alibi - an excuse that an accused person uses to show that he/she was somewhere else than at the scene of the crime

breakthrough - an advance or discovery that helps solve a crime

clue - a  fact or object that helps to solve mysteries

crime - an act committed in violation of the law

deduce- to infer by logical reasoning

detective - a person who investigates crimes and gathers information

evidence - something, such as a witness statement or
object that is used as proof in a crime

hunch - a guess or feeling not based on known facts

motive - an inner drive that causes a person to do something or act in a certain way

mystery - something that is secret and unknown

plot - the arrangement of incidents in a story

purloin - to steal or filch

red herring - something that is used to divert attention from the basic issue

setting - the time, place, environment and surrounding circumstances of a story

sleuth - another name for a detective

suspect - a person who is suspected of a crime

victim - someone who is harmed or suffers some loss

witness - someone who saw or can give a firsthand account of something