Whodunnit - Story

The whodunnit is a subgenre of crime fiction focused on the puzzle of a crime. A crime is committed by one of a limited circle of suspects, each with a motive and something to hide. The story typically unfolds in a closed, often idyllic setting such as a country manor, a remote island, or a stranded train.

The plot then follows the investigation, led often by an amateur detective, who gathers clues and interviews suspects. Information is gradually revealed, leading to a climactic final gathering where the detective explains the "how" and, crucially, the "who" behind the "dunnit." The appeal lies in the promise of a fair play resolution, where all clues are available to the reader, allowing them to match wits with the detective and be surprised by a solution that was hiding in plain sight all along.

The genre is exemplified by the novels of Agatha Christie, and modern interpretations include the Knives Out productions and the BBC series, Death in Paradise.

A grand house. A stormy weekend. A guest list of fifty strangers, rivals, and old friends. Everyone has a reason to be there and many have something to hide.

The guest list is eclectic, and not are all as they seem. Perhaps an innocent face hides a devious mind.

A series of heinous crimes takes place throughout the weekend. Fortunately, our detective cannot be fooled by appearances. Armed with a sharp and calculating mind, he will see through their play and find the truth. He knows so much about them, from height to hair colour, and will seek out every clue until the culprits can be found.

“I am the world-famous detective Basil Clarke. You may know me from the famous cases I’ve solved, such as the Wild Dogs of Wimbledon. I delight in a challenging case, and I’m hoping to find the crimes at Salthouse Manor rather diverting. However, I fear they may be too simple: solving them will be child’s play, which I would find dreary. But I am obliged to interview the witnesses. Perhaps I will extract all the clues needed in a brief interview and leave the satisfaction of identifying the culprits to you amateurs.”

"People say that Basil Clarke is arrogant, rude and self-obsessed. Having helped him on many cases, I can confirm that he definitely is all of those things. Fortunately for him, he has the help of an assistant with the people skills that he lacks. Working with him is always interesting. He always solves the crimes, spotting the clues that the rest of us miss, and I'm always learning. One day, perhaps I too will be a famous detective with my own assistant."

"Alors, revenons à nos moutons."

Throughout the weekend, a series of crimes takes place. But for every crime there is a witness and there is evidence. Our detective duo will question the witness and find all the evidence needed to solve the case. But they will need you to use that evidence to filter the database, removing all the guests who could not have committed the crime. That will leave just one guest, who must therefore be the culprit.

With every case you will be able to check that the name you have found matches the name of the real culprit. Will you be able to solve all the cases? Let's see.

Step-by-step:

• Read the case carefully.
• Highlight every clue that matches the database fields.
• Choose one filter at a time reducing the possible suspects.
• Accuse your last remaining suspect, the only suspect that matches all the clues.

Now go to the next page to learn about databases.