Room for Murder Daily › All cases › Case #17
Death at the Boutique
Ada was found face down. Someone in this building knows exactly why.
🔎 Solved by 9 detectives · median time 1:08 · 100% with no help at all
Can stand / sit on: armchairstoolrug
Solid — nobody there: plantbookshelfwardrobebushcrate
What the witnesses say
Ottothe clockmaker
“He was in the Back Yard.”
“He was in the Back Yard.”
Quinnthe detective's cousin
“She was beside a bookshelf.”
“She was beside a bookshelf.”
Hugothe hotel manager
“He was beside a plant. There was a wardrobe in his column.”
“He was beside a plant. There was a wardrobe in his column.”
Devthe postman
“He was beside a crate. There was a crate in his row.”
“He was beside a crate. There was a crate in his row.”
Felixthe magician
“He was in the Stockroom.”
“He was in the Stockroom.”
Adathe victim
Found dead — alone in a room with the killer.
Found dead — alone in a room with the killer.
The rules
- Exactly one person in every row and every column.
- Nobody stands on solid furniture; chairs, sofas, benches, beds and rugs are fine.
- Every statement is true. “Beside” means the square directly next to it; north is up.
- The victim was alone in a room with exactly one other person: the killer.
Show the answer and the solution to case #17
The killer was Hugo (the hotel manager) — the only other person in the Shop Floor with Ada. Otto: C6 · Quinn: E5 · Hugo: B1 · Dev: F4 · Felix: D3 · Ada: A2.
How to solve it, step by step
- Hugo: “He was beside a plant. There was a wardrobe in his column.” Only one square on the whole plan fits: B1.
- Otto: “He was in the Back Yard.” Of the squares that fit, only C6 is still open — the others are in rows or columns already taken.
- Quinn: “She was beside a bookshelf.” Of the squares that fit, only E5 is still open — the others are in rows or columns already taken.
- Dev: “He was beside a crate. There was a crate in his row.” Of the squares that fit, only F4 is still open — the others are in rows or columns already taken.
- Felix: “He was in the Stockroom.” Of the squares that fit, only D3 is still open — the others are in rows or columns already taken.
- Ada, the victim, has no statement — but only one square is left in a free row and column: A2, in the Shop Floor.
- Everyone is placed. Ada lies in the Shop Floor, and the only other person in there is Hugo. Hugo is the killer.
The book
80 more cases in Room for Murder
Five chapters of floor-plan mysteries, from cosy cottages to a lying-killer chapter, with answers in the back.
Book 2
Room for Murder: Thanksgiving
90 floor-plan mysteries in Cranberry Hollow, every case a two-page spread — a puzzle book for the long weekend.
Book 3
Room for Murder: Winter
90 cosy Christmas floor-plan mysteries in snowed-in Juniper Falls — a stocking stuffer for puzzle lovers.