Frequently Asked Questions

Absolutely. Neither subsequent puzzles nor the story require the previous puzzle to have been completed. If you want to see the answer, simply turn to the appropriate page for that clue, otherwise just carry on as you are.

Some of the puzzles are designed to be quite challenging, so don’t worry if you find yourself getting stuck. Simply turn to the Additional Clues section to find an extra clue for each puzzle. These are specifically designed to give you a good launch pad for that puzzle.

Most people find some puzzle types more difficult than others, so it’s quite normal to find that you breeze through some of them but find yourself getting stuck on others. If you find yourself getting bogged down, see the Additional Clues section for a helpful hint to point you in the right way; if that’s still not enough, then the answers are all given at the back too.

These can definitely be tricky. The most common mistake is forgetting that it is only ever the outer wheel that rotates, so you will need to find the letter you are given on the inner wheel, and then find its corresponding letter on the outer wheel. Don’t forget that if you’re imagining it (rather than printing it out and making the cipher wheels) then if the outer wheel is rotated e.g. clockwise, you have to trace the path from the inner wheel to the outer wheel, then count the given number of squares anticlockwise - and vice versa.

Not at all - a simplified map has been provided that includes every location mentioned in the book and is the only cartographical reference you’ll need.

That’s completely fine! The story can be read straight through without completing the puzzles if you prefer - or if you just can’t wait to find out whodunnit! The book is designed to work as a standalone story, a puzzle book, or both.

Most of them. The majority of places used as locations throughout the book are publicly accessible, from art galleries and theatres to shops and popular tourist attractions - and a lot more besides. The exceptions are the locations that are kept private for security reasons, such as the inner offices at Scotland Yard, or for reasons of privacy (and sometimes security as well) such as some areas of royal palaces or out-of-bounds areas at Shakespeare’s Globe.

I enjoyed living in London for 7 years and always planned a book like it so I was continually taking mental notes! London is such a great city for a book like this - it has so many places to explore, so many people of all different types and such a frenetic energy that gives it a permanent buzz. To be honest, it never crossed my mind to set it anywhere else.