Copyrighted material

Awesome Book of One-Minute Mysteries and Brain Teasers.indd 1 10/22/12 3:14 PM

 Cover by Left Coast Design, Portland, Oregom

Cover illustration by Sandy Silverthorne

THE AWESOME BOOK OF ONE-MINUTE MYSTERIES AND BRAIN TEASERS

Copyright © 2009 by Sandy Silverthorne and John Warner
Published by Harvest House Publishers
Eugene, Oregon 97402
www.harvesthousepublishers.com

ISBN 978-0-7369-4973-6 (pbk.)

ISBN 978-0-7369-4974-3 (eBook)

Formerly titled Return of the One-Minute Mysteries and Brain Teasers

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy,
recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permis-
sion of the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 / BP-SK / 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Copyrighted material

Awesome Book of One-Minute Mysteries and Brain Teasers.indd 2 10/22/12 3:14 PM

 To Mr. Walker—thank you for encouraging
my childhood dream of becoming a detective.
And to my wonderful family—Kristin,
Jaxon, and Chloe.
John

To Vicki and Christy—thank you

for all your encouragement, creativity,
and laughter. I love you both.
And to Mrs. Eidam, my high school art teacher,
for encouraging me to stick to the cartooning.
I’m glad I did.
Sandy

Thanks to Jennifer Thomas for “You Get

Nothing for Free.” Thanks to Wayne Warner
for “Look What the Cat Dragged In.” Thanks
to Kristin Warner for “A Shot in the Dark,”
“Dietary Restrictions,” and “Time Will Tell.”

Copyrighted material

Awesome Book of One-Minute Mysteries and Brain Teasers.indd 3 10/5/12 2:42 PM

 Copyrighted material

Awesome Book of One-Minute Mysteries and Brain Teasers.indd 4 10/5/12 2:42 PM

 tents
Con
Introduction ................................. 7

Once upon a Crime ............. 11 A Penny for

1 Robbed? Your Thoughts ...................... 41
2 For Crime’s Sake 26 That’s a Wrap
3 Crime Spree 27 Gummed Up
4 Caught Red-Handed 28 You Get Nothing for Free
5 Banking on It 29 Wash Your Troubles Away
6 Shoplifter 30 Paint Me a Picture
7 Unarmed Robbery 31 Hey, Taxi!
8 Arrested Development 32 May I Have Your Autograph?
9 Buy the Book 33 A Christmas to Forget
10 Going Postal 34 Shortchanged
11 Eyewitness 35 Money Mirage
12 Pick a Pocket
13 Having a Ball
14 Catch Me If You Can Read Between the Lines .. 53
15 Letting Down Your Guard
36 Don’t Judge a Book by Its
16 At His Fingertips
Cover
17 Giving Up Crime
37 Food for Thought
18 Locked In and Locked Out
38 Unread Books
19 Stolen Car
39 What’s the Story?
20 Can’t Place a Finger on It
40 Snail Mail
41 Nothing to Write Home About
See the Light ..........................33 42 Misguided
21 Lights On, Lights Off 43 Cracking the Code
22 Walk of Courage 44 Call Me Sometime
23 Black Light 45 Unanswerable
24 Light Your Way
25 A Shot in the Dark

Copyrighted material

Awesome Book of One-Minute Mysteries and Brain Teasers.indd 5 10/5/12 2:42 PM

 Thinking Outside 74 Weather to Travel
the Cage .................................. 65 75 My Weigh or the Highway
46 Look What the Cat Dragged In 76 Parked Too Fast
47 Do You Noah the Answer? 77 Alone in the Pool
48 In the Doghouse 78 Park at Your Own Risk
49 Clear as a Bell 79 Bus Pass
50 Birds of a Feather 80 Tattletale Fine
81 Need for Speed
82 Good for Nothing
Common Senses ................ 73 83 Cop Out
51 Nonsense 84 Sense of Direction
52 Can You Hear the Music? 85 Parking a Lot
53 How Strange
54 Can You Hear Me?
Cunning Conundrums ... 115
55 Will You Fall for It?
56 Trash Day 86 Stake Her Claim
57 Overdressed 87 Not from Around Here
58 Dietary Restrictions 88 In Over His Bread
59 At the End of Your Rope 89 Describing the Unknown
60 Banned for All Time 90 Missing Page

