An A-Z of Crime Fiction by Anne Cassidy

Every crime novel needs one

A is for Alibi

This is when the person accused of murder insists that they were with someone else at the time. That person is the alibi.

B is for Blood

Blood groups, blood stains, blood traces are crucial to solving murders.

C is for Clue

Clues are the way to find a murderer.

D is for Detective

Every crime novel needs one. It might be a policeman, a private detective or a member of the public.

E is for Exhumation

This is when the murderer thinks they’ve got away with the crime but the police ask for the victim’s body to be dug up and examined again for new clues.

F is for Family

Sometimes the murderer is related to the victim.

G is for Gun

In USA people are allowed by law to own guns. Many murders happen this way. Unlike a knife, a gun leaves behind its own clue, a bullet. The police gain a lot of information from this.

H is for Home

A suitable home for a detective?

The home of the detective might be odd. They might live on a houseboat or in a windmill or in a flat in

Baker Street

. This will be where they do some of their thinking about the case.

I is for Informant

The police have people who will give them information about what is going on in the world of crime.

J is for Justice

Society abhors murder. The machinery of law is there so that society sees the murderer punished.

K is for Knife

Teenagers are the group most likely to be killed by knife crime.

L is for the Law

The Law says that murder is a crime. Murderers go to prison. 1964 was the last time someone was hanged for murder in the UK.

M is for Motive

Why did the killer want to kill? What was their reason?

N is for Night

The cover of darkness is perfect for murder.

O is for Opportunity

The right moment. This is when the murderer strikes.

P is for Police

They are crucial in a crime novel. Either they solve the murder or they hold information that might solve the murder.

R is for Red Herring

In every crime novel there will be red herrings. These are false clues put in by the writer to lead the reader astray.

S is for Scene of Crime

This is the place where the body of the victim is found. It’s important that no one tampers with this area.

T is for Tragic Past

Most detectives, whether they’re police or members of the public have a tragedy in their past.

U is for Undertaker

They organise the funeral of the victim. The detective will always attend. Maybe the killer will attend as well.

V is for Victim

Most murder victims are killed by someone who knows them. If the detective looks into the lifestyle of the victim they are likely to find the killer.

W is for Whodunnit

Much crime fiction takes this shape. A murder and the hunt for whoever did this murder.

 X is for X-Rated

Murder is always something that is too horrible to be seen.

Y is for Youth Crime

This is constantly in the newspapers and sometimes ends in murder. It’s the subject of some of the Young Adult Fiction that’s around.

Z is for Zeal

The detective has to have a passion for finding out the truth. This way the murder will be solved.