Is there definitely a single solution?
Yes! Many people have successfully entered the correct answer on this website already, but you will have to use ALL of the clues, including the final clue revealed by the letter that appears at the bottom of each page. If you miss out any clues you won't be able to find the single killer.
Is there a typo of CORRINE in clue 8?
I'm extremely sorry about this. In the first edition of the book I listed the name as 'Corinne' instead of the correct 'CORRINE'. This has been corrected as of 20th June 2026. Please accept my sincerest apologies for this error if you have a copy bought before this date.
Clue 2 says the killer is wearing either glasses or earrings but not both. Does that mean a suspect with neither is ruled out?
Yes, that's right: if a suspect has neither of these features, they are not the killer.
One of the clues mentions the killer's name does not contain a double letter. Does this mean that PERRY would be ruled out, but JEMIMA would be fine?
Yes, that's right: a double-letter means the same letter consecutively, like the 'R' in PERRY. The M's in JEMIMA are separated by another letter, so that doesn't count as a double-letter.
Is Y a Vowel?
No, the vowels are counted as A, E, I, O and U, and every other letter (including Y) is treated as a consonant. The print edition has been updated (30th June 2026) to make this clear.
Are there multiple CORRINEs and MERCYs?
As this question has come up a lot, I have added it to the FAQs. There are multiple CORRINEs in the book and just one MERCY.
How Does the Page Numbers Clue Work
Let's say you are looking at page 56. 5+6 = 11, and 11 is an odd number, and since the killer is on a page whose digits sum to an even number, you can eliminate page 56 as a possibility. Where the page number is a single digit, no addition is necessary: e.g. page 9 is an odd number, so suspects on that page can be eliminated.
Can You Clarify the Hairstyles in the Book?
Of course! The three hairstyles are: short, long and curly. Here are images to show each of these:
I have had a query about whether 'Curly' hair also counts as short. The answer is that it does not: where a clue refers to 'Short' hair, it is talking only about the hairstyle labelled as 'Short' above - it does not also include 'Curly'.
How do I read the Final Clue?
The final clue appears one letter per page from the final page backwards. It begins 'you should now...' If you have used all the other clues you will be left with three suspects at this stage, and the final clue will enable you to reduce them to the final name. There are no redundant clues in the book so you must use them all to find the killer!
Have a question?
You can contact me here:
Please note I will be away until 28th August so if you email over the next few days I will reply when I'm back - I'm not ignoring your question! By the way we now have over 100 people who have given the correct answer - congratulations to you all :)