Definition

1. Noun:
   • A mystery novel in which the reader is challenged to solve a puzzle before the detective explains it at the end: A genre of fiction where the plot revolves around a crime, typically a murder, and the process of its investigation and solution by a detective or amateur sleuth. The narrative structure often presents clues to the reader, inviting them to participate in solving the mystery.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Agatha Christie is famous for writing classic detective novels.
  • I enjoy reading a good detective novel on a rainy afternoon.
  • The plot of that detective novel was so clever that I didn't guess the culprit.

Advanced Usage

• "Golden Age detective novel": Refers to detective fiction produced primarily in the 1920s and 1930s, often characterized by intricate plots, closed settings, and a focus on logical deduction.
  • The rules of the "fair-play" mystery were a hallmark of the Golden Age detective novel.

Variants and Related Words

• Detective fiction (n): A broader category of literature that includes novels, short stories, and other narratives centered on crime detection.

  • He is a scholar of 20th-century detective fiction.

• Mystery novel (n): A closely related term often used interchangeably with "detective novel," though it can encompass stories where the puzzle element is central but a formal detective may not be present.

  • The bookstore has a large section for mystery novels.

• Whodunit (n, informal): A colloquial term for a detective story or novel, focusing on the question "who done it?" (who committed the crime).

  • That film is a classic whodunit set on a train.

Synonyms

• Mystery story: A narrative involving an unexplained event, especially a crime, that needs to be solved.
• Crime novel: A novel centered on criminal activity and its investigation; this can be a broader category that includes detective novels.

Related Phrases and Idioms

• "A real page-turner": An idiom often used to describe a very engaging detective novel that makes the reader want to continue turning pages to find out what happens next.
  • That detective novel was a real page-turner; I finished it in one night.

Noun

1. novel in which the reader is challenged to solve a puzzle before the detective explains it at the end