More Mini Mathematical Murder Mysteries

We all like to think we can solve a murder given the right clues. Here's another chance to use mathematics skills to identify "whodunnit" - following the great success of the first book in the series Mini Mathematical Murder Mysteries. The students are given the data or a diagram to solve a "problem" - which is always which of four characters is a murderer. To find out, the student must solve all or most of the questions on the sheet to identify wrong answers as well as correct ones. Problems are staged, so there is an element of suspense for the individual...and racing between students to solve the mystery. 12-14 years

We all like to think we can solve a murder given the right clues. Heres a chance to use mathematics skills to identify whodunit for ages 12-14.

Kenneth Salter, chairman of the math department at Marcus Rome State University, isn't a well-liked man; in fact, most people despise him. It's not surprising, therefore, when he ends up dead, slumped over in his office chair. All the animosity directed toward the professor makes this a challenging case for homicide detective Tom Warren. His list of possible suspects is long. Much to his chagrin, Warren finds himself teamed up with some law enforcement outsiders. Jim Albright is a math professor and detective wannabe, while his wife, Donna, is a sexy psychologist. Elmo Sherwin is a loveable math genius, but he's as clumsy as he is eccentric. How can these novices help Warren solve his case? He'll soon learn it takes more than crime scene know-how to catch a killer. It's going to take interviews, deduction, and reasoning to make sense of Salter's murder. Everyone sees things differently, and what one person observes could be missed by everyone else. Are you clever enough to follow the clues and construct the argument that points uniquely to the guilty party?

A bestselling modern classic—both poignant and funny—narrated by a fifteen year old autistic savant obsessed with Sherlock Holmes, this dazzling novel weaves together an old-fashioned mystery, a contemporary coming-of-age story, and a fascinating excursion into a mind incapable of processing emotions. Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. Although gifted with a superbly logical brain, Christopher is autistic. Everyday interactions and admonishments have little meaning for him. At fifteen, Christopher’s carefully constructed world falls apart when he finds his neighbour’s dog Wellington impaled on a garden fork, and he is initially blamed for the killing. Christopher decides that he will track down the real killer, and turns to his favourite fictional character, the impeccably logical Sherlock Holmes, for inspiration. But the investigation leads him down some unexpected paths and ultimately brings him face to face with the dissolution of his parents’ marriage. As Christopher tries to deal with the crisis within his own family, the narrative draws readers into the workings of Christopher’s mind. And herein lies the key to the brilliance of Mark Haddon’s choice of narrator: The most wrenching of emotional moments are chronicled by a boy who cannot fathom emotions. The effect is dazzling, making for one of the freshest debut in years: a comedy, a tearjerker, a mystery story, a novel of exceptional literary merit that is great fun to read.

Heres a chance for students to turn detective and apply their mathematical knowledge to solve some murder mysteries.

The rules are simple. But the game is not. At eleven years old, Morgan Sheppard solved the murder of a teacher when everyone else believed it to be a suicide. The publicity surrounding the case laid the foundation for his reputation as a modern-day Sherlock Holmes. He parlayed that fame into a gig as TV’s “resident detective,” solving the more typical tawdry daytime talk show mysteries like “Who is the father?” and “Is he cheating?” Until, that is, Sheppard wakes up handcuffed to a bed in an unfamiliar hotel room. Around him, five strangers are slowly waking up, as well. Soon they discover a corpse in the bathtub and Sheppard is challenged to put his deductive skills to the test. One of the people in the room is the killer. He has three hours to solve the murder. If he doesn’t find the killer, they all will die. An ingenious, page-turning debut, Chris McGeorge’s Guess Who matches the high-wire plotting of classic “locked room” mysteries into the unstoppable pacing of the modern-day thriller.

Twelve-year-old detective Jonah Bixby and the reader work together to solve twenty short cases of theft, arson, and murder.