Printable Case Pack — 2026, week 41

Case 1: The Nocturne in the Palm Court (Easy, Oct 5, 2026)

During three days of merger talks at the Hotel Meridian, the pianist in the Palm Court played the same Chopin nocturne forty-one times. Somewhere in those forty-one performances, every figure from the sealed boardroom upstairs reached a rival bidder. Everyone tells the truth. Basil (B1) is known to be innocent. Mark every other suspect C or I.

1. Amir (A1): Mila and I share the same verdict: both criminal or both innocent.
2. Basil (B1): The person between me and Juno is innocent.
3. Celia (C1): There are no criminals to my left.
4. Emil (A2): Exactly two of my five neighbors are criminals.
5. Felix (B2): Exactly one of Celia and me is a criminal.
6. Greta (C2): None of the bartenders is a criminal.
7. Hugo (D2): The person between me and Petra is innocent.
8. Iris (A3): Exactly two of my five neighbors are criminals.
9. Juno (B3): Only one of the two hotel managers in Row 2 is a criminal.
10. Kira (C3): My column has exactly two criminals.
11. Lionel (D3): Exactly one of Kira and me is innocent.
12. Mila (A4): Exactly one of Emil and me is a criminal.
13. Nico (B4): There is exactly one innocent to my right.
14. Omar (C4): There is exactly one criminal above Petra.

Case 2: Seven Across, Exam Season (Medium, Oct 5, 2026)

For three weeks the Lantern's Saturday crossword has been unusually hard and unusually popular — with sixteen-year-olds. This morning the national exam board noticed that its maths answers had appeared in print, clue by clue, the day before every paper. Everyone tells the truth. Nico (B4) is known to be innocent. Mark every other suspect C or I.

1. Ada (A1): The person between me and Cora is innocent.
2. Basil (B1): The person between me and Dina is innocent.
3. Cora (C1): The person between me and Kira is innocent.
4. Emil (A2): My column has more innocents than Column D.
5. Freya (B2): If I'm a criminal, then so is Joan.
6. Greta (C2): Ada and I have exactly one criminal neighbor in common.
7. Hattie (D2): Petra and I share the same verdict: both criminal or both innocent.
8. Ivan (A3): Exactly three of my five neighbors are criminals.
9. Joan (B3): Exactly one of Hattie and me is a criminal.
10. Kira (C3): There is exactly one innocent to my left.
11. Mila (A4): Exactly one of my five neighbors is a criminal.
12. Nico (B4): Exactly one of Ada and me is innocent.
13. Omar (C4): Exactly one of Tess and me is innocent.
14. Petra (D4): Leo and I have no criminal neighbors in common.
15. Quinn (A5): If Mila is innocent, then I'm a criminal.
16. Silas (C5): Column A has exactly three innocents.
17. Tess (D5): Rufus and I have no criminal neighbors in common.

Case 3: The Machine That Answered Too Well (Easy, Oct 6, 2026)

Quiver Labs raised £40 million on a demo of Oracle, an AI that answered any question in flawless prose within a second. Today a visiting investor asked it what it had eaten for lunch. Oracle replied: 'A cheese sandwich, thanks for asking.' Everyone tells the truth. Marco (A4) is known to be innocent. Mark every other suspect C or I.

1. Arlo (A1): Hugo and I are either both criminals or both innocent.
2. Basil (B1): Only one of my five neighbors is a criminal.
3. Cal (C1): The person between me and Arlo is innocent.
4. Dev (D1): Only one of my three neighbors is a criminal.
5. Emil (A2): Exactly one of Idris and me is a criminal.
6. Felix (B2): Exactly four of my eight neighbors are criminals.
7. Greta (C2): Exactly one of Arlo and me is innocent.
8. Hugo (D2): The person above me is a criminal.
9. Idris (A3): Exactly five of the twelve people on the edges are criminals.
10. Marco (A4): Exactly one of Olive and me is innocent.
11. Ned (B4): Greta and I are either both criminals or both innocent.
12. Olive (C4): The person to my right is innocent.
13. Percy (D4): There are no innocents between me and Marco.

Case 4: Lost Above the Treeline (Medium, Oct 6, 2026)

Celia Varga, heir to a shipping fortune, vanished on the black run above the village at dusk, and by midnight her family had paid a €5 million ransom into an account in Cyprus. Three days later she skied back into the village, sunburnt, cheerful, and with no memory of where she had been. Everyone tells the truth. Quentin (A5) is known to be innocent. Mark every other suspect C or I.

1. Amir (A1): Exactly one of Ruby and me is a criminal.
2. Bruno (B1): There are exactly two innocents below me.
3. Celia (C1): All the criminals in my row are connected.
4. Dexter (D1): The person between me and Leo is a criminal.
5. Ezra (A2): The person between me and Mila is innocent.
6. Frank (B2): Exactly four of my eight neighbors are criminals.
7. Gemma (C2): There are no innocents to my left.
8. Iris (A3): There is an odd number of criminals to the left of Celia.
9. Juno (B3): Everyone to my right is a criminal.
10. Kurt (C3): The person between me and Iris is innocent.
11. Leo (D3): The person between me and Tess is innocent.
12. Mila (A4): Exactly one of Dexter and Bruno is a criminal.
13. Olive (C4): The person below me is innocent.
14. Pia (D4): Juno and I have exactly one innocent neighbor in common.
15. Quentin (A5): The person between Juno and Leo is a criminal.
16. Ruby (B5): None of my neighbors is a criminal.
17. Sadie (C5): Pia and I have no criminal neighbors in common.
18. Tess (D5): Gemma and I are either both criminals or both innocent.

Case 5: Three Thousand Seats That Weren't (Easy, Oct 7, 2026)

On cup final day, three thousand fans arrived at Ashgate Park holding tickets that scanned green at the turnstiles. Inside, they found someone already sitting in every one of their seats. Everyone tells the truth. Olive (C4) is known to be innocent. Mark every other suspect C or I.

1. Bea (B1): There is exactly one criminal between me and Nico.
2. Cora (C1): Everyone in my column is innocent.
3. Dexter (D1): Hugo and I are either both criminals or both innocent.
4. Esme (A2): Everyone below me is innocent.
5. Felix (B2): Pia and I share the same verdict: both criminal or both innocent.
6. Gemma (C2): None of us kit managers is a criminal.
7. Hugo (D2): Exactly one of Cora and me is innocent.
8. Iris (A3): None of us mascots is a criminal.
9. Joan (B3): Exactly one of Dexter and me is innocent.
10. Kofi (C3): Exactly one of Esme and me is a criminal.
11. Lena (D3): Exactly six of the twelve people on the edges are innocent.
12. Marco (A4): Everyone below Hugo is a criminal.
13. Olive (C4): The person between Kofi and Iris is innocent.

Case 6: The Moon Rock Swap (Medium, Oct 7, 2026)

Mission control's prize exhibit, a fist-sized moon rock lent by the national museum, has been the star of three thousand school trips. On Monday a geologist on one of those trips noticed that it was a lump of Cornish granite, painted grey. Everyone tells the truth. Nora (B4) is known to be a criminal. Mark every other suspect C or I.

1. Amir (A1): Exactly two of Raj's five neighbors are innocent.
2. Bruno (B1): There is an odd number of innocents to my right.
3. Celia (C1): The person between me and Amir is a criminal.
4. Dexter (D1): Exactly one of my three neighbors is a criminal.
5. Esme (A2): There are no criminals between me and Hugo.
6. Frank (B2): Dexter and I have exactly two innocent neighbors in common.
7. Gemma (C2): Exactly four of my eight neighbors are criminals.
8. Hugo (D2): Exactly two of my five neighbors are criminals.
9. Ivan (A3): All the innocents in my row are connected.
10. Jasper (B3): All the criminals in my row are connected.
11. Kofi (C3): Exactly three of my eight neighbors are criminals.
12. Lionel (D3): Everyone below me is innocent.
13. Nora (B4): The person between Amir and Ivan is innocent.
14. Otto (C4): Sadie and I have exactly two criminal neighbors in common.
15. Pia (D4): Exactly one of Sadie and me is a criminal.
16. Sadie (C5): There is exactly one innocent to my left.
17. Theo (D5): An odd number of the hackers are innocent.

Case 7: The Half-Penny Fortune (Easy, Oct 8, 2026)

For nine years, every account at Bellwether Savings lost a fraction of a penny each night — far too little for anyone to notice. A retired customer who balances her own books to four decimal places finally did, and the fractions add up to £3.1 million. Everyone tells the truth. Marco (A4) is known to be innocent. Mark every other suspect C or I.

1. Arlo (A1): Exactly one of Petra and me is a criminal.
2. Basil (B1): There is exactly one criminal below me.
3. Cal (C1): Exactly one of Lionel and me is a criminal.
4. Dev (D1): Basil and I are either both criminals or both innocent.
5. Emil (A2): Only one of my five neighbors is a criminal.
6. Felix (B2): The person to my left is innocent.
7. Hugo (D2): Exactly one of us three loan sharks is a criminal.
8. Idris (A3): Olive and I share the same verdict: both criminal or both innocent.
9. Juno (B3): Everyone to the right of Basil is a criminal.
10. Kurt (C3): Everyone above me is a criminal.
11. Lionel (D3): Exactly one of Hugo and me is a criminal.
12. Marco (A4): The person between me and Olive is a criminal.
13. Ned (B4): The only courier in Column A is innocent.
14. Petra (D4): Exactly two of the four people in the corners are criminals.

Case 8: The Fire Drill on the Fourth Floor (Medium, Oct 8, 2026)

At 2:15 a.m. a fire alarm emptied the fourth floor of the Grand Meridian, where an entire wedding party was asleep. There was no fire. When the guests came back up from the street in their dressing gowns, thirty-one room safes stood open and empty. Everyone tells the truth. Quinn (A5) is known to be innocent. Mark every other suspect C or I.

