Whodunit

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A whodunit is a puzzle-driven detective story where the main question is: who committed the crime? The plot provides clues so readers or viewers can try to guess the culprit before the big reveal at the end. Usually a quirky or amateur detective leads the investigation, and the reader is invited to think along and compete with the expert.

In a whodunit there are often two intertwined threads. One follows the crime and the investigation; the other is a reconstruction of what happened and why. Time may be handled in clever ways, but the goal is to let the audience follow the detective’s reasoning and piece together the mystery from the signs and motives.

Whodunits became famous during the Golden Age of detective fiction between the World Wars, especially in Britain with writers like Agatha Christie. American writers and harder-edged American crime fiction also contributed. Many classic whodunits feature a cozy setting, such as a secluded country house, and a careful, puzzle-like structure.

There are several variations:
- Inverted detective stories (howcatchem): the crime and the guilty party are revealed early, and the story follows the investigator as they uncover the truth. Columbo is a famous TV example.
- Whydunit: the emphasis is on motive and psychology rather than just who did it (as in The Secret History).
- Parodies and spoofs: funny takes on well-known detectives and plots (for example, films and plays that lampoon the genre).
- Reversal mysteries: the plot twists expectations, sometimes revealing the true solution only after misdirections.

Other forms include interactive murder mystery games and live events. Board games like Clue (Cluedo) and early party games like Jury Box let players guess who did it. Murder mystery dinners and theater productions let audiences try to solve the crime as the story unfolds.

In short, a whodunit asks: who is the killer? The answer is hidden in clues, motives, and careful deduction, with the reader or viewer trying to outsmart the detective before the reveal.