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Mystery Puzzles
Murder mysteries you solve with a floor plan and a pencil. One series so far, and more houses on the way.
Floor-plan mysteries
Volume One · on saleThe Halmerton Case Files
Volume Two · out nowThe Halmerton Emeralds
Volume Three · on saleThe Halmerton CrossingeditionVolumes one to three · coming laterThe Halmerton House Collection
Try one now
The body is in the study
Four guests, a four-by-four plan, four statements. One of these people is a murderer, and the statements are enough to say which.
Four guests to place
- Mr Cole
- Lady Fenwick
- Dr Hallam
- Miss Ashby
The statements
- Mr Cole was in the northernmost row. Miss Ashby was in the southernmost.
- Lady Fenwick was in the library, in the westernmost column.
- Dr Hallam was the only person in the kitchen.
- Mr Cole was west of Dr Hallam.
Mr Cole. The first statement pins his row and Miss Ashby’s. The second puts Lady Fenwick in the second row, first column — the top row is taken. Dr Hallam is the only one left who can be in the kitchen, which fixes his row, and because nobody else may be there, Miss Ashby takes the second column. The last statement decides the two remaining columns.
Of the 576 ways four guests can stand one to a row and one to a column, exactly one survives these four statements. Not the most likely one. The only one.