This could have been better. The book is a collection of letters and diagrams, with a plea for your help to solve the case. It reminds me most of a Hunt-a-Killer game compiled in book form.
The situation of the case is interesting, despite the cartoonish illustrations. The characters are amusing, despite being over-the-top. The read is fun and short up to the stopping point near the end, right before the explanatory letter.
I’ve read enough locked-room-type mysteries (like this one) to have certain expectations. If the murder seems impossible, there is one sneaky way that the killer could have done the deed and fooled everyone. In this case, the complicated answer just feels like it raises more possibilities instead of leaving no other explanation.

i didn't expect this to be nearly as fun as it was! i was familiar with the author and i knew i could trust them to write a strong mystery, but the different types of media used in this book really elevated the mystery element and made it an even more fun read. i think it would be even better as a physical copy (the digital one can be a little difficult, sometimes the font was far too small for my myopic ass, but not to the point it was forbidding). the illustrations were also awesome. overall a silly fun time in the best way possible, i enjoyed this so much!!

many thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the free arc in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this a lot. It was really fun. I think this would be pretty fun for teens. I enjoyed it more than I expected. I love a puzzle. I'd be happy to read more stuff like this. I definitely think it would be more fun if I had the physical book. I liked the mixed media presented, though the art style was very cartoony. It was mildly funny, not too grim though it touched lightly on some dark stuff (you know, besides the murder).

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is an original take on a classic mystery. The whodunnit, but the reader is the detective! I have read a few books that attempt to use this set-up, but this was by far the most intriguing due to the captivating illustrations and graphics. It certainly felt like I was reading newspaper articles and letters as the lead detective. While I didn’t correctly identify the murderer and motive, I did enjoy this format and reading the explanation at the end. I would have loved to read this in print to see the illustrations and easily flip through interviews and evidence, so I can’t wait until this is released! Enjoyable read!

This was a really fun read. The case files present are interesting enough to keep you hooked, and the images/illustrations all do hide enough clues to help you crack the case even before you read the solution document. A nice way to pass time on a lazy weekend. I would've been obsessed with this book if I were a kid, which is saying something.

3.5 stars, full review coming soon.

Thank you to NetGalley and the published for this ARC.

I really enjoyed this book. I’ve never read anything like it before but the concept was brilliant.

I loved the aesthetics of the book, how all of the evidence is presented and the crumped paper look of the pages.

I had a theory on who I thought committed the murder, but as with many murder mysteries I read, I was well off base. It was a pleasant surprise and looking back it made much more sense!

Overall this was a lovely short read that kept me interested all the way through.

I read everything Maureen Johnson writes, but to be honest, for the first quarter or so of this book I was wishing I had looked more into what exactly this book was before requesting it on Netgalley. I think it would be better in a physical copy, but I'm just not the target audience for a mystery you're supposed to solve like this. I like mysteries to go along for the ride and find out what happens as it's revealed, not to try to figure them out on my own. I had no idea who had done it and didn't really try to solve it. But! It was still entertaining, and after the slow beginning I did find the rest of it really engaging and sped through it. I liked the resolution and how everything was laid out with all the information. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone interested.

Thank you to Netgalley and Ten Speed Press for the chance to read and review this ARC.

This was a very fun (almost) grown up Choose Your Own Adventure. That's not the most 1:1 comparison but it is fairly apt. We- the reader- are called to the murder scene and get to interview suspects and inspect the crime scene (in photos.)

I enjoyed the experience of reading this book but it wasn't until the very end I was able to figure out who the killer was. The format was very very cool and I liked the paper effect the pages had. I love books told in interesting formats and this was definitely that. I also love anything Maureen Johnson and Jay Cooper write so I hope this is the first installment of these types of mysteries!

Fun concept- probably more fun with a physical copy. I was looking in the wrong places for clues but I still mostly figured it out. Nothing thrilling or groundbreaking but a decent one sitting read.

This book is so cool! I’ve never read a book like this before. It reminds me of those hunt a killer games but with more of a story and context. I thought it was fun to read through the newspaper articles, pictures, interviews and all the other media. This would be a really good gift to give someone as well.

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

This book is a mystery that you have to solve yourself. There is a dinner party and someone ends up dead. The clues are all laid out for you and you get to solve the case.

I really enjoyed this! I love when books are a different media and this one had a lot of things sprinkled it. I really enjoyed trying to solve the case.

