Mystery Terms

alibi An excuse that an accused person uses to show he/she was somewhere else than at the scene of a crime. The police found many holes in his alibi.

breakthrough an advancement or discovery that helps solve a crime Finding her number on his cell phone records was a huge breakthrough.

Transitional Page clue a fact or object that helps solve a crime The kitten’s syrupy paw print on the window was an important clue.

crime an act committed in violation of the law Benedict Arnold was accused of the crime of treason.

deduce to infer by logical reasoningi By examining the clues, I can deduce the name of the culprit.

detective person who investigates crimes and gathers information Joe Friday is a famous detective from the show Dragnet.

evidence Something such as a witness statement or object that helpstsolve a crime. The slashed football was entered as evidence of the fight.

flashback an interruption in the plot to tell what happened earlier A good mystery reader will use flashback to his advantage.

foreshadowing using clues to suggest what will happen later in the plot Good foreshadowing can create a mood of fear and anxiety.

hunch a guess or feeling not based on known fact When I saw the muddy tracks, I had a hunch Susan was inside.

motive an inner drive that causes a person to do something or act in a certain way Getting an extra holiday was his motive for doing well on the science test.

mystery something that is secret or unknown How the glass shattered with no one around is a mystery to me!

plot the arrangements of incidents in a story I had a difficult time following the plot of “The Tell-Tale Heart” because the narrator was insane.

purloin to steal or filch My cat purloined the guppy from the fishbowl.

red herring something used to divert attention from the basic issue We need to plan a red herring so we can get out of the room without being noticed!

setting time and place of a story The setting of “The Tell-Tale Heart” instantly foreshadows mystery.

sleuth another name for a detective Created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes is a famous British sleuth.

suspect one thought to be guilty of committing a crime Siegfried was the primary suspect in the case of the missing tissue box.

suspense anxiety or apprehension resulting from mysterious, undecided, uncertain circumstances. Jonas experienced great suspense at the Ceremony of Twelve.

victim one who is harmed or suffers a loss It is most distressing when a child is the victim of a crime.

witness one who saw or can give first-hand information about something Were you an witness to that event, or did you just hear about it?