shamus

gumshoe

Informal term for detective

• investigatorOne who examines evidence
• sleuthPrivate investigator
• operativeCovert field agent

dick · plainclothesman · snoop · shadow · tracker · bloodhound · inquirer · prober · sleuthhound · undercover

hardboiled

Tough, cynical fiction style

• cynicalDoubting human goodness
• smokyFilled with combustion haze
• alleywayNarrow urban passage

underworld · corruption · neon · nightclub · jazz · whiskey · shadowy · gritty · urban · fedora

case

Container or instance

• cluesHints toward answers
• evidenceFacts supporting truth
• surveillanceSystematic observation of subjects

witness · alibi · testimony · inquiry · probe · examine · deduction · snoop · tail · track

shammes

Synagogue custodian or attendant

• synagogueJewish house of worship
• sextonChurch building caretaker
• caretakerOne who maintains property

beadle · cantor · rabbi · congregation · temple · shul · menorah · Torah · sanctuary · custodian

• Detectivesdetective, sleuth, investigator, private eye, gumshoe
• job slangcop, doc, medic, cabbie, barista
• Noirfemme fatale, detective, gumshoe, hard-boiled, trench coats
• noir charactersfemme fatale, private eye, gumshoe, hard-boiled detective, dame
• noir slanggumshoe, femme fatale, private eye, peeper, flatfoot
• Private InvestigatorsPI, private detective, detective agency, gumshoe, dick