Case 17: Murder is Easy

In the village of Wychwood under Ashe, a series of deaths are written off as accidents—until Miss Pinkerton tells Luke Fitzwilliam on a train that she’s on her way to report a serial killer. Soon after, she’s dead in a hit-and-run, and Dr. Humbleby dies too. Luke investigates under the guise of researching superstition, with help from Bridget Conway and Honoria Waynflete.

Lord Whitfield believes divine justice is striking those who wronged him. The real killer has a different motive: revenge and a plan to frame him.

Your mission: Use SQL to meet the villagers, order the “accidents,” see who appears in the most events, narrow by motive, and reveal who committed the murders.

About this case

Based on Murder is Easy (Agatha Christie, 1939). In a quiet English village, a series of seemingly unrelated deaths are dismissed as accidents and misfortune. But one woman knows the truth: a serial killer is loose, using the village's complacency as cover. By the time she tries to warn authorities, she herself becomes another victim.

What you'll practise

This advanced case demands sophisticated SQL analysis:

WHERE with complex conditions — to connect multiple deaths across time
ORDER BY — to build a chronological pattern of murders
Pattern recognition — seeing through misdirection to identify the real target
Motive analysis — understanding who benefits from each death in sequence

The database

You'll query the suspect_info table, tracking each death, its apparent cause, the people involved, and the hidden connections between victims and a common killer.

Difficulty

Advanced. Requires careful pattern recognition and the ability to see through red herrings. The killer hides in plain sight by making murder look accidental.