Case 13: Appointment with Death

In Jerusalem and at the ancient ruins of Petra, the tyrannical Mrs. Boynton rules over her stepchildren and daughter with cruelty. When she is found dead—a needle puncture on her wrist—the list of people who wanted her gone is long. She was once a prison warden, and among the travelers at Petra is someone with a past that the victim could expose.

Your mission: Use SQL to meet the suspects, trace the timeline, piece together motives, and reveal who had both a secret and the means to kill.

About this case

Based on Appointment with Death (Agatha Christie, 1938). At the ancient ruins of Petra in the Middle East, a domineering widow who controls her stepchildren through fear and blackmail is found dead from a needle puncture. Among the travelers at the site is someone with a secret that could have condemned them—or freed them.

What you'll practise

This sophisticated case requires advanced SQL skills:

WHERE with multiple conditions — to connect secrets to suspects
ORDER BY — to build precise timelines in a remote location
Motive analysis through data — identifying who had both means and psychological drive
Blackmail detection — uncovering who was being controlled and by whom

The database

You'll query the suspect_info table, tracking each traveler's relationships, secrets, financial status, and movements at Petra. Mrs. Boynton's blackmail victims are key suspects.

Difficulty

Intermediate to Advanced. Requires understanding of psychological motive and the ability to link financial desperation to criminal intent.