Edward Powys Mathers

Six murders. One hundred pages. Millions of possible combinations… but only one is correct. Can you solve Torquemada’s murder mystery? In 1934, the Observer’s cryptic crossword compiler, Edward Powys Mathers (aka Torquemada), released a novel that was simultaneously a murder mystery and the most fiendishly difficult literary puzzle ever written. The pages have been printed in an entirely haphazard order, but it is possible – through logic and intelligent reading – to sort the pages into the only correct order, revealing six murder victims and their respective murderers. Only three puzzlers have ever solved the mystery of Cain’s Jawbone: do you have what it takes to join their ranks? Please note: this puzzle is extremely difficult and not for the faint-hearted.

Before Edward Powys Mathers wrote Cain's Jabwone, the world's most difficult literary puzzle, he was a cryptic crossword creator. Published under his pseudonym ‘Torquemada’, his puzzles would taunt readers for days. He created his first cryptic crossword puzzle in 1924 and went on to set them for the Saturday Westminster and the Observer for the next 15 years. His true identity was only revealed when he died in 1939. As well as earning the reputation for setting the world's toughest crosswords, Torquemada – or 'Torq' as he was often referred to – was also delightfully creative: with many puzzles written in perfectly constructed verse or delivered as mini-narratives to their solvers. This selection of Torquemada's best crosswords was originally published in 1942 and this edition contains tributes to his life and achievements, including one by his widow, R. C. Mathers as well as a foreword by the crossword puzzle editor for the New York Times, Will Shortz. The successful revival of Cain's Jawbone has inspired a new generation of puzzle solvers. Here is the next challenge for Torquemada's fans – dare you take it on? Health warning: These crosswords are extremely difficult and not for the faint-hearted.

Published by the British author Edward Powys Mathers, under the pseudonym of Torquemada, this literary puzzle is considered to be the hardest in the world. As you read and analyze each part of this intriguing plot, the reader finds himself immersed in an investigative and challenging suspense and is encouraged to use logic and analyze the details, in order to become a true detective. Who are the victims? And the killers? This unique novel invites you to discover. Six mysterious murder crimes and their respectiveexecutors. A series of clues and riddles carefully hidden in parts of a randomly printed plot, and only one correct order out of millions of combinations to reveal the real culprits and solve the mystery. This is the proposal of the police thriller Cain's Jawbone, by Edward Powys Mathers, whose work won the public's attention due to the incredibly enigmatic content that, almost ninety years later, reignited the fascination of readers from all around the world.

Over half a million copies soldSix murders. One hundred pages. Millions of possible combinations… but only one is correct. Can you solve Torquemada’s murder mystery? In 1934, the Observer’s cryptic crossword compiler, Edward Powys Mathers (aka Torquemada), released a novel that was simultaneously a murder mystery and the most fiendishly difficult literary puzzle ever written. The pages have been printed in an entirely haphazard order, but it is possible – through logic and intelligent reading – to sort the pages into the only correct order, revealing six murder victims and their respective murderers. Dare you take it on? Please note: this puzzle is extremely difficult and not for the faint-hearted.