Clues & Culprits › Hints › Oct 4, 2026 Hard
Spoiler-Free Hints for Oct 4, 2026
Stuck on the Hard case, “Murder Mystery on the Danube Star”? Open one nudge at a time. Nothing below reveals a verdict unless you click a box marked spoiler.
Back to the case Rules refresher
About this case
The Danube Star sells murder-mystery weekends: actors, a pretend corpse, a prize for the best amateur sleuth. On Saturday's run the man playing the corpse woke up in a siding in Linz — and the train safe, full of passengers' passports and jewellery, was empty.
This Hard case seats 20 suspects on a 4×5 grid. 17 of them carry a clue; the other 3 only have something to say about themselves. 6 of the steps can only be proven by reading two or more clues together.
Nudge 1 — where to start
The case opens with Sadie the porter (C5) already proven. Their statement is enough on its own to prove one more suspect straight away — read it word by word, especially the counting words (exactly, neighbors, between).
Ada and Idris have no criminal neighbors in common.— Sadie, porter (C5)
Spoiler: who can I prove first?
Esme (A2) is innocent, proven by Sadie’s statement.
Nudge 2 — the opening
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 2, 3 and 4, most of them in row 2. The statements doing the work are shared-neighbor counts and “between” clues. Every step in this stretch needs just one statement. Tip: with shared-neighbor counts, only the two to four cards touching both suspects count.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Sadie’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Esme (A2) — innocent.
Nudge 3 — after about 5 proven suspects
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 1, 2, 4 and 5, most of them in row 1. The statements doing the work are paired verdicts, direction clues and shared-neighbor counts. Every step in this stretch needs just one statement. Tip: with paired verdicts, chain the pairs: a link of “same” and “different” statements often runs across the board.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Olive’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Nora (B4) — a criminal.
Nudge 4 — after about 10 proven suspects
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 1, 3 and 5, most of them in row 1. The statements doing the work are comparisons, neighbor counts and “most” clues. 4 steps here need 3 statements read together. Tip: with comparisons, a comparison can’t end in a tie, so once one side is known the other is forced.
Spoiler: whose statements to read
Gemma’s, Celia’s and Idris’s statements, read together.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Quentin (A5) — innocent.
Nudge 5 — the endgame
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, in columns A and D. The statements doing the work are row and column counts, neighbor counts and corner and edge counts. 2 steps here need 3 statements read together. Tip: with row and column counts, once the line’s quota is filled, everyone else in it takes the other verdict.
Spoiler: whose statements to read
Ada’s, Gemma’s and Dina’s statements, read together.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Tariq (D5) — a criminal.
The hardest step
The toughest moment needs 3 statements at once. If you’re stuck in the middle of the case, this is probably it.
Spoiler: the statements for the hardest step
Read Gemma’s, Celia’s and Idris’s statements together. They settle Quentin.
Clue types in this case
row and column counts ×2, direction clues ×2, comparisons ×2, corner and edge counts ×1, paired verdicts ×3, shared-neighbor counts ×3, neighbor counts ×1, “between” clues ×1, if–then clues ×1 and “most” clues ×1.
Questions
How many clues does this case have?
17 of the 20 suspects carry a clue. The rest only talk about themselves — you can hide those asides in Settings.
Where is the full solution?
The step-by-step walkthrough proves every verdict in order.