Batman: Murder at Wayne Manor: An Interactive Mystery (Interactive Batman Mystery) (Hardcover)

by Duane Swierczynski (Author), David Lapham (Illustrator) "My mask is meant to scare..." (more)
Key Phrases: family mausoleum, Wayne Manor, Fiona Scott, Black Mask (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
In the tradition of Quirk's The Crimes of Dr. Watson, this interactive mystery pits a legendary detective—Batman—against a shocking and seemingly inexplicable crime.

When a construction crew at Wayne Manor discovers a long-buried corpse, all the evidence points to Bruce Wayne's late father, Thomas, as the murderer. Torn between the need to protect his father's honor and his thirst for dispensing justice, Batman sets out to solve this coldest of cases, using police reports, his father's private journal, maps of Wayne Manor, news clippings, forensic samples, and photographs from family albums (all included throughout the book as removable facsimiles).

Was Dr. Wayne—whom young Bruce Wayne swore to avenge on that bloody night in Gotham City—actually a killer? It's up to you to sift through the clues and solve this thrilling whodunit. When you've identified the culprit, you can open the final signature of the book (sealed at the printer) to read the remainder of the story. Complete with eye-popping illustrations and first-rate production values, Batman: Murder at Wayne Manor will appeal to mystery buffs of all ages.

About the Author
Duane Swierczynski is the author of several crime novels as well as The Crimes of Dr. Watson, Quirk's interactive Sherlock Holmes mystery.

David Lapham is an award-winning comics writer and artist whose works include Stray Bullets and Murder Me Dead.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 72 pages
• Publisher: Quirk Books (July 14, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594742375
• ISBN-13: 978-1594742378
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #368,385 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 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 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.

2 of 2 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 (REAL NAME)

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.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Batplay, July 15, 2008

By	Veronica H. Tidwell "Craft Fiend" (Douglasville Ga) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have always had a fondness for pop-up books and books with pockets and pullouts.

Couple this with my absolute love of Batman and this book is a dream come true.

It was interesting how the tale gave more of a detective spin by showing the way Bruce Wayne reacts to peril while maintaining his secret identity.

A must for the true fan.