Batman: Murder at Wayne Manor (Interactive Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Duane Swierczynski (Author), David Lapham (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2008 | Series: Interactive Mysteries

Murder at the Mansion. Can you solve the crime?
 
For generations, the people of Gotham City have looked to Wayne Manor as the embodiment of wealth and high society. But when construction crews discover a corpse buried on the grounds, the venerable family estate is embroiled in scandal.
 
Is someone trying to frame billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne for a shocking and heinous crime? Hardly. Forensic scientists determine that the body has been decomposing for at least thirty years, and the likely murderer was Bruce’s father, Dr. Thomas Wayne.
 
Torn between the need to protect his family’s honor and his obligation to deliver justice, Batman sets out to solve this coldest of cases, using nine mysterious clues (all included throughout this book as removable facsimiles):
 
     •  a blood-stained party invitation
     •  a map of Wayne Manor
     •  a Gotham City newspaper
     •  an autopsy report
     •  private journals, a letter, a photograph, and more
 
Was Dr. Wayne—the man young Bruce swore to avenge on that bloody night in Gotham City—actually a killer? It’s up to you to sift through the clues and uncover the shocking answer.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Duane Swierczynski is the author of several crime novels as well as The Crimes of Dr. Watson, an interactive Sherlock Holmes mystery. He lives in Philadelphia. David Lapham is an award-winning comics writer and artist whose works include Stray Bullets, Murder Me Dead, and Batman: City of Crime.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 80 pages
• Publisher: Quirk Books; 1St Edition edition (May 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594742375
• ISBN-13: 978-1594742378
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 0.7 x 10.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #997,024 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Duane Swierczynski is the author of several crime thrillers, including SEVERANCE PACKAGE (St. Martin's Press), which has been optioned by Lionsgate films. He also writes the X-Men spinoff CABLE for Marvel Comics as well as IMMORTAL IRON FIST. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife and children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fun little puzzler, July 7, 2008

By 

A. Clem (Bradley, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Batman: Murder at Wayne Manor (Interactive Mysteries) (Hardcover)

This one of the more interesting ideas for a mystery book. Imagine, the reader can actually examine the same clues that the detective does. I love the idea! This is a fun story, that shows Batman's, and Bruce Wayne's, skills at unraveling the "Why" of a murder. I only give it four stars because the story is short. It was an easy read in about an hour. Other than that slight flaw, I would recomend this for anyone looking to try their skills against the Dark Knight Detective.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Step into Batman's cape, December 11, 2008

By 

Steven Scott "LeChuck" (L.A., CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Batman: Murder at Wayne Manor (Interactive Mysteries) (Hardcover)

This interactive mystery was better than I expected. The basic premise is that while some landscapers are doing some work on the grounds of Bruce Wayne's home, they stumble upon a skeleton. They discover that the body was a victim of murder and that it took place roughly 30 years ago. What's worse is that Bruce's parents are now the prime suspects and Bruce must solve the mystery to clear his parents' names as well as prove to himself that his war on crime to avenge his parents' murders isn't for nothing.

I was drawn in by the story and mystery that is up to you to solve. I thought this book was well written and the physical clues were a nice added touch. Basically anything that Batman gets his hands on you are able to hold and study, whether its a coaster with an address written on it, a party invitation, a journal entry, etc. There's a newspaper you can unfold that in addition to having a related story, there are many other subtle references to future Batman storylines or villains including No Man's Land, Catwoman, etc.

This story takes place roughly a year into Batman's career and does a good job of adding to the Bat mythology and not contradicting any of the pre-existing continuity but is also careful not to play with it too much with any major disruptions in Batman's world. I liked their choice of villain who I won't ruin for you, but he was a great choice to tie into Bruce's childhood.

The ending isn't all that difficult to predict, and a lot of other reviewers have noted that this book is more for kids, however some of the subject matter might not be suitable such as infidelity.

A good read, some nice artwork throughout and the chance to step into Batman's shoes and take part in the detective work should make this a nice gift for any Bat fan.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Murder Mystery Suspense..., August 17, 2008

By 

R. Carrington "kerojack, argenta" (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Batman: Murder at Wayne Manor (Interactive Mysteries) (Hardcover)

This book is well written, includes several "clues" as artefacts. It describes a murder mystery featuring Batman/Bruce Wayne as the detective. It reminds me of the great Dennis Wheatley Murder Mystery "dossiers" of the late 1930s (republished in the late 1970s, long out of print) in that the story and the clues are there to lead the reader to draw conclusions as to whodunnit. The one complaint I do have is that it is overpriced. I paid full price for my copy from Barnes & Noble.