I.

Introduction

Detective Story, tale that features a mystery and/or the commission of a crime, emphasizing the search for a solution. The detective story is distinguished from other forms of fiction by the fact that it is a puzzle. Although a crime usually has been committed, the reader's attention is directed to baffling circumstances surrounding the crime rather than to the event itself. The tale's climax is the solution of the puzzle, and the bulk of the narrative concerns the logical process by which the investigator follows a series of clues to this solution. Very often the detective solves the mystery by means of deductive reasoning from facts known both to the character and the reader. In addition to detective stories, other types of crime fiction include spy thrillers, which are concerned primarily with international intrigue and politics, and crime novels, which are stories that deal with the roots and nature of criminal acts.