Time out of Mind ............. 85 Puzzling Puzzles .............. 123

61 Follow the Leader 91 Giving Thanks
62 Out of Time 92 Going the Distance
63 At This Point in Time 93 Birthday Blues
64 Late Lately 94 If the Shoe Fits, Don’t Wear It
65 Crossings 95 Sick Day
66 Late-Night Call 96 All Shook Up
67 Same Time, Same Place 97 Phone Home
68 Not-So-Fast Food 98 Locked Door
69 Time Will Tell 99 Locker Up
70 Right of Passage 100 Communication Breakdown

Driving You Crazy ........... 97 Clues ......................................... 135

71 Free Parking
72 Speedy like Molasses Solutions ............................... 159
73 Red Light

Copyrighted material

Awesome Book of One-Minute Mysteries and Brain Teasers.indd 6 10/5/12 2:42 PM

 INTRODUCTION

What Are One-Minute Mysteries?

These short mysteries are also known as lateral thinking puzzles,
situation puzzles, and yes/no puzzles. Each puzzle describes an
unusual scenario, and your job is to figure out what is going on. The
puzzles may appear to be open-ended and may seem to have many
possible answers, but the goal is to figure out the most satisfying
answer, the one that suddenly appears when the lightbulb goes on
in your head and you say, “Aha!” (In other words, the solution in
the back of the book.) Some solutions may include interesting and
possibly unknown facts, but the key to each puzzle can be figured
out without any special knowledge. Each mystery takes less than
a minute to read, and then you can take your time and enjoy the
sleuthing process!

How Do I Solve Them?

The solving process is similar to the game of twenty questions,
but you may ask as many questions as you like. You’ll need at least
one other person to enjoy these puzzles to the fullest, and the more
people the better! Choose one person to be the case master, and
everyone else is a detective. The case master reads the puzzle aloud
and privately consults the solution in the back of the book. The
detectives can then pose questions to the case master, who responds

The Awesome Book of One-Minute Mysteries and Brain Teasers 7

Copyrighted material

Awesome Book of One-Minute Mysteries and Brain Teasers.indd 7 10/17/12 2:15 PM

 by saying yes or no or a phrase like “doesn’t matter” or “rephrase
your question.” If the detectives get stumped, the case master can
provide clues as needed.
Solving these puzzles can be a little tricky, so here are a few
helpful hints to get you started.

1. Start by asking big-picture questions. You will be tempted to

jump right in and guess the answer, but you will most likely
be wrong. Instead, start with a broad question so you will
have something to build on. As you figure out what is going
on, you can ask more specific questions.
2. Always check your assumptions. If a puzzle doesn’t come
right out and say something, don’t assume it is true. Ask
yourself, What am I assuming? If the case master can’t answer
one of your questions with a yes or no but instead tells you
to rephrase your question, you are probably assuming some-
thing that isn’t true!
3. The five senses are often important in these puzzles. Ask
questions about sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. Don’t
forget to check the opposite of what you initially observe.
Should the person see, hear, smell, taste, or feel something
that he or she can’t?
4. Eliminate red herrings. Look at each element of the puzzle
and ask if it is important. This way you can focus your ques-
tioning on important details.
5. Ask if you are being tricked. Many times these puzzles aren’t
as straightforward as they seem and are actually leading you
to believe something that isn’t true.
6. Think laterally. In other words, think creatively or outside
the box. If you have exhausted all the obvious possibilities

8  The Awesome Book of One-Minute Mysteries and Brain Teasers

Copyrighted material

Awesome Book of One-Minute Mysteries and Brain Teasers.indd 8 10/5/12 2:42 PM

 and don’t know where else to go, use your imagination and
view the problem from a new perspective.
If you investigate these mysteries on your own, the clues section
will serve as your guide. Spend some time really thinking about the
puzzle and forming an answer. Does your answer make sense? Is
it satisfying? Could another answer work better? Then consult the
first clue to see if your answer still makes sense and if you are on
the right track. Continue through the clues this way. If suddenly
your answer doesn’t work anymore, just start over. If you get to
the final clue and your answer is still appropriate, check the solu-
tion in the back of the book. If all the clues fit with your answer
but the solution in the back of the book is different from yours,
congratulations—you are clever indeed!
When solving these puzzles, remember to throw out all your
assumptions about what is going on. You’ll have to think outside the
box, use deductive reasoning, and see things from new perspectives.
In other words, think like a detective! And one last thing: Don’t let the
illustrations mislead you. They will generally depict humorous but
incorrect assumptions and are purely for your viewing enjoyment.
Now put on your sleuthing caps and get on the case!

