Murder at the Lantern Ball.

Name: Murder at the Lantern Ball: printable murder mystery elimination puzzle
Brand: ARLing
Price: 5.90 EUR
Availability: InStock

Halloween, 1934. At two minutes to midnight the owner of the Grand Marlowe Hotel is found poisoned in the quiet Winter Garden, while 5,000 guests in costume dance in the ballroom. Nobody has left the building. You get sixteen true facts about the killer and the hotel register of every guest. Strike out the guests clue by clue until one name is left.

What you get

Three PDF files of the same case: A4 (88 pages), US Letter (96 pages) and an E-ink version for tablets (116 pages). The story, the 16 clues, the register of 5,000 guests and the solution on the last page. Nothing is shipped.

The case file cover of Murder at the Lantern Ball: 5,000 guests, 16 clues, 1 killer, a paper lantern, a confidential stamp and a register page behind it — **The real cover and a register page** from the A4 file.

5.90 €one payment, VAT included

VAT included, nothing added at checkout. You buy the three files once, keep them and print as many copies as you need for yourself, your family or your class.

See what is inside first Buy on Etsy In the EU, Etsy adds local VAT (23 percent in Slovakia); here VAT is included. Handy if you already use Etsy.

Bought here, the files unlock right after payment. You can still withdraw within 14 days without giving a reason (our terms, section 5). Terms

bought here, download buttons appear on this page right after payment, and the links come by e-mail too
A4, US Letter and E-ink, all three in the price
no account to make

One answer, checked twice. Two separate programs, written in two different programming languages, checked the printed clues against the printed register: exactly one guest fits all sixteen clues.
You always know where you are. After clues 4, 8 and 12 a checkpoint tells you how many guests should be left. Every clue removes at least 5 percent of the guests still in play.
No guessing, no outside knowledge. Each clue is checked on a single row of the register. A classic style mystery: no blood and no violence on the page.

How you solve it.

One rule at a time, with a pencil. The film shows the real count from the case, from 5,000 guests down to one.

15 seconds, with sound. The killer is not shown: the last guest is covered by a question mark.

Read a clue. For example: “Table is less than 24.” Every clue is true for the killer.
Strike out every guest it rules out. The register is sorted by surname, like a phone book, so a clue about the first letter lets you skip whole pages.
Write down the count. After clues 4, 8 and 12, compare it with the checkpoint. A different number? Go over the last four clues again.
One guest is left. That is the killer. Check your answer on the last page.

Watch the film drawn in code in your browser

What is in the file.

Every picture on this page is cut from the real pages. The pages shown give nothing away about the killer.

Fifteen real rows from page 7 of the A4 register with name, age, costume, mask, arrival time, ticket, table, drink, street and sweet; five rows are struck out after clue 2, Table is less than 24 — **The register.** 5,000 guests in ten columns. Real rows from page 7, with clue 2 applied.

Page 4 of the A4 file: clues 1 to 8, each with where it was found, a box for the count and two checkpoints — **The evidence.** Clues 1 to 8 with a box for your count and two checkpoints. Clues 9 to 16 are on the next page.

The three files with their page counts, and the index page of the E-ink file where every letter jumps to that part of the register — **Three files.** The E-ink file has an index page: tap a letter to jump to it in the register.

1The case file cover
2The case: the story on one page and a guide to the ten register columns
3How to solve: the rules, how to read each kind of clue, and a worked example
4 and 516 clues with a box for your count next to each one and 3 checkpoints
6 to 87The register: 5,000 guests sorted by surname, with name, age, costume, mask colour, arrival time, ticket number, table, drink, street and favourite sweet
88The solution: the killer, how many guests are left after every clue, and each clue checked against the killer’s row

Who it is for, and what you need.

How it works in three steps: read a clue, strike out every guest it rules out, check the count at the checkpoint

For: Adults and teens who like logic puzzles, detective stories and slow, careful work with a pencil.
Players: One, or a few friends who share the register pages between them.
Time: We have not timed how long the case takes, so we do not promise a playing time. It is a long, quiet puzzle: the register alone is 82 pages in A4.
You need: A pencil or a highlighter and a printer, or a tablet with a PDF app instead of the printer.
Language: English. The story is told in words; the only pictures are the cover and the register itself.

Three files, one case.

