13 Sherlock Holmes Riddles That Will Test How Bright You Are

Only 1/3 of murders that happen in the U.S. are solved and recent data shows that crimes are less likely to be cleared in the U.K. It looks like the world needs a master of observation, logical reasoning, and intuition: a Sherlock Holmes 2.0. Care to give it a try?

The Scroll Feed has put together 13 short riddles to put your brain to the test so that you can try to prove that you could become Sherlock Holmes 2.0. And to avoid cheating: You’ll find all the answers at the end of the article!

1. Bad Intentions

A woman invited her friend home for dinner. She made a meal of mashed potatoes and roast beef. For dessert, she cut an apple in halves and offered her friend one half along with some whipped cream on the side, and put the rest of the cream in a separate bowl. She then ate her piece of the same apple.

The friend died of poisoning, but the host survived despite eating from the same apple. How is that possible?

2. Who’s lying?

A man named Tom went hiking with his friend Chris on a Sunday after notifying his brother Dan. The next Saturday the police finds Tom dead in the woods. Dan said that he had been working all week. Chris was found wandering around the highway. He said that he got lost in the woods right after they arrived and just found his way home. Look at the picture and guess who’s lying.

3. Guess the name of the murderer

A rich man that lived in a beautiful house on Baker Street, Mr. Ronald Green, has just been kidnapped and Sherlock Holmes has been appointed to the case. He finds a note at the crime scene written by Mr. Green. It read:

“First of January, Fourth of October, Fifth of March, Third of June.”

Sherlock knew that somehow, the killer’s name was hidden in the note. The suspects were as follows:

Jack Green, the son and the heir of the property
John Jacobson, an employee of Mr. Green
June Green, Green’s wife

Sherlock deduced the killer’s name in an instant. Can you?

4. Guess the victim and the murderer’s name

There are 5 men. These are the clues you’ve got:

1. One of them shot and killed one of the other 5.
2. Dan ran in the New York City Marathon yesterday with one of the innocent men.
3. Mike considered being a farmer before he moved to the city.
4. Jeff is a top-notch computer consultant and wants to install Ben’s new computer next week.
5. The murderer had his leg amputated last month.
6. Ben met Jack for the first time 6 months ago.
7. Jack has been in seclusion since the crime.
8. Dan used to drink heavily.
9. Ben and Jeff built their last computers together.
10. The murderer is Jack’s brother. They grew up together in Seattle.

5. The name is written on the note

One snowy night, Sherlock Holmes was in his house sitting by the fire. All of a sudden a snowball came crashing through his window and broke it. Holmes got up and looked out the window just in time to see 3 neighborhood kids who were brothers run around a corner. Their names were John Crimson, Mark Crimson, and Paul Crimson. The next day Holmes got a note that read: “? Crimson. He broke your window.”

Which of the 3 Crimson brothers should Sherlock Holmes question about the incident?

6. Think outside the box with this one

A man was found dead in a field of snow. The only evidence that was left was a set of footprints between 2 parallel lines.

Who should the police be looking for?

7. There is no such thing as a perfect crime.

A wealthy man lives alone in a small cottage. Because he was handicapped he had everything delivered to his cottage. The mailman was delivering a letter on Thursday when he noticed that the front door was ajar. Through the opening, he could see the man’s body lying in a pool of dried blood. On the porch were 2 bottles of milk, Monday’s newspaper, a catalog, flyers, and unopened mail. When Sherlock Holmes got to the cottage he told the police the killer was the mailman.

How did he know?

8. Tricky trip

2 friends left for a climbing trip. But only one returned from the vacation and said that his friend slipped while climbing and died. Upon investigating, the police arrested him saying, “We received a call from your travel agent. We know you murdered your friend.”

The man did not inform anyone about the trip. Then how did they know it was a murder?

9. Everything will eventually come to light.

A man named Evan called the police saying he had found his friend Liam murdered by the seashore. He said he had lent Liam his beach house for a week during the California summer and that he had just arrived from a month of work in chilly Argentina to join him, only to find him dead. When the police arrived they instantly realized he was lying. Look at the picture and guess why.

10. Not as obvious as it seems

Let’s test your skills. You’re shown the picture of these 2 women. One of them had been living in poverty for the last 10 years and just killed a man to pay her big debt. Can you figure out which one of them did?

11. You may kiss the... bride?

A man wakes up from a 2-day coma after a car accident with a case of amnesia. Suddenly, 2 women arrive at the hospital. One of them says she’s his wife and the other one says they have kids. Who’s lying?

12. How sharp are you?

Sherlock Holmes 2.0 needs for his judgement to be sharp. Just by looking at the picture, and only using your sharp intuitive and intellectual skills, tell us: Which of these 2 families is poor?

13. Only for keen observers

Sherlock Holmes would have noticed in less than a minute who the thief is in this picture. Sherlock Holmes 2.0 would need to be as observant as his master to be able to solve this riddle in the same amount of time. Can you?