The case was declared cold six years ago. Now it is yours to solve.
Crack the Cold Case: Someone at the Gas Station Is Lying is a full length interactive murder mystery puzzle book that puts you in the role of lead investigator on a reopened homicide case. On a rainy night at the Route 9 Fuel and Go, a woman was found dead in the back seat of a car parked at the pumps. The original detective worked the case for over a year, grew convinced someone was hiding the truth, and eventually suffered a breakdown before the killer was ever identified. His private notebook, full of half finished theories and crossed out names, is the only real head start you get.
This is not a novel you simply read. It is a complete detective case file built for readers who love true crime documentaries, forensic investigation shows, and puzzle books that reward close attention. You will work through witness statements, suspect files, interrogation transcripts, a full evidence inventory, and a master timeline built minute by minute around the night of the murder. You will study a hand drawn site map of the gas station showing every camera angle and every blind spot, because where people could and could not be seen matters more than it first appears.
Along the way you make real choices. You select one of three investigative teams, behavioral analysis, forensic evidence, or timeline and intelligence, and each one hands you a different packet of clues. Later you choose a lifeline to consult for a final piece of insight before you commit to an answer. Every path is built to be solvable on its own, so no matter which choices you make you will have everything you need to reach the truth fairly, with no missing information and no unfair twists.
Once you believe you know who did it, you record your full theory, the motive, the method, the opportunity, and the evidence that convinced you, on a dedicated accusation worksheet. A bold stop divider stands between your final answer and the solution so you will never accidentally see the reveal early while flipping through the book. Turn past it only when you are ready, and you will find the complete official solution, a full breakdown of every clue and red herring, and a dramatic final retelling of exactly what happened that night at the gas station.
Inside this book you will find a detailed case summary and crime scene report, a full cast of employees, witnesses, and suspects, the original detective's notebook excerpts, three selectable investigative team paths with unique evidence, a complete evidence box with lab findings, full witness statements and interrogation transcripts, a master timeline with built in contradictions to untangle, two lifeline options with separate reports, newly submitted evidence uncovered during the cold case review, an accusation worksheet, a protected solution reveal, and a final detective scorecard so you can rate your own investigation from rookie to cold case legend.
Perfect for fans of true crime, cold case documentaries, escape room style puzzles, and armchair detective games, this book is designed to be worked through slowly with a pen in hand. Take notes. Compare statements. Trust the evidence more than your first instinct. Someone at the gas station is lying, and it is up to you to figure out who.
