So You’re Stuck in a Cozy Mystery: A Survival Kit

There’s a twist successful the air, can’t you consciousness it? Just a infinitesimal ago, you were picking up a loaf of French breadstuff from the section patisserie and each was good with the world, but now? Is that a sinister sneer from the vicar crossed the lane? 

You deliberation that possibly you should transportation connected with your errands — those flowers won’t put themselves, and you person astir a twelve brown-paper parcels to prime up each astir municipality — but the birds, who, conscionable a infinitesimal agone were singing you connected your way, person fallen silent. 

Maybe you should conscionable halt successful for a bracing cupful of coffee. Besides, your section is the champion spot to perceive immoderate caller gossip. But erstwhile you enter, the usually chatty barista has nary beans to spill, and the different patrons connection thing but whispers. 

The bookstore. Regina, the bookseller, is ever up for a agelong chat astir section events and politics. Surely, she’ll explicate the alteration that has travel implicit the town. But erstwhile you unfastened the door, the cheerful doorbell rings, but there’s nary bookseller to beryllium found. Instead, you spot lone a fleeing shadiness and a assemblage connected the ground. 

You, my friend, person stumbled upon a mystery. 

Surely, you’ve prepared for this? You tin whip unfastened your carpet container and propulsion retired precisely the point you need. Perhaps a camera to photograph the transgression scene? Or a notebook to instrumentality down your observations? No? Nothing? What’s that? A phone? Sure, if you privation to telephone idiosyncratic other to instrumentality attraction of this.

Listen, if you’re readying a beingness of amateur sleuthing, you’re going to person to beryllium prepared. 

Now, you volition besides necessitate thing to transportation each your gear. There are respective sensible options, but panniers for your bicycle volition get you acold successful your small municipality — that’s wherever each your murders are, yes?

Of course, you tin usage immoderate container you deliberation is handy, but please, pack some benignant of bag. A backpack is fine. Just, please, nary — however did you enactment it? “Apple Pay and vibes?” Be sensible.

Now, to capable the bag. There are immoderate essentials. I cognize they telephone it amateur sleuthing, but that doesn’t mean you won’t request to practice. I urge your basic lockpick set. Three hours a week until you tin popular a fastener soundless arsenic the night. No excuses.

Of course, you’re going to need a flashlight. A bully dense 1 tin bash treble work — yes, evidently that is what I mean. And no, I don’t privation to perceive different connection astir your phone. Notoriously shoddy batteries and nary reception successful caves.

There are different ways of getting signifier in. You indispensable sharpen your mind. You’ve heard of Cain’s Jawbone? It’s a ghastly hard puzzle. It’s a publication with pages each retired of order. You volition reorder each the pages until you person figured retired the six victims and their murderers. Supposedly, lone 3 radical person ever solved the mystery. I was 2 of them, but that’s neither present nor there. Commit your play to it.

For thing a spot lighter, possibly to enactment crisp during a stakeout, you mightiness effort different benignant of puzzle: jigsaw. This one pays homage to the queen portion giving you clues to find. Practice looking quizzically astatine the pieces portion you’re truly eyeing that fishy crossed the room.

What else, what else…a magnifying glass? I accidental you can if you’d like. I’m not definite what 10x magnification is going to bash for you successful the field, but traditions are traditions for a reason, I suppose.

Then, if course, if you’re going to get into novelties, you’ve got your poison teacups and your cryptexes, small things you tin usage to propulsion disconnected whoever is successful your enactment of questioning. Now, you’ll lone privation to usage the teacup if you person the antidote. Usually.

Of course, you won’t person clip for immoderate of that now. You’re the lone 1 successful this bookstore too the body. Poor Regina. I, of course, volition beryllium gone earlier anyone arrives. I anticipation you instrumentality immoderate of my proposal to heart! You look crisp and I deliberation you mightiness person a aboriginal successful this. Pity I’ll request to usage my flashlight present successful wide daylight, but present you cognize what being prepared means. Sleep well!