“Murdle,” the puzzle book, has taken the literary world by storm. Initially gaining popularity in October last year, it became a massive hit over Christmas as the perfect gift, according to my local Waterstones. The question now is: will this trend continue?

Over Christmas, G.T. Karber’s book of challenges surpassed Richard Osman’s “The Last Devil to Die” and the “Guinness World Records” to claim the top spot. In the final week of 2023, “Murdle” achieved its third consecutive leading position overall and secured its 15th non-consecutive top spot in the Paperback Nonfiction category, with sales exceeding 20,000 units as reported by Nielsen BookScan’s Total Consumer Market.

Since its release in June, the puzzle book has reached a milestone of over 300,000 units sold, generating £3.5 million in revenue, with a significant 186,000 of those copies sold in December alone. The sequel, “Murdle: More Killer Puzzles,” released in October, has also made a notable impact with sales of 32,000 units.

In a Reddit post, the creator of Murdle, a Hollywood mystery writer and part-time programmer, expressed his longstanding passion for murder-mysteries, noting his experience in hosting numerous such events in LA. He revealed that Murdle, developed in 2021, was initially created for a friend. Reflecting on his journey, he characterised it as a “rollercoaster ride,” where he shifted from pursuing his interest as a hobby to embracing it as a full-time pursuit.

So, what type of puzzle is Murdle?

Well, to clarify, “Murdle” is a portmanteau of ‘murder’ and ‘Wordle,’ the latter being widely regarded as the top game played during the pandemic. Unlike the letter-based game, Murdle is a mystery-logic puzzle. Players are provided with a set of clues, weapons, and locations to deduce who had what and where, and then, to identify the murderer.

The reason behind the Wordle trend is supposedly its “arc of decisions, attempts, and failures.” Although the popularity of Wordle has waned, Thi Nguyen, a philosophy professor at the University of Utah, noted, “The cleverest bit about Wordle is its social media presence.” He added, “The best thing about Wordle is the graphic design of the shareable Wordle chart. That little graph packs in a huge amount of information and drama.”

“I don’t know any other game that has nearly as graphically neat a synopsis, where you can just see the whole arc of another’s attempt so quickly,” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Murdle has also experienced a significant surge in social media attention. Despite its different format as a physical book (with an accompanying website), users are eager to share and talk about their progress with the puzzle.

Why is Murdle and puzzles so popular in general?

Thomas Henricks, Ph.D., a Sociology Professor at Elon University, wrote in Psychology Today, “we enjoy puzzling, especially during these stressful and homebound times.” He explains that whether puzzles are in the form of crosswords, mazes, or murder games, they all share many similarities. According to him, “They produce similar sensations in their players: mixes of frustration and anticipation as the hunt advances followed (ideally) by the end-pleasure of solution.” He concludes that in essence, games are frameworks that guide people in clear directions.

He describes six traits of play, illustrating them through puzzling:

1. Transformative. Play involves self-assertion, creating and modifying situations. Puzzlers exemplify this by actively fitting pieces or filling spaces, transforming both the puzzle and themselves.
2. Bounded. Play occurs within a “magic circle” with special activities, skills, goals, and rules. Puzzlers experience this by entering a restricted world, undertaking challenges, and seeking completion in a familiar setting with favourite tools.
3. Contestive. Players willingly confront challenges and test their abilities and resolve. In puzzling, the logic of the puzzle presents a defiant challenge that resists easy resolution.
4. Unpredictable. The fun in play comes from its uncertainty and mystery, matching skills with challenges. Puzzlers engage in games that balance their abilities, seeking challenges that are neither too easy nor too hard.
5. Self-regulated. Play allows for personal choice in what, when, and how to play. Puzzlers exemplify this by choosing when to engage and when to pause, controlling their interaction with the puzzle.
6. Episodic. Play is segmented into distinct events or moments, each offering a fresh opportunity or challenge. Puzzlers experience this through individual clues or puzzle pieces, with the freedom to revise and adapt their approach.

