Almost Perfect Crimes: Mini-Mysteries For You To Solve (Paperback)

~ (Author), Lucy Corvino (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Study evidence, look for clues, and use your powers of deduction to solve more than a dozen dastardly crimes. Following each short story puzzle are five pieces of evidence, including things like witness testimony, autopsy and crime scene reports, background checks, car and house searches, and personal effects, that you can investigate by turning to different pages of the book. Examine them all, or just a few, in order to come to a conclusion.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Sterling (June 30, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806938072
• ISBN-13: 978-0806938073
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #59,190 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great "solve-them-yourself" mini-mysteries book!, November 27, 1996

By A Customer

For only a few dollars, you can challenge yourself and your friends in solving 15 fiendishly clever whodunits. Great for parties. Note that some of the stories in this book have also appeared in a slightly altered form at "The Case" website. Buyer beware!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfectly Done, February 7, 2007

By	drebbles (Arlington, MA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

"Almost Perfect Crimes" by Hy Conrad is a book of challenging mini-mysteries. It has a unique format for solving the mysteries. The first part of the book is the mini-mysteries themselves, which are usually two pages long. There are questions at the end of the puzzle that the reader is supposed to answer after solving the puzzle. Conrad also tells you how many clues are needed to solve the puzzle. The next section is the Evidence Section, which has clues to help solve the case. Each puzzle will have clues in some, but not all of the Evidence Section. The Evidence Section itself is divided into several parts: Affidavit file; Autopsy Reports; Crime Scene Reports; Lab and Hospital Reports; Miscellaneous Examinations; Miscellaneous Searches; Research; and Wills and Insurance. After the Evidence Section is an "Analysis of Evidence" Section that helps sort out the evidence and gives even more clues. Finally, there is the Solution Section, which answers the questions asked in the puzzles and gives very detailed explanations as to how the crime was committed.

"Almost Perfect Crimes" is one of the best book of mini-mysteries that I've read. The puzzles range from easy ("The Bearded Lady", "The Flighty Freshman" and "Accidents will Happen" to the clever but difficult ("Checking Out", "Swallowing the Gun" and "The Show Girl Murders"). The Clue Section is well done, with the clues to each puzzle nicely scattered. What I liked best about the Clue Section is that it's in alphabetical order by puzzle title. The same is true in the Explanation of Evidence section and Solution section and it's perfect because it's impossible to accidentally see the answer to the next puzzle. It is initially a bit confusing switching back and forth between the sections, but as long as you take note of the title of the puzzle you are trying to solve it works out fine. A few of the puzzles require a stretch of the imagination, namely "Psychic Suicide" and "The Phantom Intruder", but most of the puzzles are well-plotted and well thought out.

Highly recommended.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Almost Perfect Crimes", February 6, 2005

A Kid's Review

This collection of mini-mysteries is just superb! They are by no means easy, but are great fun nonetheless. The way the evidence is organized into autopsies, CSI reports etc. makes the reader feel like a real detective. Very good, though kinda short.