J.D. Croswell
I'm J.D. Croswell, and I write mysteries you don't just read — you solve. Every book turns you into the detective: collect the clues, cross off the innocent, and unmask the killer one puzzle at a time.
When I'm not hiding clues in word searches or burying red herrings in a crowd of suspects, you'll usually find me with a pencil behind one ear, a coffee going cold, and a half-finished puzzle on every flat surface in the house.
Some of my books hide their clues in grids. In Murder Mystery Investigations (MMI), every word search is a case file: work the puzzle, weigh the evidence, and name the culprit before the trail goes cold. Each one stands alone, so start with whichever theme you like. And in The Crumbs & Clues Cozy Mysteries, written with cozy author Kiera McCoy, you read a warm small-town mystery where every chapter hides a word search — and every word search hides a clue. No gore, no nightmares; just a cup of something hot and the quiet thrill of catching the culprit a half-step ahead of the detective.
The rest put you in a crowd. You get a list of suspects, a handful of fair clues, and one guilty name — cross off everyone who can't fit until a single person is left standing. Same chase, different sizes. Murder On-the-Go is the travel-friendly one: 2,500 suspects, eleven clues, no grids, nothing to charge, small enough to crack a case on a plane. Suspects & Secrets in Cobbleton settles into a cozy small town you can get lost in — 12,000 neighbors, fifteen clues, large easy-on-the-eyes print, and exactly one person lying.
And then there's Deaduction Puzzles, which is the one that got away from me. Every suspect gets four facts — a name, a place, a passion, and a room number — so you're never just crossing off a list of names, you're clearing a world of people. The case opens the book, so you're on the ground before you ever pick up a pencil. Every clue is load-bearing, and every puzzle is machine-verified before it ships: exactly one solution, guaranteed, no broken books, ever. The first case, Murder in Santorini, seals off an island with twenty thousand four hundred and sixty-eight people on it and asks you to find the one who did it. Think you've got the name? Come check your answer on this website — I'll show you the island emptying out, clue by clue, until a single person is left standing.
More puzzle-mystery formats are always on the way: same idea, different puzzles, always a murder to solve. Grab a pencil, trust your instincts, and remember — the evidence never lies.
Murder in Santorini: A Suspect Elimination Mystery Puzzle for Adults
Book 1: Deaduction Puzzles
Find-the-Killer PuzzlesThe book opens with a real murder case that puts you on the island before you pick up a pencil. Every suspect has a name, a beach, a passion, and a room number. Not just a list of names — a world of people to clear. Every clue is load-bearing. Zero filler. Zero repetition. If it's printed, it matters. Every puzzle is machine-verified. Exactly one solution, guaranteed. No broken puzzles. Ever. Think you found the killer? Check your answer on our website. 100+ hours of cases across the series. One location. One killer per book. One answer only you can prove.
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Murder at the Book Club: A Cozy Large-Print Find-the-Killer Puzzle for Adults
Book 1: Suspects & Secrets in Cobbleton
Find-the-Killer PuzzlesWelcome to Cobbleton, where everybody knows everybody — and this week, somebody's a killer. The book club met to discuss a cozy little murder mystery; by the end of the evening, they had a real one. The culprit didn't run. They're still in town — returning library books, buying flowers, smiling at the next meeting — hiding in plain sight on a list of 12,000 perfectly ordinary names. One of them is lying, and your job is to find out who. Read the 15 clues, each one true about the killer, and cross out every suspect who doesn't fit — keep going until a single guilty name is left standing. That name did it. Inside: 12,000 suspects, 15 fair clues, and exactly one guilty name; large-print pages that are easy on the eyes; a cozy town to get lost in with no gore and no nightmares; and the answer waiting at the back for when you're ready to check (no peeking… okay, a little peeking). Perfect for armchair detectives, puzzle lovers, grandparents, and anyone who's ever shouted the answer at a whodunit before the detective caught up — a lovely gift for mystery fans and puzzle-night regulars. Can you find the killer of Cobbleton?
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Day Four: A Find-the-Killer Puzzle for Adults
Book 4: Murder On-the-Go
Find-the-Killer PuzzlesWelcome back to the drawer, rookie. Somebody broke into the city aquarium after hours, walked out with the rarest thing in the building, and left the night guard dead behind them. That was years ago. I never closed it. Now it's your case — and I've got 2,500 suspects, a stack of clues, and knees that don't work anymore. You've got a pencil. Let's go. Every suspect comes with four facts — a last name, a sea creature, a car, and a ticket bought at the aquarium that day. One of them did it. The other 2,499 just had a bad day out. Read the clues, cross out everyone who doesn't fit, and keep going until a single name is left standing. That name is your killer. No gore. No nightmares. No app, no batteries, nothing to charge. It's light, it fits in your bag, and it asks for nothing but a pencil. Take it on the plane, the train, or the long road trip — a quiet travel companion for out-thinking a killer before the last clue gives it away. Murder On-the-Go is built for armchair detectives who like their whodunit cases smart, portable, and just a little bit smug. Case Four: Day Four. Pour the bad coffee. Get to work.
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Day One: A Find-the-Killer Puzzle for Adults
Book 1: Murder On-the-Go
Find-the-Killer PuzzlesWelcome to the job, rookie. Somebody got killed. I've got 2,500 suspects, a stack of clues, and a retirement date on Friday. You've got a pencil and your first day on the force. You do the math. Every suspect comes with four facts — a name, an airline, a city, and a museum. One of them did it; the other 2,499 just have bad alibis. Read the clues, cross out everyone who doesn't fit, and keep going until a single name is left standing. That name is your killer. No gore, no nightmares, no app, no batteries, nothing to charge — it's light, it fits in your bag, and it asks for nothing but a pencil. Take it on the plane, the train, or the long road trip. Murder On-the-Go is built for armchair detectives who like their whodunit cases smart, portable, and just a little bit smug. Case One: Day One. Pour the bad coffee. Get to work.
