Murder, Puzzles, and Pencils: Inside Spain’s Craze for Adult Mystery Activity Books

Adult activity books that fuse puzzles with pop culture references and whodunit mysteries have transformed into a remarkable publishing trend. Leading the charge is Murdoku, which has moved more than 140,000 copies in Spain, spearheading a genre that many readers embrace as a welcome escape from constant screen time.

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Once, it was the humble crossword tucked into a magazine, ideal for the morning commute or a long wait at the dentist. Today, it might be a purple-bound notebook featuring a house-shaped sudoku grid, or a hefty volume brimming with trivia about Rosalía and the latest streaming hits.

Adult activity books, the modern evolution of the classic pastime, have grown into a publishing sensation that now extends well beyond the summer months. Within this broader category, one subgenre has captured public attention more than any other: cracking a murder case armed only with a pencil, an eraser, and a sudoku grid.

The movement began roughly a decade ago with adult colouring books, marketed under banners like art therapy and anti-stress, filled with intricate mandalas, florals, and pastoral scenes. What initially appeared to be a seasonal novelty proved enduring, paving the way for a more ambitious format: the adult activity book, an elevated successor to the traditional puzzle magazine (crosswords, word searches, sudokus) enhanced with a defining element — popular culture.

The smartphone revolution did not render the analogue format obsolete; rather, digital and paper now thrive side by side, much as cooking YouTube channels have not displaced cookbooks, and television failed to eliminate radio.

Blackie Books and Its Signature Activity Collection

Blackie Books was an early pioneer in recognising the genre’s potential. Their adult activity book series has now reached its 14th edition, released each summer, surpassing 250,000 copies sold according to the publisher. The most recent volume offers 60 exercises spanning music, cinema, television, literature, science, and sport, crafted to “de-rust the mind.”

This success has prompted the publisher to expand the concept across demographics: “Cuaderno Kids” targets children aged six and up; “Cuaderno Golden” is tailored for older readers, featuring memory exercises and questions about beloved figures from earlier eras; and “Quadern,” a Catalan-language edition, incorporates regional cultural references such as Mercè Rodoreda and the traditional castellers.

Other publishers have established their own distinctive niches without leaning on crime themes. Debate released an activity book authored by satirical outlet “El Mundo Today” that challenges readers to distinguish fact from fiction, while GeoPlaneta is already on its fifth travel-themed volume, complete with curated playlists and culinary recommendations.

Murdoku: The Bestseller Powering the Whodunit Craze

If a single title encapsulates the current moment, it is Murdoku. The notebook, instantly recognisable by its striking purple cover, has sold over 140,000 copies in Spain, and demand surged once again at this year’s spring book fairs. Its mechanics reinvent the traditional sudoku: each puzzle arranges a lineup of suspects within a grid, ensuring no name repeats in any row or column, and the vacant square reveals the location of the victim; the suspect aligned with that empty space is the murderer.

Challenge escalates as readers advance through the book, prompting certain bookshops to host live puzzle-solving competitions. The creator behind it is Montreal-based Canadian puzzle designer Manuel Garand, whose work has also featured in the Financial Times.

The book’s remarkable success (alongside the efforts of imitators) has even inspired a dedicated website offering free Murdoku puzzles. At the time of publication, 35 puzzles are available, with further expansions in development.

Murdle, Agatha Christie, and the Wider Crime Genre

Another major player in the field is Murdle. Published in Spain, like “Murdoku,” by Temas de Hoy, the Spanish edition is titled “Resuelve el crimen.” It employs a different mechanism: rather than a sudoku grid, readers receive narrative clues detailing suspects, weapons, and locations, which must be cross-referenced to identify the perpetrator.

The series now spans three volumes, plus a children’s edition. Its creator, American author G.T. Karber, began by sharing a daily case online before achieving print success. Espasa has joined the movement with “Los casos de Agatha Christie: 100 acertijos y un misterio por resolver,” the inaugural officially licensed activity book dedicated to the iconic British author, inviting readers to step into the roles of Poirot or Miss Marple.

The catalogue continues to expand: “El crimen del verano” brings the genre poolside, featuring 121 suspects and clues woven through sudokus, crosswords, and numerical pyramids; “Crimigramas” conceals the killer within word searches. None of these individual puzzle types is groundbreaking on its own, yet when united with a mystery narrative, they transform the reader from passive observer into active detective, one puzzle at a time.

A Screen-Free Path to Relaxation?

Beneath the enthusiasm for paper and pencil lies a broader fatigue with digital devices. It is no coincidence that publishers increasingly position these books as tools for disconnecting from the digital world, free from notifications and time pressure, offering a reclaimed slice of leisure once dominated by smartphones.

There is also a practical dimension: observers of the trend note that such puzzles exercise attention, memory, and cognitive flexibility, though rigorous studies have yet to confirm exactly what drives their widespread appeal.

No one anticipates a paper pastime competing with the sophistication of modern video games; that was never the objective. It is simply a different offering: a brief mental retreat without screens, an experience more and more people now actively pursue as part of the leisure itself.

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