Can You Solve the Murder?: An Interactive Crime Novel

by Antony Johnston

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

There's been a murder… and only you can solve it. This interactive mystery is made for armchair detectives who have been dying for more ways to deduce their way to glory.

“Follow leads, find clues, and interrogate suspects in this intricately crafted page-turner! Will you make the right calls and catch the culprit, or will they slip through your fingers?” —G. T. Karber, author of Murdle

One murder. Six suspects. One truth for YOU to uncover.

YOU are the lead detective and it's your job to investigate the most mysterious crime of your career.

There’s been a murder at Elysium, a wellness retreat set in an English country manor. You arrive to find the body of a local businessman on the lawn – with a rose placed in his mouth. It appears he was stabbed with a gardening fork and fell to his death from the balcony above. You quickly realize that balcony can only be accessed through a locked door, the key is missing, and everyone in Elysium is now a suspect… Who did it and why? It’s up to you to figure it out.

YOU gather the evidence and examine the clues.

YOU choose who to interview next, and who to accuse as your prime suspect.

But remember that every decision YOU make has consequences – and some of them will prove fatal…

Do you have what it takes? Can YOU solve the murder? Put your sleuthing skills to the test!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780143138884
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	07/01/2025
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.60(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Antony Johnston is the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of more than fifty books, graphic novels, and comic series, including the popular Dog Sitter Detective murder mysteries. His graphic novel The Coldest City was made into the multi-million-dollar blockbuster movie Atomic Blonde. He is also a celebrated videogames writer, and is credited with many franchise-defining titles. Johnston is a former vice chair of the Crime Writers’ Association, a member of International Thriller Writers and the Society of Authors, a Shore Scripts screenwriting judge, and sits on the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain’s videogames committee. He lives and works in England.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Can You Solve the Murder?

“A wonderfully intriguing mystery that tests your powers of investigation! Follow leads, find clues, and interrogate suspects in this intricately crafted page-turner! Will you make the right calls and catch the culprit, or will they slip through your fingers?”
—G. T. Karber, bestselling author of Murdle

“Just glorious! An interactive crime novel where YOU sleuth-for-the-truth! After the first chapter, you’re in the driving seat of the investigation, by collecting clues and choosing which direction you want the story to go in. . . a must-read for any and all crime fans!”
—Janice Hallett, international bestselling author of The Appeal

“A superior interactive crime story is always a delight….Sharpen your wits: this clever, intricate book is a highly entertaining mental workout.”
—The Guardian

“A Choose Your Own Adventure–style novel for willing and agile grownups. . . . Every decision leads to a fork in the road, and most of these forks lead to false accusations that will mark defeat. The result is a more elaborate version of the board game Clue that’s as interactive as readers who don’t play video games are likely to find.­­”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Crafted with obvious love for its golden age predecessors, this intricate puzzle will delight armchair sleuths of all ages. Here’s hoping Johnston has a sequel up his sleeve.”
—Publishers Weekly

“A choose-your-own-adventure for grown-ups, and it’s a lot of fun. . . A book like this stands or falls on the strength of its story (which is genuinely suspenseful and surprising) and the choices presented to the reader (which are clever and entirely logical within the context of the investigation). A satisfying mystery, well presented, and one that invites multiple readings.”
—Booklist

“This is a story for puzzle lovers everywhere — but only you can separate the real clues from the red herrings. It’s an unusual tale where you really are the detective, and just make sure you don’t accidentally die in the process. Antony Johnston masterfully guides you through.”
—SJ Bennett, author of The Windsor Knot

“I really enjoyed [Can You Solve the Murder?]. . . a story that grabs you by the arm and drags you in . . . because you're deciding what course to follow, you become much more invested in the unfolding story; this is a unique crime-reading experience.”
—J. M. Hall, author of A Spoonful of Murder

“Can You Solve The Murder? is cunning, clever and so, so compelling! I had the best time trying to beat the book and solve the murder. Filled with clues, codes and more than a few red herrings, it's the perfect read for any armchair detective.”
—Katy Watson, author of The Three Dahlias

“Nostalgic, compulsive and totally addictive — Can You Solve The Murder? is a masterpiece of interactive storytelling. Prepare your little grey cells to be given a THOROUGH workout as Johnston serves up a delightful slice of puzzling fun.”
—Jonathan Whitelaw, author of The Bingo Hall Detectives

“Antony Johnston’s pedigree in both crime novel and game writing coalesces delightfully here. Can You Solve the Murder? allows you to become an amateur Poirot or Miss Marple without ever leaving the comfort of your favourite reading spot. It’s a smart take on the interactive novel formula that will delight crime lovers and gamers alike.”
—Rhianna Pratchett, writer of videogame Tomb Raider

From the Publisher

2025-05-03
A Choose Your Own Adventure–style novel for willing and agile grown-ups.

Bigwig British housing developer Harry Kennedy has taken a header from the top floor of Finchcote Manor, headquarters of the Elysium health spa. But the fall hasn’t killed him, because he’d already been stabbed to death with a garden fork. The police detectives sent out to investigate are Sgt. McAdam, a Scot recently transferred from Northumbria, and a DCI identified only as “you” who has to make a lot of consequential decisions. Will you join eager but inexperienced Constable Zwale in interviewing the suspects or let him do it alone? Are you more interested in talking with Elysium owner Stephen Cheong, Member of Parliament Carla Nesbitt, or Flora Kennedy, Harry’s wife, who can now abandon her divorce proceedings and enjoy her status as Kennedy Homes’ sole proprietor? How important is it to gather information about Harry’s alleged harassment of receptionist Jennifer Watts, masseuse Alina Martinescu, and their coworkers? How intent are you in gathering information about motives and opportunities? And how much time and effort are you willing to spend trying to decipher the three coded messages Harry left behind? Every decision leads to a fork in the road, and most of these forks lead to false accusations that will mark defeat. The result is a more elaborate version of the board gameClue that’s as interactive as readers who don’t play video games are likely to find. Once they’ve identified the killer, Johnston invites them to compile their scores based on which clues they’ve followed.

Though the suspects aren’t much more personable than Colonel Mustard or Mrs. Peacock, the target audience won’t care a bit.

Kirkus Reviews