Cover
About the Book
About the Authors
Title Page
A Study in Pink
Solutions
The Blind Banker
Solutions
The Great Game
Solutions
A Scandal in Belgravia
Solutions
The Hounds of Baskerville
Solutions
The Reichenbach Fall
Solutions
Many Happy Returns
Solutions
The Empty Hearse
Solutions
The Sign of Three
Solutions
His Last Vow
Solutions
The Abominable Bride
Solutions
The Six Thatchers
Solutions
The Lying Detective
Solutions
The Final Problem
Solutions
Acknowledgements
Copyright
About the Book
‘Your mind, it’s so placid, straightforward, barely used. Mine’s like an engine, racing out of control.’
Can you pit your wits against the best and wisest? Put your powers of deduction to the test in this official Sherlock puzzle book, with over 200 questions, from codes and sequences to riddles and logic problems. Step inside Sherlock’s mind palace, decipher Moriarty’s taunting clues and find out if you’re a match for the brains of 221b Baker Street.
About the Authors
Puzzle writer and broadcaster Chris Maslanka is the Enigmatist of St Catherine’s College, Oxford.
Steve Tribe is the author of Sherlock: Chronicles, Doctor Who: The TARDIS Handbook, Doctor Who: Companions and Allies and Doctor Who: The Time Traveller’s Almanac and, with James Goss, of The Doctor: His Lives and Times, Doctor Who: A History of the Universe in 100 Objects and Doctor Who: The Dalek Handbook. He has compiled three University Challenge quiz books and edited more than 500 books, short stories and audio dramas.
The adventure began with this (9)
Solution
As he left his therapist, John reflected that his ability to read upside down had its uses. He had been able to read what she had written on her pad: ‘Still has trust issues.’
Mind you, the same skill had almost got him killed crossing the road, after he swapped the sands of Afghanistan for the busy streets of London. How might that have happened?
Solution
‘Quick – get me exactly 40 cc of water from that tap,’ barked Sherlock, gesturing towards Molly without taking his eyes from the microscope. ‘Hurry.’
Molly rushed over to the sink. ‘Exactly 40 cc?’
‘Yes, yes, 40 cc, precisely, now!’
‘Beakers…’ muttered Molly. ‘Unmarked, fantastic.’ She picked up a 30 cc beaker, and a larger 50 cc beaker. ‘A bit of judicious juggling…’
‘Water!’
Molly started filling one beaker from the tap, then pouring some of the water into the other beaker and some into the sink and so on, in various combinations. Then she carried exactly 40 cc of water to Sherlock, who promptly drank it.
‘Not bad,’ conceded Sherlock. ‘But you did it in eight moves, and you could have done it in six. Come to think of it, you could have done it a lot more simply.’
How had Molly done it?
How could it have been done in six moves?
How could it be done with even less fuss?
Solution
John took what few personal effects he had to 221B Baker Street by cab. He rummaged for the fare, which happened to be a whole number of pounds, which should have been fine as he had a whole number of pounds in each pocket. But the amount in his left-hand trouser pocket was £22 pounds too little; the amount in his right-hand trouser pocket was £2 too little; in fact even the total sum was too little to pay the fare. What was the fare?
Solution
(a) Speaking of personal effects, what does In Arduis Fidelis mean on Watson’s mug?
(b) Watson’s limp – which leg?
(c) How does Sherlock like his coffee?
(d) How many people had the cabbie killed before he got around to Sherlock?
Solution
Sherlock bounded down the last flight of stairs into the hallway of 221B Baker Street four steps at a time; there were three steps left over. John came down three at a time; there were two left over.
What is the minimum number of steps there could be?
What is the second smallest number of steps that would give the same remainders?
Solution
John could almost see the cogs in Sherlock’s brain go cranking around a click at a time as he assimilated the idea that John’s sibling was not a sister but a brother.
Change BROTHER to SISTER in as few moves as possible, with each move changing a letter, adding one or taking one away, and at every stage making a valid word.
Solution
Sherlock and John raced out of Angelo’s in pursuit of a suspect cab. As they turned into one street they were both on their left foot, but John was managing only four steps to Sherlock’s five. When – if they kept up this pace like clockwork – would their right feet both strike the ground at the same time?
Solution
In an adrenalin-fuelled chase through the diversions, roadworks, jams and one-way systems that London affords the motorist, Sherlock and John dive down narrow streets, scale ladders and fire escapes, and jump roofs to try to head off a receding taxi.
