Can You Solve the Murder?: An Interactive Crime Novel

Johnston (The Dog Sitter Detective) combines the intrigue of fair-play detective fiction with the excitement of a Choose Your Own Adventure book in this entertaining whodunit. Readers are placed in the shoes of a DCI who has been assigned to investigate a murder at Elysium, a luxe wellness retreat. Housing developer Harry Kennedy was found in the retreat’s courtyard, with his head shattered from a fall from the top floor and a gardening fork embedded in his chest. The reader explores the motive and means of several suspects, including the victim’s widow, Flora; Elysium’s manager, Stephen Cheong; and visiting politician Carla Nesbitt. Throughout, readers choose which witnesses to interview and which locations at Elysium to explore, with branching chapters leading to different outcomes. The differences are so significant that they make the book well worth rereading, unlike similarly themed mysteries whose ostensible choices matter little. Crafted with obvious love for its golden age predecessors, this intricate puzzle will delight armchair sleuths of all ages. Here’s hoping Johnston has a sequel up his sleeve. Agent: Catherine Woods, Soho Agency. (July)