The Awesome Book of One-Minute Mysteries and Brain Teasers 9

Copyrighted material

Awesome Book of One-Minute Mysteries and Brain Teasers.indd 9 10/5/12 2:42 PM

 Copyrighted material

Awesome Book of One-Minute Mysteries and Brain Teasers.indd 10 10/5/12 2:42 PM

 Once upon
a Crime

Copyrighted material

Awesome Book of One-Minute Mysteries and Brain Teasers.indd 11 10/5/12 2:42 PM

 Copyrighted material

Awesome Book of One-Minute Mysteries and Brain Teasers.indd 12 10/5/12 2:42 PM

 1.

Robbed?

Ben tells an officer that his house was robbed

the previous night.

“What seems to be missing from your house?”

the officer asks.

“As far as I know, nothing.” Ben replies.

How does Ben know he was robbed?

The Awesome Book of One-Minute Mysteries and Brain Teasers 13

Copyrighted material

Awesome Book of One-Minute Mysteries and Brain Teasers.indd 13 10/5/12 2:42 PM

 2.

For Crime’s Sake

A burglar breaks into a stranger’s home late

at night. He doesn’t plan on stealing anything
or causing harm, and he isn’t seeking refuge.
What is going on?

14 The Awesome Book of One-Minute Mysteries and Brain Teasers

Copyrighted material

Awesome Book of One-Minute Mysteries and Brain Teasers.indd 14 10/5/12 2:43 PM

 3.

Crime Spree

Two burglars enter a wealthy

neighborhood late one night
and take everything they can
get their hands on. A police
officer is upset with what he
sees but doesn’t do anything
about it. Why not?

The Awesome Book of One-Minute Mysteries and Brain Teasers 15

Copyrighted material

Awesome Book of One-Minute Mysteries and Brain Teasers.indd 15 10/5/12 2:43 PM

 4.

Caught Red-Handed

A burglar goes out of his way to cover up his

hands so he won’t leave any fingerprints, but this
actually causes him to be convicted for his crime.
How come?

16 The Awesome Book of One-Minute Mysteries and Brain Teasers

Copyrighted material

Awesome Book of One-Minute Mysteries and Brain Teasers.indd 16 10/5/12 2:43 PM

 5.

Banking on It

A man sat in his car and listened

to a police scanner while his
partner robbed a bank. They
knew the exact whereabouts
of the police, yet they were still
caught. How come?

The Awesome Book of One-Minute Mysteries and Brain Teasers 17

Copyrighted material

Awesome Book of One-Minute Mysteries and Brain Teasers.indd 17 10/5/12 2:43 PM

 6.

Shoplifter

Lenny stole some clothes at a store. He forgot to

take off the security devices, and when he walked
past a scanner, an alarm sounded. But the security
guard didn’t stop him. Why not?

18 The Awesome Book of One-Minute Mysteries and Brain Teasers

Copyrighted material

Awesome Book of One-Minute Mysteries and Brain Teasers.indd 18 10/5/12 2:43 PM

 7.

Unarmed Robbery

Harry hands his receipt to a security guard on

duty at the entrance of a store.

“Everything looks fine. The checker must have

forgotten to remove a security device again. Don’t
worry about the alarm. You can go ahead,” the
guard says as he waves him through.

Yet Harry walks out with a bag full of stolen

merchandise. What is going on?

The Awesome Book of One-Minute Mysteries and Brain Teasers 19

Copyrighted material

Awesome Book of One-Minute Mysteries and Brain Teasers.indd 19 10/5/12 2:43 PM

 8.

Arrested Development

The police catch Adam in the act of stealing from

a store. They don’t arrest him, and he isn’t sent
to jail. He also isn’t let off with a warning. What is
going on?

20  The Awesome Book of One-Minute Mysteries and Brain Teasers

Copyrighted material

Awesome Book of One-Minute Mysteries and Brain Teasers.indd 20 10/5/12 2:43 PM