Guest post by Katherine Fletcher
Have a little time for a mystery, but don’t want to begin another chapter just yet? The free Kettle Creek Case Files puzzle book gives you five word-search mystery cases to try at your own pace.
It’s a reader extra available from the Lakeside Murder page, with a solved practice case, instructions, an answer key, and solved grids. You can read the digital PDF or print it at home for personal use.
Start with the practice case. Even if word searches are familiar territory, it’s worth seeing how this book asks you to work through a mystery. Having a completed example beside the instructions can make the first case easier to approach.
Then choose one case and give yourself permission to stop there. Five cases means you can keep a few for later. There’s no need to turn a reading break into an assignment, or to finish the whole collection in one sitting.
If you’re printing, check your printer’s page selection before sending the file. You may want your case and the instructions handy while keeping the answers out of sight until you’re ready for them. A pencil is useful if you like changing your mind as you work.
When you reach an answer, take a moment before turning to the key. What led you there? Was there anything you overlooked on your first pass? Checking your work can be as satisfying as finding the solution.
These are spoiler-free puzzles, and their scenarios are separate from the novels’ canon. You can enjoy them without treating a puzzle solution as a clue to what happens in Lakeside Murder.
To get your copy, visit the Lakeside Murder page and look for “Download the free puzzle book” under the Kettle Creek case files section. Pick a case whenever you have a little room for one.