Clues & Culprits › Hints › Oct 19, 2026 Medium
Spoiler-Free Hints for Oct 19, 2026
Stuck on the Medium case, “Who Sold the Village Green?”? 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
Thornbury's village green has belonged to the parish since 1601. Last week a supermarket chain arrived with planning permission, bulldozers and a deed of sale signed by 'the Thornbury Green Trust' — a body nobody in the village had ever heard of.
This Medium 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. 1 of the steps can only be proven by reading two or more clues together.
Nudge 1 — where to start
The case opens with Omar the judge (C4) 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).
The person above Esme is a criminal.— Omar, judge (C4)
Spoiler: who can I prove first?
Ada (A1) is a criminal, proven by Omar’s statement.
Nudge 2 — the opening
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, in rows 1 and 2. The statements doing the work are direction clues, neighbor counts and “between” clues. Every step in this stretch needs just one statement. Tip: with direction clues, the speaker is never included, and nor is anyone in a different row or column.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Omar’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Ada (A1) — a criminal.
Nudge 3 — after about 5 proven suspects
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, in columns C and D. The statements doing the work are shared-neighbor counts, neighbor counts and odd/even clues. One step here needs 2 statements read together. Tip: with shared-neighbor counts, only the two to four cards touching both suspects count.
Spoiler: whose statements to read
Esme’s and Frank’s statements, read together.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Kurt (C3) — a criminal.
Nudge 4 — after about 10 proven suspects
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 1, 3 and 4, most of them in row 3. The statements doing the work are neighbor counts, paired verdicts and shared-neighbor counts. Every step in this stretch needs just one statement. Tip: with neighbor counts, a corner has three neighbors, an edge five, the middle eight — compare the count with what is left.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Suki’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Nora (B4) — innocent.
Nudge 5 — the endgame
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 2, 3, 4 and 5, most of them in row 5. The statements doing the work are neighbor counts, direction clues and paired verdicts. Every step in this stretch needs just one statement. Tip: with paired verdicts, two suspects tied together share their fate — prove one and the other follows.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Dev’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Hana (D2) — innocent.
The hardest step
The toughest moment needs 2 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 Esme’s and Frank’s statements together. They settle Kurt.
Clue types in this case
neighbor counts ×5, “between” clues ×1, shared-neighbor counts ×2, odd/even clues ×1, row and column counts ×1, direction clues ×2, “most” clues ×1, paired verdicts ×3 and comparisons ×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.