crime stories
Tales of lawbreaking
Crime stories are narratives—fictional or true—centered on criminal acts and their investigation or consequences.
The genre encompasses detective fiction, true crime, police procedurals, and courtroom dramas: She devoured crime stories on her commute.
The appeal lies in puzzles solved, justice pursued, or the dark corners of human behavior explored.
- murderDeliberate unlawful killing
- dead bodyDeceased person's remains
- alibiDefense of location
- detectiveProfessional crime investigator
- antiheroMorally ambiguous main character
psychopath · criminal mastermind · confession · clue · smoking gun · lawyer · fingerprint analysis · whodunit · locked room · police officer · hardboiled · femme fatale · cold case · betrayal · double cross · noir · jury · verdict
- crime fictiondetective fiction, murder mystery, detective novels, detective novel, detective
- true crimecold case, unsolved mystery, murder mystery, homicide, serial killer
- legal fictionlegal drama, courtroom drama, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Firm, Presumed Innocent
- pulp fictionpulp, pulp fiction, pulp magazines, pulp novels, dime novels
- storiesstory, tale, tales, myth, legend
- newspaper sectionsnews, sports, editorial, business, classifieds
genre/subject matter
crime storiesromance novels
Stories centered on courtship
love stories · romantic fiction · fairy tales · utopian fiction · children's stories