| rdfs:comment | - A locked room mystery is what happened the other night. Y'see, there was a lady found dead in her room, murdered. But, y'see, the door was locked, y'see, and only she had the key, y'see, and according to forensic evidence, the door wasn't forced, y'see. Also, there were no other modes of entrance or e...gress to or from the room respectfully. So, the question, as I rightly see fit to put it, must inevitably and inexorably be, "How did'e do it?"
- A seemingly impossible crime. The standard example being that of a murder victim found in a room with only a single door, securely locked from the inside. Can be the basis for a single plot, or an entire show. A well-designed Locked Room Mystery provides pleasure from trying to figure out the puzzle before it is revealed, from moments of dawning realisation, and from a satisfyingly logical solution. A poorly designed Locked Room Mystery only provides a feeling of having been cheated. Contrary to the name, Locked Room Mysteries don't necessarily have to be locked rooms (e.g. contemplating how it's possible for someone to travel from one part of the island to another within minutes).
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| abstract | - A locked room mystery is what happened the other night. Y'see, there was a lady found dead in her room, murdered. But, y'see, the door was locked, y'see, and only she had the key, y'see, and according to forensic evidence, the door wasn't forced, y'see. Also, there were no other modes of entrance or e...gress to or from the room respectfully. So, the question, as I rightly see fit to put it, must inevitably and inexorably be, "How did'e do it?"
- A seemingly impossible crime. The standard example being that of a murder victim found in a room with only a single door, securely locked from the inside. Can be the basis for a single plot, or an entire show. A well-designed Locked Room Mystery provides pleasure from trying to figure out the puzzle before it is revealed, from moments of dawning realisation, and from a satisfyingly logical solution. A poorly designed Locked Room Mystery only provides a feeling of having been cheated. Contrary to the name, Locked Room Mysteries don't necessarily have to be locked rooms (e.g. contemplating how it's possible for someone to travel from one part of the island to another within minutes). Originally from crime fiction, John Dickson Carr being an acknowledged master. It is noteworthy that Edgar Allan Poe's short story The Murders in the Rue Morgue, widely considered to be the first detective story, involves a Locked Room Mystery. Appears on television in a number of forms. The relatively pure form as a sub-genre of crime television (e.g., Monk, Jonathan Creek) where the puzzle is eventually unravelled by an eccentric protagonist using subtle clues and pure reason. The part of the show where the solution to the mystery is explained is The Summation. One common trick used is the Time-Delayed Death. Expect the police to have found that The Key Is Behind the Lock when the crime scene was discovered. Examples of Locked Room Mystery include:
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