I solved it myself but I think it was a good mix of challenging but not impossible. It kept me interested the whole time and it was a quick read.

I would recommend!

This was such a fun and interesting concept. I do think the physical book will be much better, as it will be easier to manipulate the clues and read the articles and other offerings. This isn't Johnson's normal narrative mystery, but rather a novel way for the reader to play detective. I might order this in physical book to be able to better interact and see all the elements at play.

I think these kinds of books are so fun! I really enjoyed this one as well. It has lots of fun letters, newspaper clippings, pictures, etc. to help you solve the murder. I didn't solve it, but once I saw who did it, it did make sense. I think this is probably best read as a physical book instead of digitally, but very fun nonetheless. If you like puzzle, mystery, epistolary type books, then you should really enjoy this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this ARC.

This was a super intriguing read for me. I had finished her Truly Devious series and was excited to read another book by her.
I think the concept is super interesting and I liked seeing all the different types of evidence to solve the murder. I think this would definitely be better as a physical book, so that you can flip back and forth. I kind of figured out who the murderer was, but didn't realize I knew until the end. Still liked it!
Thank you to NetGalley and Ten Speed Press.

"For those that like that sort of thing, that is the sort of thing they like”
I adore Maureen Johnson’s work, I have been a devotee for years, but this was not my kind of thing.
It was very well done, I did not guess the killer, but the killer, once revealed, made sense, Overall, a good mystery-However, my strong preference is for character driven mysteries- this was not that-it was more of a puzzle or a game.
Not for me, but a well-crafted effort, many will love it.
One note, I do not know how the book will be delivered-but if it is on an ebook, I found it impossible to read the “articles” and typewritten “reports” on my phone. Even putting the book on my laptop, the inability to adjust contrast and size/font still caused me some difficulties. If you are a somewhat aged person with somewhat diminished eyesight, this is a difficult read, for accessibility reasons.

As ever, from Maureen Johnson, a book that has heart but is also great fun to read! The structure of the book offers something new to mystery fans, alongside the illustrations by Jay Cooper. This will make a super gift book for readers of golden age detective fiction.

3 stars

It’s London, 1933. Seven people receive anonymous letters telling them to be at a specific address at a specific time or their secrets will be revealed. When they show up, most are known to each other. They have a drink, then the police arrive, but none of the seven has called them . The police have been told there has been a murder and there has been. One of the seven has been stabbed…while all the others were in the room…and no one saw it happen.

You are asked to take on the case and through photographs, interview transcripts and all kinds of mixed media you are to solve it. Can you do it?

This was very cute. I love mixed media books. If you are paying close attention (which I wasn’t….shocking!) the clues are there to allow you to make a good guess at the murderer. It’s a fun way to spend a couple of hours. Teens would like it.

What a little gem of a book. You are the Detective: The Creeping Hand Murder is beautifully illustrated and very fun to go through, reading the various ephemera to get clues to find out the murderer. It would make a great gift for a lover of Golden Age Mysteries.

Thank you to NetGalley and Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press for the advanced copy.

Upon discovering "You Are the Detective: The Creeping Hand Murder" I knew this was going to be an intriguing read and was incredibly fortunate to get an eARC to review it early.

Immediately, the story starts off with us being called upon to solve a case that Scotland Yard is having a difficult time to solve. There are interviews, sketches, newspaper articles, testimonies from other characters, and some poison pen letters.

I loved how the story varied how it was going to tell the story - we went from interviews, to photos, to articles, and back again. We went through the entire cast of characters, getting to work with them and see how their brains worked.

As for the mystery, I enjoyed coming up with my own theories. I look forward to another read through, knowing the solution, and being able to pick up on it a second time and sharing the mystery with book club in the future.

This isn't your average murder mystery, as the title suggests the reader themselves are the detective. When anonymous letters are sent to a group, summoned to a posh townhouse and one of them is murdered, with everyone claiming no one went near him all night, it is up to the reader to determine the culprit.

Inside this book, you won't find prose or long paragraphs. This book and story is told entirely in mixed media. A collection of drawings, photographs maps, letters, interviews are what awaits.

It is a very unique book. I would give this a 4.5 for concept and a 3.5 for execution. I did manage to figure out who the murderer was.

Pick it up if you're wanting a challenge.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ten Speed Press for providing an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own