January 25

Mystery Vocabulary

Alibi– an excuse that an accused person uses to show that he/she was somewhere else than at the scene of the crime

Breakthrough– a discovery that helps solve a crime

Clue– a fact or object that helps to solve mysteries

Detective– a person who investigates crimes and gathers information

Evidence– something, such as a witness statement or object that is used as proof in a crime

Hunch– a guess or feeling not based on known facts

Motive– an inner drive that causes a person to do something or act in a certain way

Mystery– something that is secret and unknown

Plot– the arrangement of incidents in a story

Red Herring– something that is used to take attention away from the basic issue

Setting– the time, place, environment and surrounding circumstances

Sleuth– another name for a detective

Suspect– a person who is suspected of a crime

Victim– someone who is harmed or suffers some loss

Witness– someone who saw or can give a firsthand account of something