Case 001 · The first Deadly File
KAGAMI 鏡
A murder mystery you don't just read.
You solve it.
Nine people. An isolated house in Japan. A secret buried for eleven years. Every chapter ends in a puzzle, and the answers are already on the page.
English paperback · 364 pages · Printed to order and shipped worldwide, delivery included
The case
Nine people went up the mountain. Not everyone came down.
A dead man had written to eight of them, and they came up the road to Kagami-ya, a house of bronze mirror-makers on a ridge above Nagihara. The ninth came anyway.
Then the snow closed the road behind them. There is no signal on that ridge, and the telephone line did not last long.
The truth is somewhere in this house.
The reader is the detective
The story is only half the case.
Read the chapters. Study the evidence. Every answer brings you closer to the truth.
- 01 · Read
Follow the story.
Forty-five short chapters. Pay attention: the smallest detail may matter.
- 02 · Observe
Study the scene.
Every chapter closes on a floor plan and a few lines about who stood where.
- 03 · Place
Place the people.
Use the clues to put each person on one square. No two share a row or a column.
- 04 · Solve
Find the truth.
One square is left over. Eighteen of the answers carry a letter, and the letters make one sentence.
No guessing, no apps, no internet. A pencil is enough. Every answer can be deduced.
Your first puzzle
Think you can solve it?
Two people. Three rooms.
One dropped cup.
This is the worked example from the front of the book. Use the clues to place Emi and Ren on the floor plan, then follow the rules to the cup. It takes about a minute.
Solve it and get 10% off the book
The four rules
- Every person on the list was on exactly one square.
- No two of them shared a row, and no two shared a column.
- Once everyone is placed, exactly one square is left over. That is where it is.
- In that room there was exactly one person. That is whoever saw it last.
What is known about each person
In that room stood
EMI
The cup lay on the bare floor of the tea room, and the only person in that room was Emi. That is the whole game: the clues narrow the squares; rules three and four decide the rest.
Case closed · your reward
You found the cup. Take 10% off the book.
Forty-five more cases are waiting in the book. Your code is already attached to every buy button on this page and fills itself in at checkout.
This browser remembers the code, so you can come back to it later.
The nine
Nine people. Nine versions of the truth.
Meet the people inside Kagami-ya. Tap a portrait to open their file.
Everyone has a reason to be here.
Eighteen letters. One sentence.
Every solution leaves something behind.
Eighteen witnesses carry eighteen letters. Collect them. Rearrange them. Find the sentence hidden inside the file.
Then open the envelope.
Inside the file
Look closer.
Illustrated throughout. A glimpse of the evidence; the rest is yours to uncover.
Is it for you?
For readers who like to be right.
- You enjoy Murdle, Cluedo, escape rooms or a good logic grid.
- You read mysteries and always try to beat the detective.
- You want something to solve on your own, or at the table with someone else.
- You're looking for a gift for the person who finishes every puzzle first.
Questions
Before you open the file.
Do I need to be good at puzzles?
No. The rules fit on one page and the book starts with the worked example you can play above. If you can place two people on a floor plan, you can play.
Do I need an app or the internet?
No. Everything is in the book. A pencil helps.
How long does delivery take?
Each copy is printed when you order it, so allow a few days before it ships. Standard delivery is included in the price; a faster courier is optional at checkout.
Where do you ship?
Worldwide. You pay in euros in Europe, pounds in the UK and dollars everywhere else.
Can I return it?
Yes, you can cancel within 14 days of delivery. See the returns policy.
Deadly Files / Case 001
Your next case is waiting.
Read the story. Study the evidence. Solve the case.
- Format
- English paperback · A5
- Inside
- 364 pages · 45 puzzles
- The final clue
- 18 letters · one hidden sentence
- Delivery
- Printed to order · shipped worldwide · included
Want 10% off? Solve the first puzzle.
Do not open the envelope until you have all eighteen.