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The Baffle Book
The “brilliant” and baffling puzzle book that launched the “solve-it-yourself” mystery craze of the 1920s and ’30s (New York Times).
Calling all mystery puzzle fans! This is the book that launched the “solve-it-yourself” detective book craze of the 1920s and ’30s, spawning numerous imitators and a four book series of its own. These short crime problems incorporate all of the clues needed to find their solutions, including maps, charts, cryptograms, and additional illustrations—but it’s up to the reader to put all of this together and find out whodunit. (Correct answers included at the end of the book.) Challenging and entertaining, The Baffle Book promises hours of armchair sleuthing delights, either on your own or at a “Baffle Party” as the book’s opening recommends. The authors award credits for each of the questions posed, depending on their difficulty, with a chart onto which scores can be added and a grade given for how well the amateur sleuth performed.
Calling all mystery puzzle fans! This is the book that launched the “solve-it-yourself” detective book craze of the 1920s and ’30s, spawning numerous imitators and a four book series of its own. These short crime problems incorporate all of the clues needed to find their solutions, including maps, charts, cryptograms, and additional illustrations—but it’s up to the reader to put all of this together and find out whodunit. (Correct answers included at the end of the book.) Challenging and entertaining, The Baffle Book promises hours of armchair sleuthing delights, either on your own or at a “Baffle Party” as the book’s opening recommends. The authors award credits for each of the questions posed, depending on their difficulty, with a chart onto which scores can be added and a grade given for how well the amateur sleuth performed.
- GenresMystery
239 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 28, 2023
A collection of mysteries the reader is supposed to solve themselves. Something like a more adult Encyclopedia Brown. Pretty good brain teasers, to keep the mind sharp.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This is an American Mystery Classic reprint of a 1928 collection of crime puzzle stories. G. T. Harbor, the creator of the very popular Murdle game, wrote the introduction to this edition. He credits this book as being "possibly the most influential mystery book ever written" because it was the first of the mystery puzzle books.
Each story is three of four pages long. A crime is described and the evidence is outlined. Maps, diagrams, fingerprints and exhibits are included for some stories. The story ends with questions like who committed the crime? or, where should the police look for evidence? or, how did the detective solve the case? You turn the book over, go to the back, and get the answers and explanations.
The puzzles are at every level of difficulty. Some answers are obvious by looking at the evidence. Some require thought but can be deducted. Some don't really make sense. In two stories we get people making up very clever codes which it is not possible anyone could understand. Some are based on inferences that seem awful strained.
It is a fun gimmick. There is a bunch of 1920s background with elegant trains, country homes and telegrams. There is a little casual racism. "Naturally subtle, the Oriental mind, when it turns to crime, manages sometimes to baffle the authorities neatly." (Oddly, that story is about a crime in India. Indians where not traditionally considered "Orientals")
I enjoyed guessing the answers. The stories are clever. This is fun.
Each story is three of four pages long. A crime is described and the evidence is outlined. Maps, diagrams, fingerprints and exhibits are included for some stories. The story ends with questions like who committed the crime? or, where should the police look for evidence? or, how did the detective solve the case? You turn the book over, go to the back, and get the answers and explanations.
The puzzles are at every level of difficulty. Some answers are obvious by looking at the evidence. Some require thought but can be deducted. Some don't really make sense. In two stories we get people making up very clever codes which it is not possible anyone could understand. Some are based on inferences that seem awful strained.
It is a fun gimmick. There is a bunch of 1920s background with elegant trains, country homes and telegrams. There is a little casual racism. "Naturally subtle, the Oriental mind, when it turns to crime, manages sometimes to baffle the authorities neatly." (Oddly, that story is about a crime in India. Indians where not traditionally considered "Orientals")
I enjoyed guessing the answers. The stories are clever. This is fun.
September 5, 2017
I wasn't sure when I started this how old the book was. It was clear from the first story that it wasn't exactly current. However, when I finally checked the published date, the 1928 date clarified why some of the details just weren't within my realm of knowledge. I still think I could have done better at deducing some of the answers (for instance, I basically didn't try on the the last mystery) and I could have scored better than I did. I got a 70 out of 150.
March 29, 2026
Entertaining but not memorable. Time has worked its ills on many of the stories.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews