Written by (or Credited to) Tim Dedopulos
SUMMARY:
Published in 2015 by London’s Arcturus Publishing Limited, this 304-page softcover collection of short solve-it-yourself mysteries consists of fifty Level 1 stories and eight additional Level 2 tales. Utilizing a series of amateurish and occasionally recycled illustrations, the book depicts some visual clues and/or suspects, as well as glimpses of its three rotating detectives: Inspector “Paddington” Parnacki; architect Oliver James; and Miss Mary Miller (a Ms. Marple wanna-be). The cases vary between homicides and thefts in the London area. Each mystery has a single hint offered for Level 1 crimes. Several hints come with the more convoluted Level 2.
Note: At least one tale (“Murder at Mattingley”) previously appeared in a very similar hardcover anthology, “Murder on the Chessboard,” published at least fifteen years earlier. It isn’t acknowledged whether or not Whodunits’ stories were recycled from other literary sources.
REVIEW:
The text is oddlyy rendered in perfect American English rather than any hint of British lingo (perhaps this edition was reworked for U.S. audiences?). The indistinctively crude illustrations are presumably meant to invoke a more timeless feel. A few tales will vaguely mention a form of transportation (i.e. a truck) rather than some specific level of technology (beyond a glimpse of an old-fashioned telephone).
Of the fifty-eight mysteries, a portion are sufficiently written that the meager clues offer just enough for readers to reasonably deduce the solution. Unfortunately, several of these cases don’t provide enough pertinent details, or they require such excessive leaps of inference, not allowing readers to play along fairly. Consulting the Solutions section, readers will likely be befuddled by plausible motives that aren’t conveyed in the text itself.
Though these mediocre mysteries are okay for the teenager & up crowd, Level 2’s“The Grand Hotel” may be a potential deal-breaker. This gruesome homicide case even includes an inexplicably tasteless (and unhelpful) illustration of the murder weapon (a pair of scissors) still left in the victim’s eye. Ironically, its shock value stands out, considering that Whodunits is such an underwhelming diversion.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 2 Stars
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