Reviewing: Can you solve the murder by Anthony Johnston

Read time: 3 minutes

📚 Genre: Interactive Cozy Mystery
📖 Format: Paperback
📄 Pages: 304 pages
⏳ Duration: 7 hours

Book Blurb:

There’s been a murder at Elysium, a wellness retreat inside an English country manor. The body of a local businessman lies on the lawn—rose in mouth, stabbed by gardening fork, apparently fallen from a locked balcony above. With only six suspects and a mountain of secrets, every clue and question depends on the detective’s choices. But beware: the case is easy to derail, and the book’s branching paths mean only one true ending. Wrong turns leave a cold trail, making note-taking absolutely essential to bring the killer to justice.

Let’s talk about the book:

Spending hours in this book is practically mandatory. Each decision spins the narrative in a new direction, but experienced readers soon discover that Johnston is a master at dangling tempting alternatives, only to weave them back into the tangle of red herrings. 

I absolutely loved this book!!! Can You Solve the Murder? by Anthony Johnston isn’t your typical cozy mystery where the sleuth gently guides you along. Nope, this is an adult mystery gamebook that demands your full attention. Every decision matters. Choose the wrong suspect, ask the wrong question, or miss an important clue, and you might end up with an unsolved case. And yes, that means starting over. It’s frustrating in the most addictive way possible. I was hooked, scribbling notes like a paranoid PI, my coffee table littered with sticky notes and theories. The lack of hand-holding is what makes it sing; it respects your brain and dares you to keep up.

What turns the pressure into pure delight is the way the book judges detective skills at the end. There’s a scoring system where collected clues are tallied and compared to devious red herrings, delivering a verdict on your performance as an investigator. That final assessment—ranking detective prowess based on thoroughness and savvy—makes for a high-pressure, highly rewarding reading experience. 

What made me love Anthony Johnston even more is his acknowledgement of Jonathan Whitelaw (whose Murder in Tinseltown is one of my favorites). Knowing these two brilliant authors support each other just adds to the charm.

If you’re a fan of interactive mysteries, puzzle-style whodunits, or if you love experimenting beyond traditional cozy mysteries, Can You Solve the Murder? is a must-read. It’s clever, challenging, and endlessly engaging.

Would i recommend it?

Absolutely, I’m obsessed! Can You Solve the Murder? is a must-read for anyone who loves interactive mysteries or wants to channel their inner Sherlock. It’s smart, engaging, and endlessly replayable. Add this to your TBR pronto—you won’t regret it!

Share Your Sleuthing Wins (or Woes)

Have you cracked Can You Solve the Murder? yet? How many tries did it take to find that one true ending? Spill your detective triumphs (or epic fails) in the comments! Let’s discuss the scores!

Grab your copy (Yes! Hardcopy) today:

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Visit Anthony Johnston on his author page