Grand Case No. 1: The Last Night of the Aldermere

Five thousand passengers. One of them is a killer.

Eleven hours out of New York, a lookout aboard the RMS Aldermere hears something hit the water. One of the crew has been killed and put over the side, and nobody knows who. Before the ship docks at nine, you must work out three things: what was used, who was killed, and which of five thousand passengers did it.

One giant case, three answers

• Part I, The Weapon: sixty items from the ship's inventory.
• Part II, The Victim: three hundred crew on the purser's roster.
• Part III, The Killer: five thousand passengers on the manifest, with cabin, class, age, port of boarding, occupation and dinner sitting.

Thirty true statements from the ship's officers and crew. Every one of them rules somebody out, and later clues point back to your earlier answers, so each part unlocks the next. Cross out the people who cannot fit, and keep going until there is one name left.

Why solvers like it

• Every clue is true and every answer is unique. The whole case was generated and checked by computer: no tricks, no lying witnesses, no guessing.
• Real records to search, not just a wall of names. Cabins, ages, ports and sittings make every clue a small piece of detective work.
• A checkbox on every record so you can cross out as you go.
• Spoiler-free checkpoints tell you how many candidates should be left after each clue.
• Full clue-by-clue solution at the back, on its own page.
• Large 8.5 x 11 pages with clear print and plenty of room for notes.

A perfect gift for anyone who loves a classic whodunit, a long quiet evening and a pencil. Part of the One Name Left case files.