Get Unstuck Without Opening the Solution
The Case Desk can help. Start with the tips below — they won't spoil anything. If you need more, the clue file is further down.
Spoiler-Free Tips
Read every clue as if it was placed there on purpose. Nothing in this case is decorative. If a detail made it into the file, it eliminates someone.
Each clue targets a specific part of the registry code. Look at the structure of the entries — the number, the name, and the code. Each clue tells you something about one of those pieces.
Work one clue at a time. Don't try to solve the whole registry at once. Apply one clue, cross out who it eliminates, then move to the next.
If a clue feels like it eliminates nobody, you're reading it too narrowly. Step back and consider what the clue is really asking you to look at.
Use a pencil. Mark lightly. You may need to revisit earlier conclusions as new clues add context.
The puzzle was designed to be solved with only the information in the book. If you're stuck, that's normal — the case was built to resist easy answers. Sit with it before you scroll further.
Clue-by-Clue Help
The following section won't reveal the killer. But it will clarify what each clue is asking you to do — and that changes the experience.
The puzzle was built to be solved without outside help. Once you see the guidance below, some of the difficulty disappears. That's the tradeoff.
Clue-by-Clue Guidance
Open only the clue you need. Each section clarifies without revealing the final answer.
This clue is asking you to compare the letters in a suspect’s role code with the letters in that suspect’s first name. The letters do not need to appear in the same position. If even one role-code letter appears anywhere in the first name, that suspect can still remain in consideration.
This clue is about the entire registry page, not only one suspect. Count every first name on that page that begins with M across all three columns. Duplicate names still count as separate records.
This clue asks you to scan the role-code column for VIP entries on the killer’s page. If the page has four or more VIP entries, that page cannot be the killer’s page.
This clue points to the very first record on the killer’s page. Read the page in normal order: start at the top of the first column. The first listed first name must begin with a standard vowel.
This clue is about distance from the killer’s record. Once you are testing a possible suspect, count up to five records before and up to five records after that suspect in normal reading order. At least one of those nearby records must have the VIP role code.
This clue is about the killer’s first name only. Count the vowels and consonants in the first name. The number of vowels must equal the number of consonants. Only A, E, I, O, and U count as vowels. Y counts as a consonant.
This clue tells you to look immediately after the suspect you are testing. In normal reading order, check the next one or two records after that suspect. At least one of those entries must have a zone code beginning with K.