Have you got what it takes to be a Scotland Yard detective?

Ask anyone from Beijing to New York what the name Scotland Yard evokes and their responses will likely be the same: foggy streets, a stout constable with a blue helmet and detectives in thick overcoats uncovering tiny but vital case-cracking clues. 

From the Stockwell Strangler to the notorious Kray twins, Scotland Yard has captured some of the most charismatically wicked criminals the world has ever seen

The institution has had a grip on the global imagination since its foundation in 1829, partly because of the wealth of books and films set in and around the Yard but also because of its real history, showing dazzling ingenuity and wild inventiveness in the face of seemingly insoluble crimes. 

Is the ability to make brilliant deductions and solve cases a skill that can be taught, or does one have to be born with the talent?

From the Stockwell Strangler to the notorious Kray twins, Scotland Yard has captured some of the most charismatically wicked criminals the world has ever seen. And then, of course, there is its central London base with the iconic revolving sign – how many police services around the world boast tourists who queue to have their photo taken in front of its HQ? We are also, of course, universally fascinated by the mind of the detective. 

Is the ability to make brilliant deductions and solve cases a skill that can be taught, or does one have to be born with the talent? What sort of puzzler’s mind must a detective have? An aptitude for cryptic crosswords? The possibility-juggling challenge of Sudoku? Or the fact-sifting long-term analytical skills demanded by classical logic problems? 

So have you got what it takes to be a Scotland Yard detective? Why not tackle this selection of fiendishly tricky puzzles taken from the brilliant new Scotland Yard Puzzle Book and find out. 

THE MYSTERY OF THE MALDARK MURDERS

Captain Baggitt was staying at his favourite country house, Maldark Hall. In the library, he found a book chronicling a deadly murder trail at the Hall many years before. Intrigued, he tried to solve the mystery himself. Four people were murdered, each in a different room and with a different weapon. Put these crimes in order, identifying each victim, where the crime took place and which murder weapon was used. The murderer entered at the main entrance and did not retrace his steps. Captain Baggitt worked out the deadly route he had taken, room by room. Can you do the same?

CLUES 

1. Poison was administered in the crime that took place immediately before the murder in the conservatory. 

2. The governess perished before the murder with the rope and the murder in the pantry. 

3. The groom was murdered in the dining room. He was attacked with a candlestick. 

4. The coachman was victim number two. 

5. The unfortunate housekeeper was not the person murdered in the library. 

6. A pistol was used in the final crime.

FORGERY 

Look at the six signatures. Five of them are forgeries. They may appear to be very similar, but only one matches every detail of the signature shown at the top of the page. Can you spot the fakes?  

For more fabulous, brain-twisting puzzles grab yourself a copy of Event Magazine out today!  

© Sinclair McKay, 2019 The Scotland Yard Puzzle Book, by Sinclair McKay, is published by Headline on Thursday, priced £12.99. Offer price £10.39 (20 per cent discount) until November 12. To order, call 01603 648155 or go to mailshop.co.uk

Answers to the above puzzles can be found here