Clues & Culprits › Hints › Oct 24, 2026 Hard
Spoiler-Free Hints for Oct 24, 2026
Stuck on the Hard case, “The Favourite Who Took a Nap”? Open one nudge at a time. Nothing below reveals a verdict unless you click a box marked spoiler.
Back to the case Rules refresher
About this case
Starlight Express, the 2–1 favourite for the Countess Stakes, walked out of the stalls, ambled thirty yards and lay down on the turf for a nap. By teatime the horse was perfectly well. The bookmakers' losses were not.
This Hard case seats 20 suspects on a 4×5 grid. 16 of them carry a clue; the other 4 only have something to say about themselves. 5 of the steps can only be proven by reading two or more clues together.
Nudge 1 — where to start
The case opens with Cora the milliner (C1) already proven. Their statement is enough on its own to prove one more suspect straight away — read it word by word, especially the counting words (exactly, neighbors, between).
The person to my right is a criminal.— Cora, milliner (C1)
Spoiler: who can I prove first?
Dexter (D1) is a criminal, proven by Cora’s statement.
Nudge 2 — the opening
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, all over the board. The statements doing the work are direction clues, shared-neighbor counts and if–then clues. Every step in this stretch needs just one statement. Tip: with direction clues, “above”, “below”, “left” and “right” cover the whole line in that direction, not just the next card.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Cora’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Dexter (D1) — a criminal.
Nudge 3 — after about 5 proven suspects
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 2, 3, 4 and 5, most of them in row 2. The statements doing the work are neighbor counts, “connected” clues and paired verdicts. 4 steps here need 3 statements read together. Tip: with neighbor counts, a corner has three neighbors, an edge five, the middle eight — compare the count with what is left.
Spoiler: whose statements to read
Jasper’s, Ezra’s and Marco’s statements, read together.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Freya (B2) — innocent.
Nudge 4 — after about 10 proven suspects
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, in columns A and D. The statements doing the work are direction clues, row and column counts and role counts. Every step in this stretch needs just one statement. Tip: with row and column counts, count what is already proven in that line and subtract it from the total.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Sadie’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Queenie (A5) — a criminal.
Nudge 5 — the endgame
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 1, 3 and 4, most of them in row 1. The statements doing the work are neighbor counts, corner and edge counts and role counts. One step here needs 2 statements read together. Tip: with corner and edge counts, the edge ring includes the corners, so settle the corners first.
Spoiler: whose statements to read
Ezra’s and Hana’s statements, read together.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Petra (D4) — a criminal.
The hardest step
The toughest moment needs 3 statements at once. If you’re stuck in the middle of the case, this is probably it.
Spoiler: the statements for the hardest step
Read Jasper’s, Ezra’s and Marco’s statements together. They settle Freya.
Clue types in this case
direction clues ×3, shared-neighbor counts ×2, neighbor counts ×3, if–then clues ×1, corner and edge counts ×1, paired verdicts ×1, role counts ×2, “connected” clues ×1, row and column counts ×1 and “between” clues ×1.
Questions
How many clues does this case have?
16 of the 20 suspects carry a clue. The rest only talk about themselves — you can hide those asides in Settings.
Where is the full solution?
The step-by-step walkthrough is published two days after the case, so today’s solvers aren’t spoiled.