A mystery story can also be called a whodunit. This term emphasizes the central question in many mystery stories, which is 'who done it' - who committed the crime or caused the mystery in the first place. It's a very common and fun way to refer to this genre, especially when you're focused on the mystery of the perpetrator's identity.
Another name for a mystery story is a crime mystery. Mystery stories frequently revolve around a crime such as murder, theft, or some other illegal act. The plot then focuses on the process of uncovering the details of the crime, the motives of the perpetrator, and ultimately solving the mystery. So, 'crime mystery' is a suitable alternative name for this genre.
A thriller can sometimes be another name for a mystery story. Thrillers often have elements of mystery, like an unknown threat or a puzzling situation that the characters need to figure out. However, thrillers usually have a greater emphasis on action and suspense compared to traditional mystery stories.
There was a small town where every year on the same night, all the clocks would stop at exactly midnight. The townspeople were very superstitious about it. A scientist visited the town to figure out what was going on. He noticed that there was an old tower in the center of the town. He climbed the tower and found a strange device that seemed to be emitting some kind of magnetic field. He studied it further and realized that it was an old experiment gone wrong. He managed to fix the device, and from that year on, the clocks no longer stopped at midnight.
Well, 'the commencement' is another way to refer to the start of a story. It's like the story is about to commence, start its journey, and draw the reader in from that very first moment.
The start of a story can also be called the 'opening'. For example, in many novels, the opening sets the scene, introduces the main characters or gives a hint about the main conflict.
A sleuth story. 'Sleuth' is another word for a detective, so a sleuth story is essentially a detective story.
A yarn can also be another name for a story. This term is often used in a more informal or folksy way. People might say 'spin a yarn' which means to tell a story, usually one that is interesting or perhaps a little exaggerated.