Margaret Holloway was murdered aboard the SS Meridian. She left behind one clue: the ship's passenger manifest — 7,660 names, and twenty conditions that point to exactly one of them.
Can you find the killer before the ship reaches port?
The police found three things in Cabin 14C.
The killer's first name appears exactly three times in the entire manifest.
The passengers listed directly above and directly below the killer share the same profession as each other.
The passenger listed directly below the killer shares the killer's first name.
The full list of twenty clues is inside the book.
The book does not contain the solution. This page does not either — until you tell it a name.
HAVE YOU FOUND THE KILLER?
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Apply the wide clues first. The first four clues eliminate large groups at once — use these before moving to clues that require checking individual names closely.
Work through the manifest systematically. Go page by page. Don't jump around — it's easy to miss a name if you skip sections.
Keep a record as you go. When a clue eliminates a name, cross it out clearly. When you're down to a handful of names, re-check each one against every clue from the start.
Cut out the clues page if it helps. The twenty clues can be removed from the book so you can keep them beside the manifest as you work.
Some clues ask you to look at the names surrounding your suspect. When you reach these, look at the entries directly above and below in the manifest — not just the name itself.
Don't rush the final clues. The last few clues are the most precise. Take your time — the killer is hiding in the details.
Does the book include the solution?
No. The solution is not in the book. Use this page to verify your answer once you have one.
Does Y count as a vowel?
No. For any clue involving vowels and consonants, only A, E, I, O, and U are vowels. Y is always a consonant.
For clues about hidden words — does the hidden word need to fit within a single name?
Yes. Check the first name and the last name separately. A hidden word must appear within one name, not span across both.
For "shared letters" clues — does it matter how many times a letter appears?
No. If a letter appears in both names at all — even once in each — that counts as shared.
Are there any hyphenated names or middle names in the manifest?
No. Every entry has exactly one first name and one last name. There are no hyphens, middle names, or titles.
For clues about passengers "above" or "below" — do I look within the same page or across pages?
The passenger directly above means the entry immediately before in the list — even if it is the last entry on the previous page. The manifest is one continuous list.
What if I think I've found more than one name that passes all twenty clues?
This should not happen — exactly one name passes every clue. Recheck each clue carefully against both names.
I've been through the whole manifest and no name passes all twenty clues. What do I do?
Recheck clues in order, starting from the first. It's easy to misapply an early clue and carry that mistake forward.
Known corrections for this book are listed here by edition. If the first page of your copy shows an edition number, that tells you which edition you have. Otherwise, you have a first edition.
FIRST EDITION
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