Room for Murder Daily › All cases › Case #19
A Body in the Old House
A storm, a power cut and one less guest: poor Emmett.
🔎 Solved by 7 detectives · median time 1:01 · 100% with no help at all
Can stand / sit on: chairarmchairbenchrug
Solid — nobody there: tabledeskplantbookshelflampwardrobetreebushpondgrandfather clock
What the witnesses say
Nicothe barista
“He was beside a plant.”
“He was beside a plant.”
Vincethe car dealer
“He was beside a desk.”
“He was beside a desk.”
Zekethe farmer
“He was diagonally next to Cyrus.”
“He was diagonally next to Cyrus.”
Ottothe clockmaker
“He was sitting in an armchair.”
“He was sitting in an armchair.”
Cyrusthe banker
“He was diagonally next to Otto.”
“He was diagonally next to Otto.”
Umathe architect
“She was beside a chair.”
“She was beside a chair.”
Emmettthe 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 #19
The killer was Zeke (the farmer) — the only other person in the Garden with Emmett. Nico: C7 · Vince: G3 · Zeke: D4 · Otto: F6 · Cyrus: E5 · Uma: A1 · Emmett: B2.
How to solve it, step by step
- Otto: “He was sitting in an armchair.” Only one square on the whole plan fits: F6.
- Nico: “He was beside a plant.” Of the squares that fit, only C7 is still open — the others are in rows or columns already taken.
- Uma: “She was beside a chair.” Of the squares that fit, only A1 is still open — the others are in rows or columns already taken.
- Every square left for Vince is in row G, so row G is Vince's — nobody else can be in row G.
- Cyrus: “He was diagonally next to Otto.” With Otto on F6, only E5 still fits — the rest are ruled out above.
- Vince: “He was beside a desk.” Of the squares that fit, only G3 is still open — the others are in rows or columns already taken.
- Zeke: “He was diagonally next to Cyrus.” With Cyrus on E5, only D4 still fits — the others are in rows or columns already taken.
- Emmett, the victim, has no statement — but only one square is left in a free row and column: B2, in the Garden.
- Everyone is placed. Emmett lies in the Garden, and the only other person in there is Zeke. Zeke 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.