Best Puzzle Books for Adults: Murdle, Murdoku and More

Murdle by G.T. Karber

If you’re going to start anywhere on this list, start here. Murdle is the book that gave this genre a shot of espresso the last couple of years, and it absolutely earns the obsession it’s got from fans. Self-contained logic mystery puzzles, clever writing, and genuinely satisfying solves.

The good news is there’s a whole series waiting for you. Work your way through Volume 1, Volume 2, and Volume 3, take a detour into The School of Mystery or The Case of the Seven Skulls, cozy up with Merry Murdle when the holidays roll around, and if you want something to look forward to, Murdle Heist is available for preorder now!

Murdoku by Manuel Garand

The most clever take on Sudoku I’ve come across. Each puzzle drops you into a mini murder mystery with full color visual representations of the crime scene and you solve it using Sudoku-style logic. There isn’t a running novel connecting them. Each one is its own self-contained case, but the visual element makes it feel completely different from anything else on this list. 80 crime scenes, starting easy and getting genuinely difficult.

Murdoku Vol. 2 by Manuel Garand

The second installment of Murdoku expands on the first and may just be it’s best! This time we’re traveling through time. The book is broken down into 5 distinct chapters, each themed around a different era. These chapters provide unique challenges and environments to puzzle through and around. All five of the chapters begin with easy puzzles and progress to expert-level difficulty ones. Volume 2 does a great job of expanding upon the first volume with enough new to keep you interested while still giving you 80 puzzles of the Murdoku you loved to begin with! And if you’ve finished both and can’t wait for more, you can already pre-order Volume 3 which is slated to be out later this year!

Montague Island Mysteries by R. Wayne Schmittberger

There’s a whole story woven through the puzzles, characters you get to know, an island estate, a hidden secret, and maps that pull you in. You’re not just solving standalone puzzles, you’re uncovering something. Fair warning: these are hard. Like, genuinely challenging. But every answer is fully explained in the back so you learn exactly how it was solvable, which makes it uniquely satisfying rather than just frustrating. Not your average puzzle book. These puzzles are tricky, don’t be surprised if you can’t solve one in a single sitting!

Murder Among the Stacks by Rosie A. Point

This one is for the cozy mystery lovers. Abby Jones moves to a charming small town, opens a bookstore, and promptly finds herself in the middle of a suspicious case on opening night. The format is one page of story for every word search, so it’s lighter on the puzzle intensity and heavier on the charm. If you want something you can pick up and put down easily without losing your place in a complex logic chain, this is your book. (I complete a few each night before bed!) I’ve been highlighting the word search using these highlighters which are perfect and haven’t bled through the pages.

Murdsearch by M.L. Daniels

This book brings you a collection of wordsearch puzzles where the answers are what aren’t in the puzzle as much as what is. Each word bank might contain words that you won’t find in the grid. These words then become your evidence that you’ll need to crack the case. But that’s not all. Look for unused letters in the word search as they’ll reveal more clues that you’ll need to solve! This is cozy and simple. Perfect for players who want a straight forward activity that won’t provide any brain burn.

The Killer Isn’t Alice

Perhaps the most unique book on this list, it will either delight or terrify you. This book is filled with just names. Over 46 THOUSAND to be exactly. That’s right, every chapter just has a list of names. At the front of the book you have 18 clues that tell you which names you can cross off. You’ll keep those clues in mind as you work through every chapter and every name to figure out who the killer is who may or may not be Alice. When you think you’ve got it, you’ll enter it on the website to see if you’re correct!

Eliminate

Eliminate is the perfect puzzle book for adults who thought The Killer Isn’t Alice above sounded fun but daunting with just names. Eliminate keeps the theme of possibility elimination through clues but breaks everything up into 15 categories. Each category focuses on a different aspect of the killer — the school they went to, their social media handle, their hobbies — and gives you clues to narrow down each category to a single answer that applies to the killer. With 120 suspects to choose from, you’ll use these category answers to zero in on the one you’re looking for. Each category took me about 15-20 minutes to work through and provides a fun level of strategic elimination without brain burn.

You’ll want these no-bleed highlighters to tackle both The Killer Isn’t Alice and Eliminate!