What the experts told us: escapism, mindfulness, and mastery

Meanwhile, Sarah Peláez, a clinical psychologist, told How To Be Books that solving puzzles serves as a “therapeutic” tool and a means of engaging in active meditation. The “Psychology of Intuition” writer states, “As you find yourself immersed in the task, your inner chatter gradually fades away, which gives way to a mindful and calming experience.

“Puzzle-solving becomes a soothing escape — a space where your mind can focus without the distractions of everyday thoughts,” the learning therapist continued.

Additionally, Peláez believes that puzzle-solving often induces a flow state of mind, a condition where time appears to “flow” seamlessly. She believes that this mental state can serve as a gateway to moments of clear understanding and insight, thereby enhancing your connection with your intuition.

Read: Only Murders in the Building: why we love true crime books

Joanna Hardis, a therapist and puzzle enthusiast, also shared with us that puzzles require being in the moment. The author of “Just Do Nothing: A Paradoxical Guide to Getting Out of Your Way” recounted, “When I worked in an eating disorder treatment center, clients would do puzzles after eating to move their awareness from how they were feeling to what they were solving.” She mentioned that puzzles provide a chance to connect with others, including her own 17-year-old daughter. Hardis noted, “With so many puzzles online, it’s also a way for people to come together around a shared activity.”

As with any puzzle, it serves as a form of mental exercise, and as the Psychology Today columnist suggested, you can experience a “sense of accomplishment, mastery and a hit of dopamine.” Additionally, with these challenges comes an increase in “frustration tolerance.”

Registered clinical counsellor and psychotherapist Ronald Hoang echoed these sentiments, stating that our affinity for brain teasers is “rooted in the human desire for accomplishment, mental stimulation and challenge.” He asserts that they provide a sense of fulfilment and gratification through the release of dopamine, and create opportunities for social connection, which continually draws us back for more.

Read: Are memoirs still important? Top books and why we love them

At the same time, Dr. Lincoln Stoller, who is both a psychotherapist and game designer, mentions that he aims to design games that accomplish two things: reward thinking and encourage a different frame of mind. However, he notes that it’s rare for a game to be truly creative. Dr. Stoller, the principal at Mind Strength Balance, stated: “Games can be recreational when they’re rewarding or encouraging, but they can be depressing when then are opaque, like a plot that you cannot follow, or a puzzle that’s too hard, like a combination lock.”

How do you play Murdle?

The goal in each mystery task is to determine who has the weapon and where it’s located, using the notepad grid as a guide. Once these elements are deduced, the red hint helps identify the culprit, considering character relationships such as crushes or past interactions. It’s important to note that all puzzles can be solved without additional tips, making them attractive to those who relish mental challenges.

As puzzles progress, they increase in difficulty. Initially, each puzzle includes three suspects, weapons, and crime scenes, with the rule that a suspect can only have one weapon and be in one place. This helps deduce the murderer’s identity. In more challenging levels, the variables increase to four, including the need to guess the murder motive.

Each puzzle comes with clues, and additional hints are available in the book’s appendix. However, overlooking these hints can be risky. Puzzles also feature complexities such as deceptive statements from the killer and secret coded messages.

When I first looked at it, honestly, it brought back repressed memories of being forced to do crosswords and Sudoku as a child. Clearly, this isn’t a typical response to doing a puzzle. However, once I started, I found myself getting overly entangled in the process for some reason, making it more complicated than necessary. In this game, logic prevails over overthinking, so it’s best not to follow my approach.

Is it worth it?

Based on online reviews, it boasts an impressive 60% five-star rating on Goodreads and an average rating of 4.47 on The StoryGraph. It seems you need to be a puzzle enthusiast to truly enjoy it, so I’m confident that it will be a worthwhile purchase for many.

Rest assured, I don’t believe this will be the end of puzzle books and trendy games in general. As I write this, I am on my way to Draughts London, a venue entirely dedicated to playing board games. What’s clear is that we’ve definitely reignited our love for play. So much so, in fact, that another Murdle book is set to release later this year. “Murdle: The School of Mystery: 50 Wildly Wicked Murder Mystery Logic Puzzles” is scheduled for publication on October 3rd, 2024. I won’t be attempting it.