eMysteries Toolkit

The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. [Project Number: 2019-1-DE03-KA201-060127] 13 Module 1: Mystery Detective Stories Mystery detective stories are popular among young people essentially because mystery fiction “ can command the reader’s attention and literally grip them to the edge of their seats” (Ibao, 2003, p.7). In particular, students are attracted to the examination of the different aspects of a detective story while they also enjoy the effort made for solving the mystery. Among mystery/detective stories one may differentiate between crime stories and detective stories. Crime stories focus on the perpetrator. How is she/he involved in the crime? Or, Why did she /he commit the crime? E. A. Poe's “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” (1841) is the first criminal story known world-wide. Detective stories describe how the detective solves the crime, which clues are collected, which leads are pursued or who is suspected as the perpetrator. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote the first detective stories about a great master detective, Sherlock Holmes. Crime and detective stories always includes the same five elements, while their sequence in each type of story may be different, as seen in the box below. Crime story Detective story Build-up of tension Perpetrator Deed Motive Clearing Deed Perpetrator Clearing Motive Solution Solution