Lethal Trails, Volume 1, by George K. Kostakis
Every grid is a room at the scene of a crime. Trace the words that belong there, tile to tile, borrowing letters from the picture in the middle. When every word is found, one letter is left behind. Collect them all and the case names its killer, its weapon or its hiding place.
Thirteen cases and 101 puzzles, on grids from 3×3 to 5×5, in a 150 page paperback.
A warm-up case, then twelve crimes. Each one ends in a key: a killer, a weapon, a hiding place or a clue.
Three cases on 3×3 grids, eight on the 5×5 cross, two on the full 5×5 board. They grow with you.
Stuck? Hints after every case, and every answer at the back of the book.
TREAT runs from tile to tile, in any direction, never on the same tile twice. It borrows the E from the picture in the middle.
A tile without dots is used once. Each dot is one more pass. With none left, the letter is struck.
When every word is found, one tile was never used. Its letter, H, goes into the key of the case.
Play Case 0 in your browser, against the clock. The rest are on paper.
Seven guests sat down to dinner at Harrow Lodge. The cook, Rosa Quinn, never served the last course.
7 grids on 3×3 grids. The key: the killer.
Play freeOpening night at the Orpheus. The house is full, the lights go down, the curtain rises.
8 grids on the 5×5 cross. The key: the hideout.
In the bookThe Kestrel Lodge sits at the top of the last road before the pass. On the second night of the storm the road closed, the phone line went…
8 grids on the full 5×5 board. The key: where the weapon was found.
In the bookTen more cases wait in the book, from a pub cellar to a chess hall.
Close the book and look at its edge. The grey frame of every page carries a sliver of the title, and the 75 leaves together spell it out.
Paperback, 6 × 9 in, 150 pages. 101 grids plus the puzzle on the cover. Hints after every case and full solutions at the back. ISBN 979-8-16-527519-7.