Los misterios de la isla Montague y otros juegos de lógica

Montague Island Mysteries #1

by R. Wayne Schmittberger

Una isla tranquila, unos anfitriones ricos, un misterio que resolver... Un grupo de amigos se reúne en una isla privada varias veces al año para resolver los misterios preparados por los propietarios, Gordon y Nina Montague, especialmente para sus huéspedes.

A medida que vayas superando los juegos de lógica irás conociendo a los invitados, la isla, la casa y todos sus entresijos, y tal vez logres descubrir el secreto mejor guardado de todos, el que esconde la vieja mansión…

Genres: Puzzles, Mystery, Games

96 pages, Hardcover

Published August 31, 2021

Reviews

[Tessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't finished all the puzzles but for a logic book this is splendid! My only gripe is that the story isn't very fascinating, as all the "murders" are just part of the puzzle. It would be more engaging if it was a "real" (albeit fictional) murder mystery we were trying to solve.

5/5 for the logic puzzles. I am still stuck about halfway on some!

[Michael Emond · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot rate this book highly enough. To be clear it isn't a "reading book" but rather a logic puzzle book that has a loose story that strings the puzzles together.
It is the PERFECT logic book for me. It doesn't rely on twists or math or complicated geometry like some puzzle books it gives you "clues" and from the clues and process of elimination there is one answer. There are roughly 36-40 puzzles and each one will take you a fair amount of time but it is rarely frustrating. For me it was a case of sometimes I need to walk away for a day and come back fresh.
I love the difficulty of the puzzles - not too easy but also not so hard I couldn't eventually figure them out.
I love that they provide you with the grids you need to help do the process of elimination. A few puzzles didn't and maybe could have provided space for you to write out you work.
The story that went along with it isn't 100% necessary but on reflection it did help add to the enjoyment level a bit. I mean you could have just had the puzzles without the idea these were guests visiting a mansion every weekend to have a puzzle solving experience but adding the story made you feel as if there were a "reason" for the puzzles and made them slightly more fun.

To anyone who cares, there is only one "mistake". Puzzle 11.2 (or was it 11.3) should have made it clear that the only meetings that took place between guests were the ones outlined in the clues that are provided. Without making this assumption you can't solve the puzzle.

I think I am safe in saying not everyone would enjoy these types of puzzles and you do have to be a certain level of logic solver to do these (i.e. not recommended for a 7 year old). But for people like me who love these types of puzzles it was the best experience I have ever had with a logic puzzle book (sorry Raymond Smullyan, you're still my favourite logic puzzle author).

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun logic puzzle book with an overarching theme and “narrative.” I would have preferred that the narrative was a bit more engrained in the puzzle solving experience; for example it would be interesting if you began to get a sense of who the bad guys were as you progressed.

My biggest gripe is that the puzzles begin to get really complicated and challenging in the second half. I found myself restarting numerous times on numerous puzzles, which resulted in more frustration than enjoyment. My recommendation would be to make photocopies of some of the later grids so you don’t have a big erasing challenge.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really strong, fun collection of logic puzzles overall. Call it 4.5 rounded up.

Review: https://derailmentsofthought.com/2019...

[Kiri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fun collection of diverse puzzles organized around a theme: a group of friends that repeatedly meet up for game/murder-mystery weekends on an island. You're embedded in the group and trying to help the host simultaneously figure out who's been stealing from the mansion. I enjoyed the puzzles, which I found to be of a variety of difficulty levels, and different enough that I never felt I was repeating a solution. Fun stuff!

[Jojanneke S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loads of fun, I loved the story format and you get a lot of puzzles for the price. It starts off relatively easy and by the end of the book the puzzles are quite difficult. There are already two sequels and hopefully more in the future.

[Emma Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brilliant collection of logic puzzles, some of which were fiendishly difficult. I loved the idea of the puzzles being part of an ongoing story but I wish the story had been a bit more engaging to balance out the story/puzzle ratio. But still, very good!

[Deana · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like logic puzzles......

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this format. It’s much fun and the puzzles are challenging. The story behind it moves the reader forward into solving the next puzzle.

[Anabel Henares · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me han gustado los juegos de lógica aunq me hubiese gustado más si hubiese tenido más trama de misterio, realmente solo son puzzles

[Kay Iscah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book probably deserves 3-stars. I bumped it up because I'd love to see more of this concept just better executed. I loved the idea of stringing together logic puzzles as part of a larger mystery, but that's not really what this book does. Rather nearly all the puzzles are just puzzles played by characters who are never developed, and that's a lost opportunity.

Narrative wise, there's almost no story, which is a shame because that was the unique premise of this logic puzzle book.

Puzzle wise, there is a good variety of challenging puzzles. A handful of them have clues that require you to make leaps/assumptions beyond the literal information provided, which is a bit of a fault and usually where I got stuck.

My biggest complaint might be how the solutions in the back are structured. It leads with the solution rather than walking you through how to get to it first, which kind of kills the option for looking in the back for a hint when stuck on a puzzle.

[Staci Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great fun for pencil puzzlers such as myself. I like that it uses the same characters for each puzzle and assigns a character to the reader as well. It uses graphics, maps, and extraordinary charts to assist in solving which I like much better than the standard logic chart because it keeps it interesting. In the story it separates the puzzles into 12 "weekends" which will keep the reader on a timeline if they are the type to set the book down for months at a time. On a scale of 1 (easy) to 5 (expert) the puzzles in this book range from 2.5 to 4 in my opinion.

[Davin Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so fabulous. As someone who enjoys a variety of complex logic puzzles and a lover of mysteries, it is just "my cup of tea".