E. Powys Mathers (1892–1939)

"I did not quite agree with De Quincey that murders in Ireland did not count..."

Such fun! In 1934, famed crossword compiler [a:Torquemada|681822|Torquemada|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png] published a book of puzzles, all as terrifying as each other. But the final 100 pages were even more so: a modernist murder mystery novel, with all the pages out of order. The puzzler's goal is to identify the full names all six victims and the murderer or murderers, as well as the exact order of the pages. Nothing hazy, nothing guessed at. Only the exact solution. Two people achieved it in 1934. Perhaps more impressive - without Google! Perhaps less impressive - they didn't have to investigate the obvious references to mundane aspects of 1930s life which now read like cryptic crosswords themselves!

After 85 years, Unbound has released Cain's Jawbone in a lovely commemorative box, with 100 individual cards so potential detectives can rearrange them to their heart's content. The prize is 1,000 of those fancy British Pounds, and the deadline for completion is 12 months (plus a few weeks for those of us lucky enough to have joined the crowdfunding campaign).

"They had, in the words of the old song, gone the same way home."

It's a challenging task at the best of times. Even the characters' names are hidden behind a shroud of wordplay and literary references. Torquemada (aka Edward Powys Mathers) covers the reader in a deluge of poetry and wit. The narration - in contemporary 1930s style - is often stream-of-consciousness, rendering the connections between pages as discombobulating as trying to figure out the plot. There's a lot of rather queer business going on with small metallic objects, some rather large yews, some gum prunes, and something called Lover's Delight. The solution seems impossible!

But it is there. After spending a delightful (if often headscratching) month in Torquemada's world, I now understand everything... most things... some things... enough things to make a feint at a solution to this demonic confection. Thus I have humbly submitted my answer sheet to Unbound today, and will have to wait patiently until September 2020 (the competition deadline) to find out just how close I got to being completely and utterly incorrect.

No, seriously. I definitely didn't get it completely right; I marvel at the person who can do so. But on reflection I suspect I hit the 90-95% mark. Perhaps, once the competition is over, I will publish a piece on the interwebs about my process and the meaning of it all. Until then, my lips are sealed.

"I always felt a bit dazed on these occasions, and was so then."

This is, as the box says, "not for the faint hearted". You will need to research, think outside the box, be open to scrunching up your pet theories and tossing them into the trash, and occasionally walking around in public berating yourself like a loon when you have a moment of revelation while on the tram. If all of this sounds worthwhile to you (i.e. like me, you have no life), what are you waiting for?

What's that? Really? Okay, if you insist. The only clue I can give you is the clue that is given on the first page of the introductory booklet: there is one correct order. In a puzzle like this, there has to be. Which means: if you're just guessing the link between any two given pages, you're not reading the clues thoroughly enough.

Good luck, and happy puzzling!… (mais)

It is probable that no-one on Goodreads has read this, as the book is out-of-print and was only a subscription issue to begin with. A trawl of the internet reveals no copies anywhere!

Torquemada was the pseudonym of Edward Powys Mathers when he wrote crosswords and fiendishly challenging puzzles for The Observer in the 1930s. This puzzle book was a special issue, concluding with a 100-page mystery puzzle called "Cain's Jawbone", which - if one could put the 100 pages back in the right order - would reveal a series of murders and their culprits. The winner would receive a small cash prize. After the puzzle, the book disappeared from public memory.

It has been revived, as of September 2019, for another round, under the publication title [b:Cain's Jawbone|48040829|Cain's Jawbone|E. Powys Mathers|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1567840884l/48040829._SY75_.jpg|73224814].… (mais)

El enigma de Caín
Torquemada
Publicado: 2022 | 118 páginas
Novela Intriga

Seis asesinatos. Cien páginas. Millones de combinaciones posibles, pero solo una es la correcta. ¿Puedes ser el primero en resolver el misterio de Torquemada y ganar 1.000 Euros? Las cien páginas de este libro puzle están desordenadas y contienen seis misterios. Tendrás que servirte de la lógica y una lectura inteligente para ordenarlas y poder revelar quienes son las víctimas de los seis crímenes y, claro, a sus respectivos asesinos. En 1934 se creó el puzle literario más complicado jamás escrito. Ahora, es un fenómeno viral que ha agotado ediciones en todos los países. Un enigma solo apto para las mentes más inquietas.… (mais)