Chapter 1 of 10
Closing night at Merriman's Pier runs on ritual. Half-price tickets after supper, the boardwalk packed tight, gulls working the popcorn line, and the lanterns along the railing lit one by one as the dark comes in. The season made money tonight, whatever the summer did, and Douglas Merriman shook hands at the gate like a man without a care he would admit to. At midnight the crowds are gone. Sal Petrocelli, up on the carousel housing with an oil can, looks past the pilings at the boarded-off end. Seaweed moves in the ebb, and something in the water is not seaweed. It is Douglas. Above him, on the stairs to the diving platform, the safety rope lies in two pieces, and by lantern light Sal can see the ends are not frayed. The season is over. Something else has begun.
Use the arrow keys to move between letters. Press Enter or Space on the first letter of a word, then again on the last letter. Press Escape to cancel.
armchairpuzzles.com · free large-print word searches
About this case
A chapter of The End of the Pier, a mystery told in word searches. Each chapter leaves you one clue; the finale needs them all.
How a mystery chapter works
- 1Read the scene first.Every chapter opens with a scene from the case. The word list is drawn from it, and so is the clue.
- 2Find the words.Tap a word's first letter, then tap along to its last, or press and drag. Found words colour themselves in and cross off the list.
- 3One listed word is not in the grid.Find the other nine and the word left over is the chapter's clue. Note it down, or let the case page keep it for you.
- 4The finale needs every clue.The last puzzle's word list is the clues you collected, and once you find them all, the leftover letters spell out who did it, and why.
Prefer pen and paper?
Print The End of the Pier as one large-print booklet: every chapter and its puzzle, a clue ledger, and the ending sealed on the last page.