1. Amir (A1): None of my neighbors is a criminal.
2. Basil (B1): Exactly two of us three hotel managers are criminals.
3. Cal (C1): Exactly two of my five neighbors are criminals.
4. Esme (A2): Basil and I have exactly one criminal neighbor in common.
5. Felix (B2): Exactly three of my eight neighbors are criminals.
6. Greta (C2): Exactly one of Tariq and me is a criminal.
7. Ivan (A3): Exactly four of my five neighbors are innocent.
8. Joan (B3): Exactly three of my eight neighbors are criminals.
9. Kira (C3): Hugo and I have exactly one criminal neighbor in common.
10. Lena (D3): Exactly three of my five neighbors are criminals.
11. Mila (A4): Otto and I have no criminal neighbors in common.
12. Nico (B4): Exactly one of Greta and me is a criminal.
13. Otto (C4): All the criminals in Column D are connected.
14. Quinn (A5): The person to the left of Nico is a criminal.
15. Rufus (B5): If Ivan is a criminal, then so am I.
16. Suki (C5): All the innocents in Row 3 are connected.
17. Tariq (D5): All the innocents in Column C are connected.

Case 9: The Clown Who Borrowed Your Watch (Easy, Oct 9, 2026)

Every night of its spring tour, Circus Fantasia's audiences laughed until they cried — and drove home lighter. In six weeks, 412 wallets, watches and phones vanished from the stands, always in the second half, and never from anyone seated near the ring. Everyone tells the truth. Dina (D1) is known to be innocent. Mark every other suspect C or I.

1. Arlo (A1): There are no criminals above Kofi.
2. Bea (B1): Exactly two of my five neighbors are criminals.
3. Cora (C1): There are no criminals to my left.
4. Dina (D1): Petra and I are either both criminals or both innocent.
5. Ezra (A2): Exactly one of Gemma and me is innocent.
6. Freya (B2): There are no criminals to my right.
7. Gemma (C2): Ivan and I are either both criminals or both innocent.
8. Hattie (D2): There is exactly one innocent below me.
9. Ivan (A3): None of the four people in the corners is a criminal.
10. Jasper (B3): Exactly four of my eight neighbors are innocent.
11. Kofi (C3): Exactly three of the four weightlifters are criminals.
12. Leo (D3): Exactly two of my five neighbors are criminals.
13. Petra (D4): Exactly one of Ezra and me is a criminal.

Case 10: Two Hundred Lucky Researchers (Medium, Oct 9, 2026)

Quiver Labs pays £10,000 to anyone who reports a security flaw in its app. In twelve months it paid out £1.9 million to two hundred 'independent researchers' who were remarkably good at finding the same kind of mistake. Everyone tells the truth. Pia (D4) is known to be innocent. Mark every other suspect C or I.

1. Arlo (A1): Exactly two of my three neighbors are criminals.
2. Cal (C1): Exactly seven of the fourteen people on the edges are criminals.
3. Dev (D1): There is exactly one innocent between me and Pia.
4. Ezra (A2): Exactly four of Felix's eight neighbors are criminals.
5. Idris (A3): There are exactly two criminals to my right.
6. Joan (B3): Exactly one of Ezra's five neighbors is a criminal.
7. Kira (C3): Exactly three of the four people in the corners are innocent.
8. Leo (D3): Exactly two of the three investors are innocent.
9. Mila (A4): Column B has more criminals than my column.
10. Ned (B4): The person between me and Felix is innocent.
11. Omar (C4): Nobody to my left is innocent.
12. Pia (D4): Silas and I share the same verdict: both criminal or both innocent.
13. Raj (B5): There is exactly one innocent to my right.
14. Silas (C5): The person between me and Quinn is a criminal.
15. Theo (D5): All three of my neighbors are innocent.

Answers

Case 1 — criminals: Celia, Dexter, Emil, Iris, Juno, Kira, Petra.

Case 2 — criminals: Ada, Dina, Freya, Joan, Leo, Mila, Tess.

Case 3 — criminals: Dev, Greta, Idris, Juno, Kurt, Lionel, Ned, Olive.

Case 4 — criminals: Bruno, Celia, Ezra, Frank, Hugo, Kurt, Leo, Ruby.

Case 5 — criminals: Amir, Dexter, Esme, Felix, Hugo, Lena, Pia.

Case 6 — criminals: Amir, Bruno, Dexter, Hugo, Lionel, Marco, Nora, Raj, Sadie.

Case 7 — criminals: Basil, Cal, Dev, Greta, Hugo, Ned, Petra.

Case 8 — criminals: Amir, Cal, Greta, Hugo, Mila, Otto, Suki.

Case 9 — criminals: Ezra, Freya, Jasper, Kofi, Leo, Otto.

Case 10 — criminals: Basil, Cal, Ezra, Kira, Leo, Mila, Ned, Raj, Theo.