Mystery Genre: Definition, Characteristics & Elements

A type of fiction in which a detective, or other professional, solves a crime series of crimes. It can take the form of a novel or short story. This genre may also be called detective or crime novels.

The main plot, or key events, in a mystery novel or short story focuses on the crime that needs solving.

Or central character, is the detective, and the rest of the characters are usually the suspects.

A literary device that hints at events to come, as well as plot twists and suspects' motives

Which support suspects' whereabouts at the time of the crime.

Also known as figures of speech, or other plot-related tools in mystery stories, such as foreshadowing, suspense and inference gaps. They may also hide evidence or try to distract readers with red herrings.

Details about the plot are obscured to create tension and leave both the characters and reading audience lingering in uncertainty.

The audience may have to fill in gaps in the story to solve the crime. For example, they may ask themselves questions and find story-related connections in other details.

Author may present seemingly unimportant details, but they really offer clues to the crime.

The author may use deliberately misleading clues to throw the reader off track.

A frame story is a story that is told with another story inside of it. Often a frame story is created when a character in the story begins to tell a story or write a story. The original narrative becomes a frame for the story that is told by the character. Examples would be To Kill a Mockingbird or Princess Bride.

The kind of novel where a youth struggles toward maturity, seeking a consistent worldview or philosophy of life.