File	Paper	Pages	Size
A4 PDF	210 x 297 mm	88 pages	1.43 MB
US Letter PDF	8.5 x 11 in	96 pages	1.43 MB
E-ink PDF	157 x 210 mm	116 pages	2.03 MB

The register is printed at 8 pt in the A4 and US Letter files and at 7 pt in the E-ink file. Print the register single sided so you can lay the pages out side by side. In the E-ink file an index page and a row of letters on every register page jump to that letter, and a link brings you back to the clues.

Before you buy.

How does an elimination mystery work?

You read one clue at a time, for example “Table is less than 24”, and strike out every guest in the register for whom it is false. You write down how many guests are left. After clues 4, 8 and 12 a checkpoint tells you how many should be left, so you know you are on track. When one guest is left, you have found the killer.

Page 3 explains how to read each kind of clue (“more than 30” means 31 or more, times use the 24 hour clock) and works through an example.

Is there really only one answer?

Yes. A computer program built the case, and two separate programs, written in two different programming languages, checked the printed clues against the printed register: exactly one guest fits all sixteen clues, every clue removes at least 5 percent of the guests still in play, and every checkpoint number is right. Each clue can be checked on a single row; no outside knowledge and no guessing.

Is the solution included?

Yes, on the last page of every file: the killer, how many guests are left after every clue, and each clue checked against the killer’s row. Nothing on this page or in the film gives the killer away.

Can I solve it on a tablet instead of printing?

Yes. The E-ink file is 157 x 210 mm, sized for e-ink tablets, with tap to jump letters through the register. You can also open the A4 file on any tablet and mark it up in a PDF app. Our program checked the links in the E-ink file; we have not tried it on every device, so if something does not work on yours, write to us.

How long does it take?

We have not timed it with players, so we do not promise a time. Expect a long, careful puzzle rather than a quick one: the first clues cut through thousands of guests, the last ones through a handful.

What happens after I pay?

Stripe sends you back to this page, the page checks that the payment went through, and download buttons for the A4, US Letter and E-ink PDF appear in place of the buy button. The same links are sent by e-mail to the address you paid with. The links on this page work for 7 days and the ones in the e-mail for 30 days; after that, write to support@arling.sk and we send fresh ones.

The unlock is remembered in this browser, so you can come back to this page later on the same device. Keep the files once you have downloaded them.

How many copies may I print?

As many as you need for yourself, your family or your classroom. Please do not share or resell the files.

Are the guests real people?

No. It is a work of fiction. A computer program combined the names at random from public lists of common U.S. first names and surnames; any match with a real person is chance.

Who made it?

ARLing s. r. o., a small studio in Bratislava, Slovakia. The texts and the puzzle were made with the help of AI tools. The cover and every page are drawn in code; no AI images are used.

Do I get a receipt?

Yes. The seller (merchant of record) is Link (Sold through Link, LLC) through the Stripe Managed Payments service; ARLing s. r. o. supplies the product. At checkout you will see “Sold through Link”, your bank statement will show LINK.COM* ARLING, and Link sends you the receipt.

Can I get my money back?

Yes. As a consumer you can withdraw within 14 days without giving a reason, as our terms say in section 5: write to support@arling.sk or use the withdrawal form, and we refund you within 14 days by the same payment method. If a file is broken or a clue is wrong, write to us and we put it right or send the money back.

Can I buy it on Etsy instead?

Yes, the same three files are in our Etsy shop. Here the price is final, VAT included. On Etsy, buyers in the EU pay local VAT on top (23 percent in Slovakia), and elsewhere Etsy may add local tax. Etsy takes the payment and sends the receipt, and any refund goes through Etsy too. The files wait in Purchases and reviews on etsy.com, or behind the link in the Etsy receipt e-mail if you check out as a guest; open them in a web browser, as the Etsy app does not currently support downloading digital purchases. Etsy suits you if you already shop there; in the EU, buying here costs less.

Colophon

Publisher: ARLing s. r. o., Ivanská cesta 32E, 821 04 Bratislava, Slovakia. Company ID 56583486, VAT ID SK2122352100.
Who makes it: Andrej in Bratislava looks after the products and the support and answers at support@arling.sk. The texts and the puzzle were made with the help of AI tools; our own program built the case and typesets every page.
Payment and delivery: The seller (merchant of record) is Link (Sold through Link, LLC) through the Stripe Managed Payments service; ARLing s. r. o. supplies the product. Your download links appear on this page as soon as Stripe confirms the payment, and the same links are sent by e-mail to the address you paid with. There is no account to make.

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