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] 15 For the detective the setting is not only the place of the crime. It is also the place of research, here the detective finds clues to solve the crime. Suspects The perpetrator in a detective story is someone who has committed the crime but is not recognized as such by the reader until the end. In the story, his actions or conversations are often plausible and all events are logical and coherent. There is always a reason why the character acts this way or why something happens. So long as the logic in the story is correct, the readers accept a lot of curious things. The perpetrator is only recognized as such at the end of the story. Detective The word "detective" is based on the verb ‘ to detect ’ , which is derived from the Latin verb detegere for " to discover, reveal, betray ". The detective, often a keen observer, solves the mystery by deduction, by eliminating the impossible until all questions are answer ed. The reader observes the detective “at work”, following the analytical process that leads to the solution. Often the detective has conspicuous characteristics or habits that make him memorable as a detective. They set him out from the mass of conventional investigators. The most famous is perhaps the maverick Sherlock Holmes with his pipe and characteristic hat. Detectives also have different methods of solving a crime. Sherlock Holmes or Miss Marple are literary detectives who use logic and intelligence to solve a crime. The detective Hercules Poirot (by Agatha Christie) always tries his "little grey cells". Miss Marple is an unassuming old lady who likes to knit and crochet but has a sharp eye for her surroundings.