Key Terms Mystery

Detective The character or characters who look for clues and solve the crime.

Crime The problem the detective need to solve in the mystery. Usually a murder but any crime will work.

Clues The evidence the detective looks at to find out who is guilty. They can be fingerprints, DNA, items left at the crime scene.

Suspects The characters who may have committed the crime.

Alibi An excuse that a suspect uses to show that he or she was not at the scene of the crime.

Motive A reason that a person does something — can include anger, love, or greed.

Red Herring False clues used by the author to confuse the reader.

Denouement The whodunnit part of the mystery. This is the part when the detective explains who committed the crime and why.