The Clues

All fifteen clues from the book, listed here for reference. Where a clue has caused confusion, a clarification sits underneath it.

1. CLUE 01

   The murder date is not in the 1950s (1950–1959).

2. CLUE 02

   The murder happened before October.

3. CLUE 03

   The murder date’s year does not end in 0.

4. CLUE 04

   The murder happened after Valentine’s Day.

5. CLUE 05

   Reading the murder date’s year from left to right, the third digit is greater than 3.

6. CLUE 06

   The murder date’s day number is greater than 7.

   Days and months are printed as two digits, so seven appears as 07.

7. CLUE 07

   The last two digits of the murder date’s year are different from each other.

8. CLUE 08

   The murder happened before Windows 95 was released.

   Windows 95 was released on August 24, 1995.

9. CLUE 09

   The first and last digits of the murder date’s year are different from each other.

10. CLUE 10

    The day number in the murder date is greater than its month number.

11. CLUE 11

    The two digits of the murder date’s day number are different from each other.

12. CLUE 12

    The murder date is not on any page that also contains February 29.

13. CLUE 13

    Some pages contain impossible dates that cannot exist on a real calendar (ex: February 31). If a page contains an impossible date, eliminate that page and the next five pages.

14. CLUE 14

    The date that comes right after the murder date is printed somewhere on the facing page.

    “Right after” means the next calendar day, even if it falls in the next month or year. For example, the day after 12/31/1800 is 01/01/1801.

    When two consecutive dates appear on facing pages, keep the earlier date as a possible murder date. The later date is only the confirmation and should be eliminated. For example, if 04/10/1800 and 04/11/1800 appear across a spread, keep 04/10/1800 and eliminate 04/11/1800.

15. CLUE 15

    On the same page where the murder date is printed, another date appears no more than 15 positions before or 15 positions after it. That date’s day number starts with the same digit as the murder date’s day number.

    Read every day as two digits. For example, 16 and 15 both start with 1, while 08 and 05 both start with 0.

    The nearby date still counts even if another clue has already eliminated it. Eliminating a date does not remove it from the page.

Tips

• The clues do not have to be used in order

  Start with the clues that feel easiest to apply. Some will eliminate many dates quickly, while others may become more useful later.

• Use the method that works for you

  You can work through one clue at a time or apply several clues together. Both approaches work. Choose whichever feels most comfortable.

• Keep eliminated dates readable

  Some people prefer using a highlighter instead of crossing out dates with a pencil. This keeps eliminated dates easy to read when checking positions later.

• Keep the clues in view

  You can cut out the clues page and keep it beside you for easy reference as you eliminate dates.