As they descend a conventional spiral staircase, viewed from street level, are they going clockwise or anticlockwise?
Solution
Here are three nicotine patches. How many times the perimeter of one patch is the (outer) perimeter of all three?
Solution
‘There are two-patch cases,’ remarked Sherlock, ‘and there are three-patch cases. This is a three-patch case. Might even be a four.’
In the following sum, each of the letters stands for a digit from 1 to 9 inclusive and different letters stand for different digits throughout.
What number is represented by PATCHES?
Solution
Lestrade has a nicotine patch on his arm. Why does it not increase his crime-solving abilities?
Solution
(a) It gratifies the loaf-maker, we hear, where Mrs Hudson lives (5, 6)
(b) PA having three articles to her name (6)
(c) Sherlockian method of racing taxis through recreational area – a breathless hour (7)
(d) An answer you might find in Molly’s lab? (8)
(e) Another answer you might find in Molly’s lab? (6)
(f) Crime scoop obtained by means of forensic device? (10)
(g) Delete every second letter from this device of Sherlock’s to get baker (10)
(h) Confused narrow atheist in John’s family (7, 6)
Solution
‘I’m your landlady, dear, not your housekeeper.’
‘Have a heart, Mrs Hudson – I’m in shock.’ Sherlock grabbed a blanket from the armchair and pulled it tightly round his shoulders. ‘Just a cup of tea.’
‘I’ll give you a shock, young man.’ Mrs Hudson vanished back into the kitchen and put the kettle on.
‘And maybe some biscuits,’ Sherlock called.
‘I still don’t see how you could be sure the case would be pink,’ mused John.
‘Listen, John. I didn’t know the case would be pink; it just seemed a good bet, given that practically everything else about her was pink. You need to act on probabilities and patterns. But patterns can be misleading, so you do have to keep revising your views as you go along. Keep it fluid. To give you an admittedly rather contrived example, if I give you this sequence of symbols…’
Sherlock paused to tap a sequence into his iPad:
1111111111111111111111★111
‘I’ve replaced one symbol with a star. What’s the missing symbol?’
‘Well, “1”, obviously. I don’t see what else there is to go on.’
Sherlock laughed. ‘Yes, but that’s dull! The only way the question becomes interesting is if the missing symbol is not “1”. So in that case – what is it?’
John gazed levelly at Sherlock.
‘Think John, think!’ insisted Sherlock. ‘There are twenty-six of them! Twenty-six! What do they represent?’
‘A flock of large white birds recently taken ill in Regent’s Park?’
‘Very droll,’ said Sherlock.
Come up with a rationale for why it’s not 1.
Solution
When Lestrade’s team searched the home of the late Jeff Hope, they discovered three little bottles, each containing two pills.
The label on the first bottle read ‘Both Poisonous’. The label on the second bottle read ‘Both Harmless’. The label on the third bottle read ‘One Poisonous, One Harmless’.
Sherlock theorised – correctly – that Hope had muddled up the labels so that each bottle carried the wrong label. The question then was, which bottle should you plump for to maximise your chances of not picking a poison pill?
Solution
‘But Jeff Hope knew that most people don’t think,’ reasoned Sherlock. ‘I can calculate odds, but you, Lestrade…’
John sighed. ‘Sorry, Greg. He’s about to show us how stupid we are,’ he said, offering Sherlock a 50p piece.
‘Good, John. You see? You’re starting to think. Now! If I flip this coin ten times which is a more likely result?*
HHHHHHHHHH
or:
HTTTHTHTTH?’
(‘H’ stands for ‘head’, ‘T’ for ‘tails’.)
Solution
‘They say that Eden was perfect until the devil got in.’ It had taken Sherlock a single glance at Mrs Hudson’s wordsearch (Win A Holiday for Two!) in the Evening Standard. What had leapt out at him?
Solution
Back at Angelo’s, John and Sherlock tucked into the free meal that had been interrupted.
‘Is it true what you said about Angelo?’
‘Yes. Lestrade was clutching at straws, needed an arrest. If the police had had their way, Angelo would be rotting in a cell right now.’
‘Instead of cooking this amazing lasagne.’
‘Precisely. Rehabilitation, with a side order of garlic bread.’ Sherlock laid out thirteen toothpicks on the table to make four cells. ‘I’ll give you until the coffee arrives to make the former profession of our host. And if you manage that, you can follow it up by moving just two of the toothpicks to make his current profession.’
What were the two professions Sherlock was alluding to?
