whodunit
noun
- complex, plot-driven variety of the detective story in which the audience is given the opportunity to engage in the same process of deduction as the protagonist throughout the investigation of a crime
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˌhuːˈdʌn.ɪt/
noun
Etymology: Coined by critic Donald Gordon in 1930. Alteration and univerbation of who done it? with ellipsis of has.
- A novel or drama concerning a crime (usually a murder) in which a detective follows clues to determine the perpetrator.
“Actually, an whodunit is a mystery story. The hero is generally a detective, although sometimes he is a gentleman (apparently a mild mannered worm) who sallies forth at night to become Public Enemy No. One of Crime. Otherwise, the formula is exactly the same as that of the Cliff-hanger and follows the same rules.”