ThinkFun Cold Case: A Pinch of Murder – A Murder Mystery Game in a Box for Ages 14 and Up

This was a neighborhood event. Everyone dressed as their favorite detective from TV, Film or books. Everyone became immersed in solving the case, examining clues and looking for hidden details. A cold case murder mystery was recently unraveled on somewhere in Florida! The hosts served as lead investigators to guide nearly 20 top neighborhood detectives brought together to solve the murder of Harold Green. Guests assumed the alter egos of such famous investigators as Jack Web, Columbo, Dick Tracey, Kojak, Cagney, and Lacey to name a few. Dressed accordingly, each introduced themselves and was assigned to one of 3 investigative teams. Teams were briefed on the murder and then the cold case files were distributed! The detectives needed to answer the usual questions about the murder: who, what, when, where and how. This included examining all sorts of reports and clues to identify the guilty person out of the 6 main suspects. The case file contained witness statements, crime scene photos, newspaper articles and other seemingly unrelated evidence (but was it?). Everything that was needed to sort out the clues and activities of the prime suspects including times, locations and motive was provided. Instructions were given and the detective work began! Who could be eliminated and who was guilty? After all, the honor of “Best Detective Team” was at stake!

Why did you pick this product vs others?: This was so much fun. I didnt think my husband would like doing it, but he soon was having a great time and wants to do more. Would recommend. Great activity while camping.

There is way too much reading for my taste. My partner and I are big fans of escape rooms and puzzles, and we bought this to try something different. It’s not really “fun” in a playful way—it’s more about thinking and analyzing. We’re usually very good at these kinds of games, but in this case we couldn’t fully solve it. It asks three questions, and we got 2 out of 3 right. Since we’re usually good at this, I assume it’s either difficult or maybe our reading comprehension wasn’t great, haha. Overall, it’s good for passing the time, but if you don’t like a lot of reading, I wouldn’t recommend it.

Worth the price, it’s a fun game and a great way of learning

This was more fun than expected. A lot of reading but a fun game during a social activity.

It wasn't terrible. I gave it a 3 cause I don't remember if I read all the details about it before I bought it so I don't know if it actually says what is inside the box. I thought it was an actual game. It is interesting and maybe fun if you like to read a lot. I have not found out how it ends. I lost interest after about half way through.

Definitely worth $15. The Pinch of Murder case had 30 pieces of evidence, and it took me about 90 minutes to solve it (as a solo player). All the evidence looked like good or even high quality materials. You don’t have to destroy any of the pieces, so you can either gift it to another mystery lover or wait a few years and play again (if your memory is like mine). If you have reasonable expectations for a $15 game, the plot and character development should be fine. Should be fine for beginners, but hardcore mystery gamers might find it too easy. The difficulty level was just right for what I was looking for, though. Will keep an eye out for more of these.

I absolutely love this game looking to buy more

Took us three hours - the mystery was solved and not too hard. We solved it without picking up on a couple of clues so not difficult at all. But: you do have to think hard about it.

No me gustó el hecho de que solo venga en inglés, pero a demás de eso creo que será divertido jugarlo en familia

Product as advertised. Would recommend.

Loved it! Only reason I give it 4 stars is because you do not go online to discover evidence. That will be a nice touch. However, game is very well made. Highly recommend!

Bought for my mum's birthday evening activity as she loves true crime. 3 of us sat down, and we were ready to input the answers after around 2 hours. Was something different, and got us talking, and debating a little. The website to enter the answer is on the welcome letter at the beginning of the pack - you choose from a drop down box who you think did the crimes, it then tells you if you were correct. We got all 3 crimes correct, but we were a little indecisive between 2 characters, so it's not overly easy - which was a good point. We'll definitely be buying more for future events.