The Séance at Midnight
The Séance at Midnight is an easy murder mystery puzzle set at a Halloween séance in the Manor, in the 1920s: five people, one floor plan, and one killer to unmask by logic alone. It is a perfect first case. If you want a method before you start, see how to solve murder sudoku.
The case
Every year on Halloween night, Rosa the Widow turns the Manor into a house of spirits. The dining table is pushed aside, the candles are lit one by one, and the family gathers to hear her speak to the departed. This year she had promised something special: a message from her late husband, delivered at the stroke of midnight.
The clock struck twelve, the candles guttered, and when the lights came back on, Rosa lay still on the floor of the entrance hall. Nobody had heard a scream. Only four guests were in the house: Frank, the crooked cop who never misses a free dinner; Lola, the dancer, who laughed at the whole business; Sal, the right-hand man, who had slipped away to the chapel to smoke; and Aldo, the godfather, who had arrived late and grumbling.
One of them was alone with Rosa when the clock struck. The floor plan, and a few honest clues, will tell you who.
The crime scene (play the grid)
The Séance at Midnight
The Manor · Rookie · 5 × 5
Place: put down the chosen person's pawn.
Frank · the Crooked Cop
He was in the entrance hall. He was in the top row.
Pick a person, then tap a square on the floor plan.
“Next to”: a square that touches by a side, in the same room. Corners don't count, and a wall always breaks contact.
Rookie rank. This case uses direct clues only: rooms, edges and furniture. When you are done, try more easy cases at the same level.
The suspects
Frankthe Crooked Cop
Rosathe WidowVictim
Lolathe Dancer
Salthe Right-Hand Man
Aldothe Godfather
The clues
- Frank is in the entrance hall.
- Frank is in the top row.
- Rosa is next to a plant.
- Lola is not next to any plant.
- Lola is in the leftmost column.
- Sal is in the chapel.
- Aldo is in the bottom row.
- Aldo is in the rightmost column.
Hint 1
Show hint 1
One person has two clues that both point to the edges of the plan. Where do those two edges meet?
Hint 2
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Sal is in the chapel, which only covers the two bottom rows, and the bottom row is already spoken for. Then Lola: she is in the leftmost column but never next to a plant, which rules out two of its squares.
Hint 3
Show hint 3
Rosa is next to a plant, and only one plant square has a free neighbor in the row Rosa must use. Once Rosa is placed, Frank's column follows.
Solution, step by step (spoiler)
Show the solution
- Aldo. He is in the bottom row and in the rightmost column, so he is in the bottom-right corner: row 5, column 5, in the chapel. Row 5 and column 5 are now closed.
- Sal. He is in the chapel, which only covers rows 4 and 5. Row 5 is Aldo's, so Sal is in row 4.
- Lola. She is in the leftmost column. Row 1, column 1 is a plant, row 2, column 1 sits next to that plant, and row 5 is taken. Row 4 belongs to Sal, so Lola is in row 3, column 1, in the dining room.
- Rosa. Frank is in the top row, so the only row left for Rosa is row 2. Next to a plant in row 2, she can use row 2, column 1 (column 1 is Lola's) or row 2, column 4, beside the plant of the entrance hall. Rosa is in row 2, column 4.
- Frank. He is in the top row and in the entrance hall: column 3, 4 or 5. Columns 4 and 5 are taken, so Frank is in row 1, column 3.
- Sal, again. The last free column in row 4 is column 2: Sal is in row 4, column 2.
- The verdict. Rosa lies in the entrance hall. Who else is there? Only Frank. Lola stayed in the dining room, Sal and Aldo were in the chapel. Frank, the crooked cop, was alone with Rosa: he is the killer.
Culprit: Frank. The only suspect in the entrance hall, with Rosa.
Technique used: fixed clues first
The whole case starts from Aldo, whose two clues need nobody else: "bottom row" and "rightmost column" meet in a single square. That is fixed clues first (#technique-1): before any reasoning between people, place everyone whose own clues already pin them down. Every placement then closes a row and a column for the others.
Enjoyed the atmosphere? The Halloween Murder Mystery Puzzle is a printable case set at a masked ball, with a PDF and its own answer.
Already thinking about the holidays? The Christmas printable pack has eight festive cases to solve with a pencil.
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