Solution
What A Study in Pink was not! (2, 4, 3, 4, 4)
Solution
A ping announced a message on Sherlock’s phone. ‘It seems not everyone is a fan,’ he laughed, and showed it to John.
ZPV DBMM ZPVSTFMG B DPOTVMUJOH EFUFDUJWF
CVU J DBMM ZPV BO JOTVMUJOH EFGFDUJWF
‘What does it mean?’
‘It’s a simple substitution cipher; really simple, actually. You see the similarity between the words in the first part and the words in the second?’
What does the message mean?
Solution
John slept well and woke refreshed. He looked contentedly around the flat, and thought to himself that, despite Sherlock’s antics, he might well have found his place at last.
Mind you, this was before he found the festering paw that was part of Sherlock’s current experiment. That shock was to come. When he entered the kitchen, he just saw that the few remaining fridge magnets on the fridge door had now been rearranged. Yesterday, they’d read:
‘MON – SAT.’
What did it now say?
Solution
‘It’s not going to work, Mrs Hudson!’ exploded Sherlock.
‘Oh, Sherlock – at least let me try!’ wailed Mrs Hudson.
‘Excuse me.’ John was standing in the doorway. ‘What’s going on?’
‘John, dear, thank heavens. You talk to him. Try and make him see reason.’
‘Reason? Ha! For reasons best known to herself, Mrs Hudson has decided to ensure I have a fresh shirt every day.’
‘Outrageous,’ said John. ‘I can see why you’d be upset.’
‘I’ve got a plan and everything,’ Mrs Hudson told him. ‘Every Friday morning, I’ll take a week’s worth of shirts to the launderette and pick up the load I left the previous Friday.’
‘It’s a stupid plan,’ shouted Sherlock. ‘It will fall at the first fence.’
‘Especially as he’s only got five shirts,’ said John.
What is the minimum number of shirts Sherlock needs for Mrs Hudson’s plan to succeed?
Solution
‘What’s that?’ demanded Sherlock, pointing at where his favourite bit of wallpaper had been.
‘It’s called a constellation,’ retorted John. ‘Of stars. The Great Bear. I’ve decided it’s my turn to educate you, since you don’t seem to know what makes the world go round. Or even that the world goes round.’
‘Seriously, John?’ snapped Sherlock. ‘That again? I’ve told you: it’s not important. I only keep what’s important. All that matters is the work. What possible use could any of that be to someone like me? As if there could be someone like me. Stars are up there out of the way for a reason. And besides, stars from the same constellation aren’t even near each other – they’re all at quite different distances from us. It’s illogical that people speak of them as being in the same constellation at all.’
Sherlock grabbed a pen, jumped onto the couch and drew three straight lines on the picture of the Great Bear. The three lines divided each star in the constellation from every other one.
Using just three straight lines, separate each star of the Great Bear from each and every other star in it.
Solution
Sherlock is not one for domestic routine, so I was quite shocked the day he appeared at my side by the kitchen sink, brandishing a tea towel and drying the dishes. With Sherlock Holmes, some things you just don’t comment on, so I went on with the washing-up, eyes front, not a word.
Then I realised that he was off in his own little world again, not so much as glancing at the plates he was wiping. He was putting them away without setting eye on them. Which at least meant I now understood what he was up to drying dishes – he was showing off.
Eyes front.
Once he’d given up and slouched off, I looked in the cupboard. The plates were of two very similar sizes – I could only tell the difference by comparing their lengths edgeways. As he’d dried, Sherlock had stacked each plate on the shelf, without examining it, somehow managing to sort all the plates into the two kinds, with the slightly smaller plates on top and the slightly larger ones underneath. How was that possible?
Solution
‘Oh, Sherlock, you won’t be happy until there’s a triple murder, will you?’ said Mrs Hudson sympathetically. ‘It’s like the puzzle in the Evening Standard yesterday: “Take CLUES to SOLVE in as few moves as possible with each move changing one letter and with each move making a valid word.”’
Solution
John looked concerned. ‘Everything OK, Mrs Hudson?’
‘Not really, dear, no.’
‘Can I help? I am a doctor…’
‘Oh, it’s just they’ve changed it, and I can’t finish it any more. I used to like to do the crossword in the afternoon with a nice cuppa, but now it’s like something from one of your blogs. I mean, just take a look at these clues…’
(a) Loner may be regenerated in this part of London? (10)
(b) Catch sight of friend returning with essential digital devices? (7)
(c) To Ghent to form a secret society (3, 4)
(d) Pith resides in these in Molly’s lab? (5, 6)
Solution