strained state
- cliffhangerSuspenseful unresolved ending
- anticipationState of awaiting something
- dreadIntense anticipatory fear
foreboding · menace · peril · jeopardy · ominous · unreliable narrator · plot twist · misdirection · foreshadowing · pacing
autopsy
Medical examination after death
- evidenceFacts supporting truth
- ballisticsProjectile motion science
- fingerprintsRidge patterns identifying individuals
DNA · blood spatter · toxicology · pathologist · coroner · lab · trace evidence · chain of custody · CSI · medical examiner
spy
Covert information gatherer
- spycraftMethods of secret agents
- undercoverSecretly engaged in espionage
- clandestineConcealed from authorities
covert · double agent · mole · counterintelligence · infiltration · surveillance · dead drop · handler · asset · tradecraft
- booksnovel, textbooks, study guides, book, paperback
- crime literaturemurder mysteries, detective novels, police procedurals, courtroom drama, heist novels
- ebook genresyoung adult, paranormal romance, urban fantasy, cozy mystery, dystopian
- pulp fictionpulp, pulp magazines, pulp novels, dime novels, penny dreadfuls
- fictionnovel, novels, novella, novellas, short story
- genresaction, comedy, fantasy, horror, documentary
crime fictionromance
Love and its excitement
romance fiction · romantic fiction · love stories · chick lit · fantasy
crime fictionliterary fiction
Prose emphasizing craft and depth
experimental fiction · modernist fiction · postmodern fiction
crime, criminal, fiction, fictional, crimes, criminality, fictionalized, fictionalize, anticrime