mystery story
- noun
- /ˈmɪstəri ˈstɔri/
- The mystery story revolves around a detective who uncovers hidden secrets in a small town.
- read mystery stories
- write mystery stories
- a good mystery story
So next is like a sister, which seems like it's a kind of mystery story about a reality TV star who dies.
- So next is like a sister, which seems like it's a kind of mystery story about a reality TV star who dies.
- So with most stories, if you go and see a a if you if you pick up a mystery book, mystery story, it's the same thing.
Examples
-
Mystery stories should be "tales of ratiocination," written for those who wish to entertain themselves with amusing intellectual exercises.
Fiction book (2001) -
I chose it because it was billed in the jacket copy (correctly) as a suspenseful mystery story.
Academic text (1999) -
Say do you like mystery stories?
-
...especially if it's a mystery story, as you said.
-
Are these truly the best American mystery stories of the century?
Fiction book (2001) -
In a mystery story, that means not just understanding... the victim of the crime, but also the killer.
-
By itself, the plot of the book is an entertaining mystery story.
Blog text (14) -
Making its first appearance in 1941, it is still being published, carrying the banner of the mystery story longer than any magazine in history.
Fiction book (2001) -
That's the point of a good mystery story, you know—to keep you asking the right questions.
Fiction book (1998) -
Now, I personally have no objections to these and, as a matter of fact, have written all of the above myself, but the lessons I've written for this course are aimed at increasing proficiency in the specific craft of writing the mystery story.
Academic text (2009)
Synonyms
A book, play, or film about solving a crime, often a murder
A story about finding who committed a crime, often a murder
A story about a person who solves a crime by following clues
Antonyms
How Puzzling
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'mystery' denotes a narrative genre focused on detecting a crime, and 'story' means a narrative, so a 'mystery story' is transparently a story about a mystery. This noun–noun combination follows common cross-linguistic patterns and would be immediately understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.
Etymology
The phrase mystery story comes from the idea of a hidden puzzle: mystery means a secret with clues, and a story follows someone trying to 'solve' it. That's why mystery story means a book, play, or film where someone looks for clues and finds the answer to a crime.