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.

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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 reasoning

By examining the clues, I can deduce the name of the culprit.

detective•person who investigates crimes and gathers information

In all of the crime shows, there is a detective assigned to the case.

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?