detective story
Crime-solving narrative
A detective story is a genre of fiction centered on solving a crime, typically a murder, through investigation and logical deduction.
The narrative follows a detective—professional or amateur—gathering clues, interviewing suspects, and piecing together what happened.
The appeal lies in the puzzle: readers try to solve the mystery alongside the protagonist.
She stayed up all night finishing the detective story.
Hints toward answers
- evidenceFacts supporting truth
- interrogationFormal, probing examination
- suspectBelieve to be likely
- alibiDefense of location
forensics · deduction · fingerprints · witness · testimony · autopsy · coroner · surveillance
Private investigator
- sidekickSubordinate adventure partner
- culpritPerson found guilty
- victimOne harmed by another
- witnessOne who attests
accomplice · femme fatale · informant · inspector · constable · private investigator · mastermind · henchman
Crime fiction identifying perpetrator
- noirHard-boiled film genre
- hardboiledTough, cynical fiction style
- cozyWarm and snug
- mystery novelFiction solving a crime
police procedural · locked-room · pulp fiction · crime fiction · golden age · amateur sleuth · private eye · fair play
Anxious uncertainty about outcomes
- intrigueSecret plotting or fascination
- tensionStretched or strained state
- mysterySomething unexplained or unknown
- shadowsDark areas from blocked light
fog · danger · secrets · paranoia · dread · foreboding · seedy · gritty
Intentional misleading distraction
- twistRotating motion or surprise
- revealMake something visible
- motiveReason for action
- alibiDefense of location
cliffhanger · flashback · unreliable narrator · false lead · denouement · MacGuffin · frame-up · confession
Handheld lens for enlargement
- revolverPistol with rotating chamber
- poisonHarmful ingested substance
- ransom noteAbductor's payment demand
- cigarettePaper-wrapped tobacco cylinder
trench coat · fedora · notebook · handcuffs · safe · hidden compartment · secret passage · candlestick
Deliberate unlawful killing
- theftUnlawful taking of property
- blackmailCoercion through damaging threats
- kidnappingUnlawful seizure of person
- fraudIntentional criminal trickery
forgery · smuggling · embezzlement · heist · poisoning · jewel theft · art theft · disappearance
clues
Hints toward answers
- evidenceFacts supporting truth
- interrogationFormal, probing examination
- suspectBelieve to be likely
alibi · forensics · deduction · fingerprints · witness · testimony · autopsy · coroner · surveillance · profiling
sleuth
Private investigator
witness · accomplice · femme fatale · informant · inspector · constable · private investigator · mastermind · henchman · suspect
whodunit
Crime fiction identifying perpetrator
- noirHard-boiled film genre
- hardboiledTough, cynical fiction style
- cozyWarm and snug
mystery novel · police procedural · locked-room · pulp fiction · crime fiction · golden age · amateur sleuth · private eye · fair play · Nordic noir
suspense
Anxious uncertainty about outcomes
- intrigueSecret plotting or fascination
- tensionStretched or strained state
- mysterySomething unexplained or unknown
shadows · fog · danger · secrets · paranoia · dread · foreboding · seedy · gritty · brooding
red herring
Intentional misleading distraction
alibi · cliffhanger · flashback · unreliable narrator · false lead · denouement · MacGuffin · frame-up · confession · unmasking
magnifying glass
Handheld lens for enlargement
- revolverPistol with rotating chamber
- poisonHarmful ingested substance
- ransom noteAbductor's payment demand
cigarette · trench coat · fedora · notebook · handcuffs · safe · hidden compartment · secret passage · candlestick · arsenic
murder
Deliberate unlawful killing
- theftUnlawful taking of property
- blackmailCoercion through damaging threats
- kidnappingUnlawful seizure of person
fraud · forgery · smuggling · embezzlement · heist · poisoning · jewel theft · art theft · disappearance · extortion
- fictionfiction, novel, novels, novella, novellas
- talestale, tall tales, yarns, folk tale, fairy tale
- mysteryclue, suspect, clues, sleuth, whodunit
- cop filmsBeverly Hills Cop, Lethal Weapon, Hot Fuzz, RoboCop, Dirty Harry
- fiction genresfiction, fantasy, novel, horror, thrillers
- mysteriesmystery, enigma, enigmas, puzzle, riddle
detective storyslice of life
Realistic everyday depiction
stream of consciousness · picaresque · romance novel · chronicle · character study
detective storyliterary fiction
Prose emphasizing craft and depth
character study · experimental fiction · psychological novel · absurdist fiction
story, stories, detective, detect, narrative, storied, storybook, detection, detected