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Day Two: A Find-the-Killer Puzzle for Adults
Book 2: Murder On-the-Go
Find-the-Killer PuzzlesWelcome to the job, rookie. Somebody got killed. I've got 2,500 suspects, a stack of clues, and a retirement date on Friday. You've got a pencil and your first day on the force. You do the math. Every suspect comes with four facts — a bookstore, a book title, a last name, and a street. One of them did it; the other 2,499 just have bad alibis. Read the clues, cross out everyone who doesn't fit, and keep going until a single name is left standing. That name is your killer. No gore, no nightmares, no app, no batteries, nothing to charge — it's light, it fits in your bag, and it asks for nothing but a pencil. Take it on the plane, the train, or the long road trip. Murder On-the-Go is built for armchair detectives who like their whodunit cases smart, portable, and just a little bit smug. Case Two: Day Two. Pour the bad coffee. Get to work.
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Day Three: A Find-the-Killer Puzzle for Adults
Book 3: Murder On-the-Go
Find-the-Killer PuzzlesWelcome to the job, rookie. Somebody got killed. I've got 2,500 suspects, a stack of clues, and a retirement date on Friday. You've got a pencil and your first day on the force. You do the math. Every suspect comes with four facts — a last name, a restaurant, a city, and a recipe. One of them did it; the other 2,499 just have bad alibis. Read the clues, cross out everyone who doesn't fit, and keep going until a single name is left standing. That name is your killer. No gore, no nightmares, no app, no batteries, nothing to charge — it's light, it fits in your bag, and it asks for nothing but a pencil. Take it on the plane, the train, or the long road trip. Murder On-the-Go is built for armchair detectives who like their whodunit cases smart, portable, and just a little bit smug. Case Three: Day Three. Pour the bad coffee. Get to work.
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MMI Case Files: Summer: 50 Murder Mystery Word Search and Deduction Puzzles
Book 1: Murder Mystery Investigations
Murder Mystery PuzzlesSchool's out, the grills are lit, and somewhere between the fireworks and the lake house, someone's turned up dead. Case File #001 hands you fifty summer murders to crack — and you're the detective. Every case is a word search with teeth: four crime-scene grids, a roster of suspects, and a folder of evidence. Find the hidden words, then work the logic to answer the only four questions that matter — who died, what killed them, who did it, and where. Watch the red herrings; not every suspect with a motive is your killer. Full solutions in the back for when you want to check your work. Grab a pencil, pour something cold, and open the first case. Each MMI Case Files book stands alone — there's no set order, so grab whichever theme you like.
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MMI Case Files: Gardening: 50 Murder Mystery Word Search and Deduction Puzzles
Book 2: Murder Mystery Investigations
Murder Mystery PuzzlesBehind every prize rose and tidy allotment, someone's been digging more than flower beds. Case File #002 turns the garden club lethal with fifty murders to untangle — and you're holding the magnifying glass. Each case is a word search that doubles as a crime scene: four grids, a row of suspects, and the evidence to sort the gossip from the guilt. Find the hidden words, then reason your way to who died, the weapon, the culprit, and the spot it happened. The red herrings bloom thick here, so trust the logic over the obvious. Complete solutions included. Sharpen a pencil, pull on your gloves, and get to the root of it. Each MMI Case Files book stands alone — there's no set order, so grab whichever theme you like.
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MMI Case Files: Cat Lover: 50 Murder Mystery Word Search and Deduction Puzzles
Book 3: Murder Mystery Investigations
Murder Mystery PuzzlesAt the cat café, the rescue, and the show ring, the claws are out — and this time someone didn't walk away. Case File #003 sets you loose on fifty feline-flavored murders, and you're the one on the case. Every puzzle is a word search with a body attached: four crime-scene grids, a lineup of suspects, and evidence to comb through. Find the hidden words, then deduce who died, what killed them, who's guilty, and where it all went down. Plenty of red herrings to lead you astray, so follow the clues, not the purring. Full solutions in the back. Grab a pencil, settle the cat off your lap, and crack the first case. Each MMI Case Files book stands alone — there's no set order, so grab whichever theme you like.
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Pie Another Day: A Cozy Bakery Murder Mystery Word Search Puzzle — Read the Story, Solve the Puzzles, Catch the Killer
Book 1 of 13: The Crumbs & Clues Cozy Mysteries
Cozy Mystery PuzzlesWelcome to Baker Street Bakery, where the cherry pie is famous, the gossip is fresh, and someone's just turned up dead. Pie Another Day is a full cozy mystery you can simply read — or solve alongside it. Each of the 49 chapters comes with a word search, and here's the twist: once you've found every word, one from the list is missing from the grid. That missing word is your clue. Log it in your Detective's Notes, collect all 49, then narrow them to the 8 that truly point to the killer — watch the red herrings that fit a clue or two but never the whole picture. Then turn to the final chapter, where Mabel and Detective Solis lay it all out. Beat them to it, or let them walk you through it. No gore, no nightmares, and on the gentle side — a relaxing place to start if you're new to puzzle mysteries. Sharpen a pencil, pour something hot, and settle in: the kettle's on, and there's a murderer to catch.
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