Hello, and welcome to the scene of the crime.
I have always loved a good puzzle book. The sort you take to bed, or on a long train, or out to the garden with a cup of tea and no intention of moving for an hour. Somewhere along the way I tumbled down the rabbit hole of elimination puzzles, the kind where you cross out the innocent one clue at a time until a single guilty name is left standing, and, well, here we are.
Every case is watched over by Detective Otis, who in real life is my rescue cockapoo. He is judgy, deeply suspicious of everyone, and misses absolutely nothing. Naturally, I made him a detective. He has taken the promotion far more seriously than I ever expected.
What began as one book has grown into a whole shelf of them, in three flavours, for young super-sleuths and grown-ups. There are the long searches, where a single culprit hides among thousands of suspects. There are the coffee-break casebooks, quick mysteries to crack while the kettle boils. And now there are the escape rooms, where you cipher and choose your way out one locked door at a time.
Underneath all the silliness, they are really about the same thing: a little time away from a screen. A pencil, a puzzle, and a quiet half hour that is entirely your own. No notifications, no batteries, no rush. Just you, the clues, and one very watchful dog.
Happy sleuthing.