“The crime is simple: a valuable gemstone known as The Tiger’s Eye was stolen from the Kensington Museum in the year 1926. The case was investigated by Detective Inspector Jane Waterstone. Can you step into Jane’s shoes and solve the case?” – The Museum Heist
The Museum Heist is Henry Lewis’ first foray into the interactive puzzle book format via his UK-based company The Mystery Agency. Previously the company have released escape-room-style boxed puzzle games that have garnered rave reviews.
The hardback book is 144 pages long and contains a selection of puzzles and deduction, as well as an engaging story that ties it all together. Quite a few puzzles feature an online element, therefore the internet is required.
The book is published by Sphere and includes many fantastic illustrations by the talented Gavin Reece. Be sure to check out his work!
First impressions
When The Museum Heist arrived I was blown away by how stunning the book looked and felt. Even as I write this review I can’t help but run my fingers over the cover, it feels that nice. The familiar ‘The Mystery Agency’ logo adorns the cover, which ties it in nicely with their other offerings. It is a great creative choice to continue expanding the brand into books and keeping everything connected by the same shared universe.
The illustrations throughout the book are atmospheric and, paired with the muted colour palette of greys, sepia tone and gold puzzle indicators, accentuate the very noir feel. It is all very cohesive.
Story
The basic premise is simple: a rare gemstone known as the Tiger’s Eye has been stolen from the Kensington Museum. It is your task to figure out who stole it by solving a series of puzzles and using your powers of deduction.
You step into the shoes of Detective Inspector Jane Waterstone to investigate the crime and proceed to interview suspects, gathering clues along the way. As with any good detective story, there are plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing until the end. Only with thorough detective work will you catch the true culprit.
The narrative is well-written and complemented by the puzzles, which are all clearly indicated.
Gameplay
The book opens with an introduction to the mystery, along with some handy documents that you can use to keep track of your notes. These include blank suspect profiles, a theft report sheet to store key information about the crime, and a map of the museum. I personally didn’t want to destroy my copy of the book by cutting these out, and if you are the same you will be relieved to know that printable versions of these documents are available upon request.
The Museum Heist has a great mix of puzzles and deduction; all working seamlessly within the context of the story. As you build up more and more suspect information throughout the book, you can slowly narrow down the suspects based on evidence. Should you solve puzzles incorrectly, or misinterpret information, it could lead to you wrongly ruling out suspects and potentially arresting an innocent person!
Throughout the book, you will encounter locked doors. These can be opened using a code that can be obtained by solving a puzzle. A QR code takes you to a virtual locked door online where you can enter the code. If you have solved the puzzle correctly then the door opens and you can progress. This is a nice interactive element in the book and well executed, adding some variety to the book-based gameplay.
Hints and solutions are helpfully available from page 129 onwards. There are a couple of hints for each puzzle and my only criticism is that I worried on a couple of occasions that I might see the hint for the next puzzle as they are all on the page together. Overall I didn’t find the difficulty level to be too hard, however, so didn’t have to use the hints section too many times.
As alluded to above, the ability to print off copies of items in the book that you need to write on makes it perfectly possible to keep the book intact and pass it on to someone else. That being said, the book is so pretty that I can’t imagine giving it away. I’m hoping that future instalments will all bear a similar design and complementary colour scheme so that they sit perfectly together on my bookcase.
Verdict
The Museum Heist
Summary
This book is a solid offering from Henry Lewis, which is no surprise given his track record with The Mystery Agency. All of his games are very high quality and innovative, and The Museum Heist, although in book form, is no exception!
I can see this book series running and running and look forward to investigating case 002 when it becomes available. I’m also excited to see how they continue to evolve these books and keep them interesting and refreshing.
This is the perfect gift for someone who loves a beautiful hardback with a big dose of puzzle-solving and sleuthing. The only thing missing is a Mystery Agency tote bag and enamel pin, but I am sure they are on the way…
About Henry Lewis
Henry Lewis co-hosts the ITV riddle-based quiz show ‘Riddiculous’ as The Riddlemaster, and is the Artistic Director of West End and Broadway comedy company Mischief. His love of puzzles and mystery is clearly felt in the games released so far by The Mystery Agency, of which there are four: The Balthazar Stone, The Vanishing Gambler and The Ghost in the Attic.
The most recent release is a puzzle-based escape game called The Man from Sector Six.
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, however, these do not influence my reviews or recommendations.
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