Clues & Culprits › Hints › Oct 18, 2026 Hard
Spoiler-Free Hints for Oct 18, 2026
Stuck on the Hard case, “Lobster for the Whole Crew”? 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 'Midnight Mirage' sequel spent £9 million on catering during a four-month shoot — enough, the auditors calculated, to give every member of the crew a lobster at every meal. The crew remembers mostly sandwiches.
This Hard case seats 20 suspects on a 4×5 grid. 15 of them carry a clue; the other 5 only have something to say about themselves. 4 of the steps can only be proven by reading two or more clues together.
Nudge 1 — where to start
The case opens with Mabel the caterer (A4) 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).
None of the writers in my column is a criminal.— Mabel, caterer (A4)
Spoiler: who can I prove first?
Ada (A1) is innocent, proven by Mabel’s statement.
Nudge 2 — the opening
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, in columns A and B. The statements doing the work are role counts, “between” clues and shared-neighbor counts. Every step in this stretch needs just one statement. Tip: with role counts, find every suspect with that role (the nameplate badge helps) and count the proven ones.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Mabel’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Ada (A1) — 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 5. The statements doing the work are paired verdicts, “between” clues and role 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
Jasper’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Ned (B4) — a criminal.
Nudge 4 — after about 10 proven suspects
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, in columns C and D. The statements doing the work are neighbor counts, “most” clues and row and column counts. 4 steps here need 3 statements read together. Tip: with neighbor counts, treat the number as a budget — once enough of the ring is proven, the rest is forced.
Spoiler: whose statements to read
Celia’s, Hana’s and Raj’s statements, read together.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Kofi (C3) — a criminal.
Nudge 5 — the endgame
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, all over the board. The statements doing the work are neighbor counts, “between” clues and odd/even clues. Every step in this stretch needs just one statement. Tip: with “between” clues, two suspects side by side have nobody between them, so watch for empty stretches.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Sadie’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Olive (C4) — innocent.
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 Celia’s, Hana’s and Raj’s statements together. They settle Kofi.
Clue types in this case
“between” clues ×3, direction clues ×1, neighbor counts ×4, shared-neighbor counts ×1, odd/even clues ×1, role counts ×1, paired verdicts ×2, row and column counts ×1 and “most” clues ×1.
Questions
How many clues does this case have?
15 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.