You Are The Detective

The Creeping Hand Murder

Maureen Johnson, Jay Cooper

$35

Paperback

Forthcoming
Pre-Order now

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English

Harvill
06 January 2026

Fiction & Literature; Historical mysteries; Puzzles & quizzes; Gift books

A solve-it-yourself murder mystery puzzle set in 1930s England where the reader is the detective. Perfect for crime fans of Janice Hallett and Tom Hindle, and puzzle books in the vein of MURDLE.

November 1933, London. Seven people receive mysterious letters- Someone knows their terrible secrets. They are summoned to an opulent townhouse where one of them is stabbed right in front of the others, but somehow no one saw a thing. Can you help Scotland Yard solve the mystery?
*

Dear Detective,

Surely you have seen the papers and read about the murder of the American novelist Roy Peterson-stabbed while in a room with six other people, and yet no one went near him or saw the murder occur. The crime is so devious, so logistically impossible, that it seems to have been committed not by a person but by a disembodied hand.

I must confess that we are at a loss. Who wrote the poison pen letters that lured these seven people to this deadly gathering? What do a poet, an Earl, an actress, a cook, a telephone operator, and a lothario have in common? And how can a man be stabbed in a room full of suspects when none of them could have done it?

We have had our best people on the case, Detective, and we still can't make heads or tails of it. We are giving this case file to you. Can you decipher the clues, decode the witness statements, and identify the murderer? You are our last hope. Can you help us crack the Case of the Creeping Hand?

Yours truly,

Detective Chief Inspector of the Metropolitan Police
*

An interactive murder mystery from the bestselling author and illustrator of Your Guide to Not Getting Murdered in a Quaint English Village

By: Maureen Johnson, Jay Cooper
Imprint: Harvill
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 236mm, Width: 184mm, Spine: 16mm
Weight: 508g
ISBN: 9781787305533
ISBN 10: 1787305538
Pages: 144
Publication Date: 06 January 2026
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Maureen Johnson (Author) Maureen Johnson is the #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of many young adult novels, including the very murderous Shades of London series and the Stevie Bell mysteries- Truly Devious, The Vanishing Stair, The Hand on the Wall, and The Box in the Woods. She has also done collaborative works, such as Let It Snow with John Green and Lauren Myracle (now a movie on Netflix), and several books in the Shadowhunter universe with Cassandra Clare. Her books have been translated into more than thirty-five languages. Jay Cooper (Author) Jay Cooper's books don't normally include grisly murders, nefarious deeds, or corpses of any kind. He has written and/or illustrated more than twenty books for kids, including The Spy Next Door, The Pepper Party, and the Bots series, and has contributed work to the New York Times bestselling series The Last Kids on Earth. Currently he is illustrating a graphic novel entitled Super Atomic Wombat Girl. He's also a graphic designer of theatrical advertising, and has worked on more than a hundred Broadway musicals and plays (which have heaps of deaths). Visit him at jaycooperbooks.com or follow him on Twitter @jaycooperart.

Reviews for You Are The Detective: The Creeping Hand Murder

Solve this delightfully witty interactive mystery, packed with theatrical characters and exciting twists * G.T. Karber, author of MURDLE * An interactive mystery book that pays homage to the golden age of detective fiction * Washington Street Journal *