The Killer Isn't The Author: Murder Mystery Logic Puzzle
Wray & Sons printed its own books in its own building, and on the night of an edition the whole house worked until the run was finished.
Get it on Etsy → Instant digital download · print at home📖 THE DOORS WERE BARRED. THE PRESSES STOPPED FOR ELEVEN MINUTES.
On the eleventh they were printing forty thousand copies of a book Sir Gerald had bought for more money than anybody thought it was worth. Twenty-four people were inside to get it done.
At two in the morning the presses stopped for the plate change, as they do on every long run. For eleven minutes the building was quiet enough to hear a footstep.
They found Sir Gerald Wray in the proof room when they started up again. The bars were still across the doors, and the night porter had not opened them once.
Everyone looks at the Author — nine years under contract to this house, and lately arguing about the tenth. He did not do it. One of the other 2,399 records did.
🔍 YOUR MISSION
✓ Read the 18 clues — take them in any order
✓ Cross out every record a clue rules out
✓ Exactly one of 2,400 survives
✓ Name the killer of Sir Gerald Wray
★ THIS IS NOT A SPELLING PUZZLE ★
Every clue is a piece of the investigation — where somebody was, what they were carrying, what a witness heard. Not one of them is about how many letters are in a name. That is the difference, and it is the whole reason this exists.
★ WHAT'S INSIDE — TWO BOOKS ★
• THE CASE BOOK — the story, the 18 clues, the full 2,400-record register, and a notes page
• THE SOLUTION BOOK, separate — the answer, a clue-by-clue trace showing exactly how many records each clue removes, and what actually happened
• A4 and US Letter, both included
★ THE REGISTER IS GROUPED, NOT LISTED ★
2,400 records printed as 2,400 lines is a chore. Here they are grouped into blocks, so a clue like "it was not the cook" strikes out eight whole blocks with one pen stroke. Fourteen pages, not two hundred.
★ MACHINE-CHECKED BEFORE IT SHIPPED ★
Exactly one suspect survives all 18 clues — and every clue is necessary. Remove any one of them and more than one suspect is left standing. That is not a promise, it is a test this file had to pass.
★ HOW TO PLAY ★
1. Read the case, then the clues. 2. Cross out every record a clue rules out. 3. One record survives. That is your answer.
★ GREAT FOR ★
Solo evenings, two people over a pot of coffee, long journeys, true-crime and puzzle fans, and anybody bored of crosswords.
⚡ Instant digital download — nothing is shipped. ❤ Personal use only.
★ QUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK ★
Q: Do I need anything else?
A: Just a pen. Everything else is in the download.
Q: Is it too hard?
A: Every clue is plain English. No maths, no letter-counting.
Q: How long does it take?
A: Most people finish it in one or two sittings.
Q: Is the answer included?
A: Yes, in a separate book, so you cannot see it by accident.
Q: Can two people solve it?
A: Yes. It works just as well over a pot of coffee.
Q: What do I print?
A: A4 and US Letter are both included. Print either one.
Ready to print tonight.
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