FOUR SUSPECTS. FOUR VISITS. ONE SOLUTION.
Whodunit at
Maple Hollow
A disputed portrait. An unclaimed parcel. A receipt worth killing for. Forty separate village mysteries for a patient detective.
40 Murder Mystery Logic Puzzles with Hints and Worked Solutions
PDF · 9 pages · A complete case, worksheet and worked answer · No sign-up
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CASE 01 · A COMPLETE PUZZLE TO TRY
The Last Seed Order
Edwin Pike had promised to sell the seed shop to his assistant. On the morning of the signing, a different buyer arrived with a contract already bearing Edwin's name. By lunchtime Edwin was dead. Four people had visited separately that morning. Inspector Rowan's task is to reconstruct their visits before deciding which statement to challenge.
The visit log
Each suspect visited one different place and carried one different object. Each visit began at a different time: 9 AM, 10 AM, 11 AM or 12 noon. Every name, place, object and time is used once.
Suspects: Amelia Arden, Jasper Nash, Sebastian Abbott, Brendan Neale.
Places: counter, office, store room, glasshouse.
Objects: seed tin, ledger, parcel, watering can.
“Earlier” can mean any earlier appointment. “Exactly one hour before” means the next appointment.
Print the worksheet and six matching grids ↓The clues
- The visitor carrying the parcel arrived earlier than the visitor to the glasshouse.
- Amelia Arden arrived exactly one hour before the visitor to the office.
- The visitor carrying the watering can arrived earlier than the visitor to the store room.
- Jasper Nash arrived exactly one hour before the visitor carrying the seed tin.
- The visitor carrying the parcel arrived exactly one hour before Brendan Neale.
- Sebastian Abbott arrived exactly one hour before the visitor to the glasshouse.
Final evidence: A concealed recorder proves that the murderer handled the seed tin during their recorded visit. No visitor exchanged objects.
Reconstruct all four visits, then identify the murderer.
Read a first hint
Start with clues 4 and 5: Jasper is one hour before the seed tin, and the parcel is one hour before Brendan. A visitor who has someone before them cannot be first; someone who has another visitor after them cannot be last.
Reveal the complete record
| Suspect | Place | Object | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amelia Arden | store room | seed tin | 10 AM |
| Jasper Nash | counter | watering can | 9 AM |
| Sebastian Abbott | office | parcel | 11 AM |
| Brendan Neale | glasshouse | ledger | 12 noon |
Amelia Arden is the culprit. The evidence identifies the person carrying the seed tin. The completed log connects it to Amelia’s 10 AM visit to the store room.
The free sample includes the full deduction route, so you can follow how the clues establish each entry.
A PENCIL, A QUIET TABLE, A NEW CASE
Make sense of
the missing connections.
Match suspects, places, objects and times. Four sections introduce arrival order, exact time gaps and clues that work in either direction. Every case has one complete solution and stands on its own.
The sample retains the paperback’s page numbers. It includes the rules, solving methods, first case and worksheet, the first hints page and the first case’s complete worked answer.
Download the free sample ↓