accident
An unplanned, unanticipated event leading to damage, injury, or death, commonly classified according to the site of occurrence (traffic, workplace, domestic, recreational). For such events involving ...
actus reus
[Latin: a guilty act]The prohibited conduct or behaviour that the law seeks to prevent. Although commonly referred to as the “guilty act” this is rather simplistic, as the actus reus includes all the ...
Albert Cornelis Baantjer
(b. 1923), Dutch crime author who writes under the single name Baantjer.With more than forty titles to his credit, Baantjer has sold more than four million copies in the Netherlands, a country of ...
alibi
N. [from Latin: elsewhere]A defence to a criminal charge alleging that the defendant was not at the place at which the offence was committed at the time of its alleged commission and so could not ...
alternative verdict
A verdict of not guilty of the offence actually charged but guilty of some lesser offence not specifically charged. Such a verdict is only permitted when there is insufficient evidence to establish ...
Amateur Detective
The first detective of the mystery genre was an amateur. In Edgar Allan Poe's story “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” (1841; in Graham's Lady's and Gentleman's Magazine, Apr. 1841) ...
Anthony Berkeley
(1893–1971),British crime writer, born in Watford, educated at University College, London. He contributed to Punch, and under his own name published several comic novels (e.g. Brenda Entertains, ...
anti-hero
A central character in a narrative or drama who lacks the admirable qualities of fortitude, courage, honesty, and decency that are usually possessed by traditional heroes. Examples include Alex in A ...
arson
N.The intentional or reckless destruction or damaging of property by fire without a lawful excuse. There are two forms of arson corresponding to the two forms of criminal damage in the Criminal ...
Art and Antiques Milieu
Many authors have found the art and antiques milieu appealing because of the opportunity it can offer for the use of a historically rich setting; thus, Timothy Holme draws upon ...
assault
N.An intentional or reckless act that causes someone to be put in fear of immediate physical harm. Actual physical contact is not necessary to constitute an assault (for example, pointing a gun at ...
Atmosphere
When the physical attributes of a place are selected by a writer to depict or mirror a psychological environment, atmosphere is created. In order to establish the atmosphere, or surrounding ...
attainder
The extinction of civil rights and powers when judgement of death or outlawry was recorded against a person convicted of treason or felony. It was the severest English common law penalty, for an ...
attempt
May be a crime when it involves the defendant's intent to do an act that goes beyond mere preparation or to cause a consequence that constitutes a substantive crime.See also Criminal Law ...
autopsy
(aw-top-si)a review of the clinical history of a deceased person followed by external examination and dissection of the body and ancillary investigations (e.g. toxicology) in order to determine the ...
Avenger of Blood.
In ancient Israel, as in tribal societies in general, the members of the clan were responsible for avenging the death of innocent victims. Unavenged blood cries out to the Lord ...
Banking and Financial Milieu
The milieu of banking and finance offers fiction writers an obvious environment for crime stories, but, at the same time, it is one difficult to adapt for lively narrative. The ...
battered spouse or cohabitant
A person subjected to physical violence by their husband, wife, or cohabitant (subsequently referred to as ‘partner’ in this entry). Battered partners (or those afraid of future violence) may seek ...
Blood Vengeance
Killings in revenge are not well attested in Byz. sources. A. Mirambel (Byzantion 16 [1944] 381–92) mistakenly saw evidence for it in the term phonikon (but see P. Charanis, Speculum ...
