Vocabulary
In a criminal investigation, this term refers to the method or instrument used to commit the crime.
What are the means?
In "A Scandal in Bohemia," this operatic singer outwits Sherlock Holmes and retrieves her photograph.
Who is Irene Adler?
This character is the narrator of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.
Who is Dr. James Sheppard?
The detective in The Big Sleep is this hard-boiled private eye.
Who is Philip Marlowe?
In The Big Lebowski, the main character is known by this casual nickname.
Who is The Dude?
This refers to a false clue or piece of information intended to mislead the reader or the detective.
What is a red herring?
In "A Case of Identity," this man, who has multiple aliases, preys on a naive young woman for her inheritance.
Who is James Windibank (or Hosmer Angel)?
This town gossip is the sister of the novel's narrator.
Who is Caroline Sheppard?
The case in The Big Sleep begins with General Sternwood hiring Marlowe to investigate this crime.
What is blackmail?
Aside from Teddy, viewers also witnessed Leonard kill this man in Memento.
Who is Jimmy Grant?
A subgenre of detective fiction, this term describes a story where the detective is often an amateur, and the focus is on intellectual puzzle-solving rather than gritty realism.
What is a cozy mystery?
Sherlock used this code to unlock Irene's phone in the final moments of "A Scandal in Belgravia."
What is S-H-E-R ("I am SHERlocked").
This man was the leading suspect in the murder until the end of the novel.
Who is Ralph Patton?
This character is the sophisticated and enigmatic older sister of Carmen Sternwood.
Who is Vivian Reagan?
In Knives Out, the eccentric private detective who investigates the murder is named Benoit Blanc, played by this actor.
Who is Daniel Craig?
This subgenre of detective fiction is characterized by its gritty realism, cynical tone, and often morally ambiguous detectives.
What is hard-boiled fiction?
Holmes deduces that Hosmer Angel communicates with Mary through this unusual method, rather than direct conversation.
What are letters (or typed letters)?
This allowed for Roger Ackroyd's voice to be heard in the study after the time of his death.
What is the dictaphone?
This man, the chauffeur for the Sternwoods, was secretly in love with Carmen.
Who is Owen Taylor?
In The Big Lebowski, the "case" the Dude is initially embroiled in stems from a misunderstanding about this household item.
What is a rug (or carpet)?
In a legal context, this term refers to the arrest of a person for a crime.
What is apprehension?
In "A Scandal in Belgravia," we are introduced to this arch nemesis of Sherlock Hlomes.
Who is James Moriarty?
Before Roger Ackroyd's murder, this woman, with whom he was secretly in love, dies by suicide.
Who is Mrs. Ferrars?
Philip Marlowe shot this man, Eddie Mars' hired gunman, after kissing Mona Mars.
Who is Lash Canino?
This was Teddy's full legal name in Memento.
What is James Edward Gammell?