A murder mystery brain teaser book
ALIBI-X: Murder on Halloween Night
A Halloween murder mystery you solve, not read. Ten connected cases, 9,000 suspects, one killer.
Paperback, 152 pages.
We publish this book. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
- 10 connected cases
- 9,000 suspects
- Pencil only, no app
As shared in TikTok videos
Is this the book from TikTok?
Yes. The glowing pumpkin tied in red string, the case files stamped Confidential, one killer hiding in a whole festival of suspects: this is that book. ALIBI-X: Murder on Halloween Night by Cork & Pin Press, a paperback you work through with a pencil.
Look inside the case file
Every investigation opens with a scene, hands you a page of clues and ends on a suspect table. The pages below are unsolved, and the back of the book, where the answers live, stays sealed.
- 152 pages
- 6 x 9 in paperback
- Nothing solved, nothing spoiled
Twelve places in the case file
Swipe through. Tap a page to open it full size.
Page 1Title page
Ten cases. Ten leads. One killer in the festival crowd.
Page 3Premise
Before you begin: what is in the book, in its own words.
Page 4Prologue
The prologue: the Lantern King, a ceremonial cup, and the gates sealed behind you.
Page 7Rules
How to play, in seven steps.
Page 8Promise
A fair fight: no app, no phone, no code. A pencil is enough.
Page 10Worked example
How a lead works, on a made-up practice crowd that spoils nothing.
Page 12Tool
Your Leads Card: ten lines for ten leads, and one for the killer.
Case 01 is shown complete and unsolved.
Rather start cold? Skip ahead to Case 05.Pages 14 and 15Case opener and clues
Case File 01, The Carving Tent: the scene, then the clues, including a letter grid.
Page 16Suspect table
The Tent Crew: strike the innocent until one sworn line is left. Shown unsolved.
Page 26Case opener
Case File 05, The Face Painter.
Page 29Case opener
Case File 06, The Ghost Train.
Page 46Register
The attendance register, Zone 1 of 10: Lanterns. 95 names on this page, 9,000 in all.
How to play this murder mystery puzzle book
Inspector Vale Quintero runs every case by one rule: we do not find the killer, we remove everyone who isn't. The whole book is built on it.
Work the case.
Each of the ten investigations gives you a scene, a page of mystery puzzles (letter grids, rosters and duty logs, a shift cipher, sworn statements) and a suspect table. Strike every insider the clues rule out.
Keep the lead.
The one sworn line still standing is a hard fact about the killer, often about how the name is spelled. Write it on your Leads Card. The witness you cleared points you to the next case, so the ten cases form one chain across the fairground.
Clear the crowd.
Then open the attendance register: 9,000 names in ten zones, from Lanterns to Ravens. Apply your leads one at a time. A single lead can clear thousands of names, and after ten passes one name is left.
Ten cases across the festival.
- Case 01The Carving Tent
- Case 02The First-Aid Wagon
- Case 03The Lantern Runner
- Case 04The Potion Stall
- Case 05The Face Painter
- Case 06The Ghost Train
- Case 07The Costume Maker
- Case 08The Lamplighter
- Case 09The Scare Captain
- Case 10Sealed until you get there
Murder mystery logic, by elimination.
Practice leadThe killer's first name has no more than five letters.
- Christopher, struck
- Otis, stays
- Magdalena, struck
- Lena, stays
- Sebastian, struck
- Marc, stays
- Annaliese, struck
- Otto, stays
- Bartholomew, struck
One lead, and most of the crowd walks free. The book does this ten times, across 9,000 names.
A made-up example from page 10 of the book. It spoils nothing.
A Halloween puzzle book for adults and teens
- You always say you knew who did it. Here you have to prove it.
- You like logic puzzles and want them tied to one story instead of a random page each.
- You want a Halloween night in with a pencil, alone or with someone who argues back.
- You need a Halloween gift for the puzzle lover who finishes everything first. Among puzzle books for adults, this one lasts: ten cases and a 95-page register fill more than one evening.
- You are an adult or a teen who likes a real challenge, as long as it is a fair one.
Giving it as a Halloween gift? It arrives as a 152-page paperback, ready to write in, with nothing to download or set up. The free Detective's Field Kit from the Evidence Locker can be printed for a second solver.
Who it is not for
- You want a spooky novel to curl up with. Here the story only moves when you solve the next case.
- You want to host a costume party with roles and scripts. This is a book, not a party kit.
- You do not like writing in books. The register is made to be crossed out.
- Young children. The puzzles are built for adults and teens, and the crime is a murder.
