a person who is blamed for the wrongdoings, mistakes, or faults of others, especially for reasons of expediency.
Red Herring
to a misleading, or false, clue. It is a common literary device used in mysteries and thrillers that can lead readers down a false path or otherwise distract t
The process of reasoning in which a conclusion follows clues from the premises presented.
Deduction
a plan made in secret by a group of people to do something illegal or harmful.
Plot
Antagonist
a person who actively opposes or is hostile to someone or something in a text; an adversary.
a narrative device in which suggestions or warnings about events to come are dropped or planted.
Foreshadowing
a person who is blamed for the wrongdoings, mistakes, or faults of others, especially for reasons of expediency.
Scape Goat
Evidence
facts and physical details that can be used in court.
Parody
produce a humorously exaggerated imitation of (a writer, artist, or genre).
a scene that takes place before a story begins. This interrupts the chronological order of the main narrative to take a reader back in time to the past events in a character's life.
Flashback
Alibi
a claim or piece of evidence that one was elsewhere when an act, typically a criminal one, is alleged to have taken place.
Refers to any type of figure of speech, theme, image, character, or plot element that is used many times in a genre.
Trope
an ending to an episode of a serial drama that leaves the audience in suspense.
Cliffhanger
Forensics
applying scientific principles and techniques to collect, examine, and analyze physical evidence of a crime.
the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.
Satire
a sudden, dramatic, and important discovery or development.
Breakthrough
Sleuth
a person who investigates crimes; a detective.
Witness
a person who sees an event, typically a crime or accident, take place.
Dramatic Irony
occurs when the audience knows something that the characters don't.
a reason for doing something, especially one that is hidden or not obvious
Motive
a person who has committed a crime.
Criminal
Alias
a false or assumed identity.
Protagonist
the leading character or one of the major characters in a drama, movie, novel, or other fictional text.
the place where an offense has been committed and forensic evidence may be gathered.
Crime Scene
an uneasy feeling that a reader gets when they don't know what is going to happen next.
Suspense
a character who isn't the main focus in the story but instead supports the protagonist they ultimately help them achieve their goal, have a transformation, or move the story forward.
Supporting Character
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