A Detective Story

1. What are the most famous detective-story writers? 2. Who is usu­ally the main character in a detective story? Give the names of some detectives in fiction. 3. Why must a detective be observant, intelli­gent? What makes a good detective? 4. How does the author make things difficult for the detective? 5. What makes a detective story thrilling to read?

Ex. 31. Read the passage, answer the questions, using the vocabulary of the lesson and retell it.

It was very hot in the small court-room and everybody was feeling sleepy. After a tiring morning, the clerks were anxious to get off to lunch and even the judge must have felt happy when the last case came up before the court. A short, middle-aged man with grey hair and small blue eyes was now standing before him. The man had a dazed expression on his face and he kept looking around as if he was trying hard to make out what was going on.

The man was charged with breaking into a house and stealing a cheap watch. The witness who was called did not give a very clear account of what had happened. He insisted on having seen a man outside the house one night, but on being questioned further, he admitted that he was not sure whether this was the man. The judge thought over the matter for a short time and then he said that as there was no real proof, the man could not be found guilty of any crime. He said that the case was dismissed for lack of evidence and then rose to go. The prisoner looked very puzzled. It was clear that he had not understood a thing. Noticing this, the judge paused for a moment and then the man said suddenly, 'Excuse me, sir, but do I have to give the watch back or not?'