Minute Cryptic

For readers who love word play, these tricky and tiny puzzles are just for you! A follower on instagram recommended I check this book out and I’m so glad she did because I love it! This book walks you through the different time of word play puzzles there are and how to solve them. Plenty of space to work through each. It’s thrilling once you get on a roll and start knocking out the puzzles left and right! Master them just in time for the sequel!

Puzzle Mania

This hardcover book collecting a lovely assortment of games and puzzles is a delight! There are a great variety of puzzle types from word play, visual, and classic crosswords for every skill level! This puzzle book from the New York Times makes a fantastic gift and looks lovely left out on the coffee table.

Sunday Club

If you love playing the games in the newspaper but want it to come to you without any of the news, Sunday Club is exactly what you need! I recently subscribed to this and have been so pleased! Sunday Club is a screen free, nostalgic escape that delivers beautifully illustrated newspaper puzzles and games to your mailbox. You can sign up a season or leap into an annual pass for a years worth of puzzling. These are great for making your morning ritual a little more analog and folding up to add to your purse or bag for days out of the house. I’ve heard from readers who enjoy bringing their Sunday club puzzles to sports games and practices for their children. This also makes a fantastic gift for any puzzle lover.

The Murder Mystery Club Puzzle Book: Murder in the Village by Gareth Moore

70+ puzzles woven into one mystery you’re actually solving. A suspicious case in a charming English village, a group of amateur sleuths, and you’re one of them. The variety of puzzle types keeps it interesting all the way through, and the cozy mystery atmosphere makes it feel like a page turner even when you’re pencil deep in a logic problem. Cozy mystery fans, this one is for you.

Puzzles and Perils: The Crystal Quest by Dr. Gareth Moore and Laura Jayne Ayres

This one is trying to be two things at once, a full fantasy novel and a full puzzle book. Each turn of the page gives you part of the story along with a new puzzle to solve with a good variety in the types of puzzles you’re presented with. You’re solving hidden symbols, secret routes, and logic puzzles to move the story forward, which means the puzzles actually matter to the narrative in a way that feels genuinely immersive. There’s a lot of content here. If you want something that commits fully to both the story and the puzzle experience, this delivers.

Murder Most Puzzling by Stephanie von Reiswitz

The most visually distinct book on this list. The puzzles are murder mystery themed, illustrated, and witty in a way that feels more than a standard activity book. It’s not a grab your pencil and fill in the blanks experience. It’s something you sit with and enjoy differently. Agatha Christie fans especially will feel right at home here.

Bordergrams by G.T. Karber and others

From the same mind behind Murdle! This one has more variety in puzzle types rather than focusing on just one format, which makes it a great next step if what you loved about Murdle was the logic and mystery atmosphere but you’re ready to stretch into something a little different. Genuinely tricky at points, this will be a puzzle book that takes you a while to fully solve in the best way. My daughter and I have been trading off solving puzzles in this one and they’ve all been delightful.

Puzzle Baron’s Logic Puzzles

If what you loved most about Murdle was the pure logic grid experience and you want more of exactly that without the mystery story wrapper, this is your book. Straightforward logic puzzles that range in difficulty, with a fun competitive element built in. You can check your completion time against the average, the record, and the percentage of people who actually finished. Turns out a little competition with strangers makes a puzzle book significantly more addictive.

The Master Theorem

The Master Theorem features original, creative puzzles that will delight fans of escape rooms and mysteries. This is a full color illustrated book that looks fantastic on a coffee table. The puzzles are rated by skill levels so you can choose which type of challenge you’re up for easily. A must for anyone who loves challenging their mind.

Logic Puzzles for Brain Fitness

This is a 90 day progressive puzzle program. The logic puzzles gradually increase in difficulty from easy to hard with a good variety of word, number, and visually based logic puzzles for those that like to keep things changing. Perfect for building a new habit in your routine. It also has enlarged print for visual accessibility.

Brain Games Code Breaker

This is one of my very favorite puzzle and activity book publishers. Code Breaker gives you a few different puzzle types designed to test your verbal, logic, and visual skills needed to break codes.