howdunnit
How crime solved
A howdunnit is a mystery story where the identity of the criminal is known from the start, and the interest lies in discovering how the crime was committed or how the detective will prove it.
The term plays on the older whodunit, shifting focus from "who did it?" to "how did they do it?" The Columbo series is a classic howdunnit—you watch the murder, then watch Columbo unravel it.
Professional crime investigator
- sleuthPrivate investigator
- deductionConclusion from premises
- interrogateQuestion formally and persistently
- surveillanceSystematic observation of subjects
stakeout · undercover · profiling · corroborate · inquiry · suspicion · clue · witness
Story's final unraveling
- unmaskingRevealing what's hidden
- confessionAdmission of wrongdoing
- disclosureAct of revealing information
- discoveryAct of finding something
solution · resolution · explanation · reconstruction · breakthrough · unraveling · culprit · perpetrator
Scientific crime-scene analysis
- evidenceFacts supporting truth
- fingerprintFriction ridge impression
- DNAHereditary code molecule
- autopsyMedical examination after death
bloodstain · ballistics · poison · weapon · bullet · toxicology · trajectory · reconstruction
Storyline or land parcel
- twistRotating motion or surprise
- suspenseAnxious uncertainty about outcomes
- mysterySomething unexplained or unknown
- thrillerSuspense-driven narrative genre
whodunit · misdirection · intrigue · tension · puzzle · secrets · conspiracy · procedural
detective
Professional crime investigator
- sleuthPrivate investigator
- deductionConclusion from premises
- interrogateQuestion formally and persistently
surveillance · stakeout · undercover · profiling · corroborate · inquiry · suspicion · clue · witness · testimony
denouement
Story's final unraveling
- unmaskingRevealing what's hidden
- confessionAdmission of wrongdoing
- disclosureAct of revealing information
discovery · solution · resolution · explanation · reconstruction · breakthrough · unraveling · culprit · perpetrator · truth
forensics
Scientific crime-scene analysis
- evidenceFacts supporting truth
- fingerprintFriction ridge impression
- DNAHereditary code molecule
autopsy · bloodstain · ballistics · poison · weapon · bullet · toxicology · trajectory · reconstruction · staging
plot
Storyline or land parcel
- twistRotating motion or surprise
- suspenseAnxious uncertainty about outcomes
- mysterySomething unexplained or unknown
thriller · whodunit · misdirection · intrigue · tension · puzzle · secrets · conspiracy · procedural · revelation