The detective story is sometimes called 'whodunit' because the reader has to work ......... who did it, who committed the crime. in out off over
The skill of course of the writing is how many times a reader can be sent up ......... alleys. short twisted blind long
Another way of putting this is how many red ......... the author can throw in the reader's path. fish sharks cod herrings
The idea is to keep the readers in a permanent state of ......... so that they never know what's going to happen next. suspense suspension suspending suspenders
As the plot ........., you find yourself agreeing with one character's solution and then another's. undoes unfolds unties unfurls
As a result you feel as if you are walking in a ......... since at each turning you come to a block end. muddle mess maze mist
One of the best known detectives is Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot who uses what he calls his little grey ......... his brains. molecules cells particles atoms
Invariably Poirots calls all the ......... together in the last part of the story. suspicions suspecting suspected suspects
One by one he ......... the innocent until finally the murderer is unmasked. extinguishes excludes eliminates exerts
The thing that always surprises me is the fact that the murderer bothers to take ......... in the final meeting. partition part parting parted