Content note: the crime is a poisoning that has already happened when the book opens. The pages are about clues and logic, not gore.
Free with the book: a field kit, an answer checker and a cold case
The Evidence Locker at the front holds a printable Detective's Field Kit, a Leads card and an Arrest Warrant card, plus the free online Killer Checker. The Cold Case Locker at the back opens Cold Case File 02, a new mini case with its own leads, its own liars and its own killer, along with an early look at the next ALIBI-X case and one bonus clue.
No sign-up and no email. The QR codes are printed in the book, so both lockers stay a reward for the people who hold a copy.
What solvers say
We do not copy ratings or reviews onto this page. Read what solvers wrote, in their own words, on Amazon.
We publish this book. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
"Our rule for every case: one answer, provable from the page."
Cork & Pin Press: About the studio
Cork & Pin Press is a small studio of puzzle constructors and mystery writers who build the ALIBI-X case files together. Every case starts on a wall of corkboard, string and pinned evidence, which is where the name comes from. The rule never changes: a mystery has to be solvable from the clues on the page alone, with exactly one name left standing at the end. The case files appear in several languages.
Cork & Pin Press is an imprint of Kalderno (Quicktale Limited).
Next on the board
The ALIBI-X Advent Calendar, one case a day until Christmas Eve.
Questions about this Halloween murder mystery book
Is this the Halloween murder mystery book from TikTok?
Yes. ALIBI-X: Murder on Halloween Night by Cork & Pin Press is the murder mystery puzzle book from the TikTok videos, the one with the glowing pumpkin tied in red string on the cover. It is a real 152-page paperback, sold on Amazon.
Is ALIBI-X: Murder on Halloween Night a real book?
Yes. ALIBI-X: Murder on Halloween Night is a real book, a 152-page paperback (6 x 9 inches) by Cork & Pin Press, published on August 30, 2026 by Kalderno. ISBN 979-8170691463.
Where can I buy ALIBI-X: Murder on Halloween Night?
The English paperback is sold on Amazon.com, and the German edition, ALIBI-X: Mord in der Halloween-Nacht, is sold on amazon.de. There is no Kindle edition.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Is it a novel or a puzzle book?
It is a puzzle book with a story running through it. You do not read this Halloween murder mystery, you solve it: ten connected cases each earn you one fact about the killer, and the story moves forward only when you crack the next case. If you want a spooky novel to read, this is not it. If you want to be the detective, it is.
How do you play a murder mystery puzzle book?
You work one case at a time. Each case gives you a scene, a page of clues and a suspect table. You strike the insiders the clues rule out, and the one sworn statement left standing is your lead. After ten cases you take all ten leads to the attendance register and cross out every name that does not fit. Worked examples at the front teach the method before Case 01.
Is it a party game, or can I solve it alone?
It is a book you solve, not a murder mystery party game: there are no roles, scripts or costumes. Most people solve it alone with a pencil. It also works passed around a table, with two people arguing over the same suspect table.
Do I need an app, a phone or the internet?
No. The whole case is solvable on paper with a pencil. An optional, free online Killer Checker can confirm your final name, but you never need it to finish the book. There is no app.
How can I check my answer without spoiling it?
Use the free Killer Checker. You type in the name you are left with and it answers yes or no, nothing more, and it asks for no email. Its link sits in the book on the page just before the solutions, so you never see an answer by accident. This website never shows an answer.
How hard is it, and is it for adults or teens?
It is built for adults and teens who like a real challenge. The logic takes concentration, but the book plays fair: nothing is hidden, nothing is guessed, and no trick fact is held back. Practice examples at the front teach the method before the first case, so you need no puzzle experience to start.
Is there a Kindle edition?
No. ALIBI-X: Murder on Halloween Night is a 152-page paperback, 6 by 9 inches, made to be written in. A German paperback edition, ALIBI-X: Mord in der Halloween-Nacht, is sold on amazon.de.
Who is Cork & Pin Press?
Cork & Pin Press, also written Cork and Pin Press, is the studio behind the ALIBI-X murder mystery puzzle books. Its puzzle constructors and mystery writers build every case so that it can be solved from the clues on the page. Cork & Pin Press is an imprint of the publisher Kalderno.
Ten leads. One name. Bring a pencil.
A sealed fairground, 9,000 suspects and one killer who thinks the crowd will hide them. Prove it, or strike it.
Paperback only, 152 pages, 6 x 9 in.
We publish this book. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Cork & Pin Press is an imprint of Kalderno, Quicktale Limited. The Gallows Lantern Festival and everyone in this book are fictional.
