How to Play Murderer
Overview
Murderer is a whodunit logic puzzle. A body has been found in one room of a floor plan, and a handful of suspects were somewhere in the house. Using the witness statements, place every suspect so that each row and column holds exactly one — the suspect left in the victim's room is the murderer.
Rules
- 1The floor plan is divided into walled rooms. A case has as many suspects as the plan has rows.
- 2Place every suspect on the plan so that each row contains exactly one suspect.
- 3Each column also contains exactly one suspect.
- 4The victim’s square is blocked. Most squares stay empty; each suspect is placed only once.
- 5Exactly one suspect ends up in the victim’s room — that suspect is the murderer.
- 6Every witness statement (clue) must be true of the finished plan. No statement lies.
What the statements mean
Witnesses use nine kinds of phrase. Each has one exact meaning on the plan:
- “… never left the Library.”
- The suspect’s square is inside that room.
- “… was not in the Hall.”
- The suspect’s square is in any other room.
- “… was standing at the stove.”
- The suspect is on the square that holds the object.
- “… was beside the piano.”
- The suspect is on a square sharing an edge with the object’s square (up, down, left or right). Walls do not matter.
- “… was directly north of the fountain.”
- Same column as the object, in a row above it. Directly south / east / west work the same way.
- “… was somewhere east of the Colonel.”
- In a column further right than the other suspect, whatever the row. (Suspects never share a row or column.)
- “… and the Chef were in the same room.”
- Both suspects’ squares belong to one room.
- “… was alone in the room.”
- No other suspect is in that suspect’s room.
- “Nobody was in the Cellar.”
- That room contains no suspect at all.
Controls
Solving Strategies
Anchor first
“At the stove” and “never left the Library” pin a suspect to one square or one room. Place or pencil those before anything else.
Row & column sweep
Every placed suspect empties their entire row and column for everyone else. After each placement, re-read the rooms that just lost squares.
Room counting
A room with no free squares left holds nobody. A room that must hold someone (the victim’s room!) with one free square left is decided.
Relative positions
“Somewhere north of” and “same room as” chain suspects together. Pencil both suspects’ candidates and strike the pairs that break the statement.
Contradiction check
The evidence cards turn crimson the moment a placement breaks a statement. Use it to test a hypothesis quickly, then undo.
Tips
- Empty rooms first — “Nobody was in the …” removes the most squares at once — apply it early.
- Watch the body — The victim’s room must end with exactly one suspect; treat that like a clue.
- Use your notes — Candidate numbers match the suspects in the lineup. Place a suspect when only one possible square remains for them.
- Check every clue — Every case has one verified solution. A green clue matches your current arrangement; it does not prove that an unfinished placement is correct.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a Murderer puzzle?
- Murderer is a whodunit logic puzzle played on a floor plan divided into rooms. You place every suspect so that each row and each column contains exactly one, using witness statements as clues. The one suspect left in the victim's room is the murderer.
- Is Murderer free to play online?
- Yes. Puzzolve has 60 free cases: 20 each at Blackwood Academy, St. Marlow Hospital and Willow House. Choose from four difficulty levels, with grids from 4×4 to 7×7, or play the shared daily case.
- How do you solve a Murderer puzzle?
- Start with clues that pin a suspect to a room or an object, then use the one-per-row, one-per-column rule to eliminate squares. Track candidates with Notes, cross-check directional and same-room clues, and leave exactly one suspect in the victim’s room. Every case has one verified solution.
- Is Murderer Sudoku the same as regular Sudoku?
- No. You place each suspect only once, with exactly one suspect in each row and column. Most squares stay empty, the victim’s square is blocked, and rooms do not each need one suspect. The unique suspect sharing the victim’s room is the murderer.