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▶Murder at the Marchbanks
A cozy Christmas whodunit in 24 daily envelopes: open one each day from December 1 and name the killer on Christmas Eve.
5.0shop rating · 6 Etsy reviewsA Christmas mystery that arrives one envelope at a time. Each day from December 1 you open one sealed day, read the evidence inside and solve one puzzle, and on Christmas Eve you name the killer and open the sealed solution.
- 24 days, one sealed envelope each: a case file of in-world documents and a puzzle whose answer becomes a case fact
- A fair mystery: every clue you need is in the envelopes, and the solution names the day whose evidence clears each innocent suspect
- Puzzles you solve on paper in about 10 to 15 minutes on most days: ciphers and codes from a shift cipher to Morse code, a logic grid, timeline reconstructions, a floor-plan route, mirror writing, a spot-the-difference and ledger arithmetic
- Stuck? A separate hints file gives a nudge first and the answer second, and no hint names the killer
- Start on December 1, start late and catch up on your first day, or play the whole case as a weekend marathon
- Set it up in one evening: print, fill and label the envelopes, or use the printable fold-and-seal wrapper instead
- Ready to give: a printable gift card and a short how-to-give-it section in START-HERE
Overview
A cozy Christmas whodunit in 24 daily envelopes: open one each day from December 1 and name the killer on Christmas Eve.
A Christmas mystery that arrives one envelope at a time. Each day from December 1 you open one sealed day, read the evidence inside and solve one puzzle, and on Christmas Eve you name the killer and open the sealed solution.
Murder at the Marchbanks is a printable murder mystery advent calendar for 1 to 6 players, adults and teens. On the last night of November, the founder of the Marchbanks Ballet climbs to his office after opening night to eat his golden sugarplum alone, as he has every opening night for thirty years, and never comes down for the toast. Seven people had a reason to want him gone, and by midnight the snow has closed every road in Hollin Ridge and nobody has left the building. Each of the 24 days is a case file from Detective Sergeant Mae Calloway: her letter, the evidence she has gathered, such as a theater program, a cue sheet, a ledger or a backstage key log, and one puzzle whose answer becomes a fact in your case notes. The puzzles are solved on paper with no outside knowledge in about 10 to 15 minutes on most days, the innocent suspects fall away one by one as the evidence comes in, and the answer waits in a sealed file until Christmas Eve.
What's Included
Five PDFs; the kit, the hints and the solution come in US Letter and A4:
- START-HERE: setting the calendar up in one evening, the daily routine, the ways to play and the gift card
- The advent kit in US Letter and in A4: how to play, the suspect board, the detective notebook, the 24 daily case files, the envelope labels, the fold-and-seal wrapper, the accusation sheet and the Case Closed certificate
- The hints file, Letter pages first, then A4, with a cover that says to open it only when stuck: two tiers for every day
- The sealed solution as its own file with a do-not-open cover: the reveal, day by day, the table of the day that clears each innocent suspect, and the answer to every puzzle
Key Benefits
Why this one
A few minutes a day keeps the case going for 24 days, the way an advent calendar should, and the answer lands on Christmas Eve.
Every puzzle is solved on paper with no outside knowledge, every clue you need is in the envelopes, and the sealed solution shows which day's evidence clears each innocent suspect.
Every day has two hint tiers in a separate file: a nudge first, then the answer and why, each on a page of its own. No hint names the killer; only the sealed solution does.
A printable gift card and a short how-to-give-it section come with it, because a download arrives with you, not with the person you are giving it to. It also suits a late shopper: no box has to arrive before December 1.
The death happens offstage. No gore, no graphic violence and no profanity: a whodunit for adults and teens 13 and up.
Who It's For
Built for
- Couples and friends who want a puzzle to share every day in December
- Families with teens who want an advent calendar that is not chocolate
- Coworkers, book clubs and roommates racing to solve the case first
- Anyone shopping for the mystery fan, with a printable gift card to hand over
How It Works
Up and running in minutes
Print the advent kit at home on US Letter or A4, on one side of the paper only, so no two days share a sheet.
Put each day's pages in an envelope and add its day label, or wrap them in a printed fold-and-seal wrapper. One evening does it.
From December 1, open that day's envelope, read the case file, solve the puzzle and add the fact to your detective notebook.
Open the hints file for the day you are on: a nudge first, then the answer.
Fill in the accusation sheet, then open the sealed solution and read the reveal.
Why It's Different
Not another template
Many mystery advent calendars are boxes that have to ship before December 1. Murder at the Marchbanks is a whole whodunit told through 24 daily case files of in-world documents, with one real puzzle a day, a fair elimination of every innocent suspect, and two tiers of hints that never give the killer away. It is a download, so it arrives tonight and prints at home, even for the buyer who remembers on November 30.
Delivery & Compatibility
Instant, and it opens in what you already use
As soon as your order is complete you get instant access to download one ZIP with the five PDFs: START-HERE, the advent kit in US Letter and in A4, the hints file and the sealed solution. Print what you need tonight. Nothing ships.
The advent kit, the hints and the sealed solution come in US Letter and A4, ready to print at home. Plain envelopes work, and the labels fit plain paper (cut along the printed boxes) or a standard sheet of address labels, with the sheet sizes listed in START-HERE. You need a PDF reader, which almost every computer and phone already has. This is a digital download; nothing is shipped.
FAQ
Questions, answered
When do we start?
December 1, with one envelope a day until the reveal on Christmas Eve. You can also start late and catch up on your first day, or play the whole case as a weekend marathon; START-HERE explains both.
How long does each day take?
About 10 to 15 minutes on most days: read the day's case file, solve its puzzle and add the fact to your case notes. Christmas Eve, when you make your accusation, takes about half an hour.
How many people can play?
1 to 6 detectives: as one team sharing a detective notebook, or competing with one notebook each.
Is it suitable for teens?
It is written for adults and teens 13 and up. It is a cozy mystery: the death happens offstage, with no gore, no graphic violence, no sexual content and no profanity.
What if we get stuck?
Each day has two hint tiers in a separate file: a nudge first, then the answer and why. The hints never name the killer; only the sealed solution does.
Can I give it as a gift?
Yes. The download includes a printable gift card and a short section on how to give it, since the file comes to you, not to the person you are giving it to.
Is this a physical product?
No. It is an instant digital download of five PDF files. Nothing is shipped; you print it at home or at a print shop.
Characters, names and events are fictional, and the story is original. For personal use only; no resale or redistribution. Digital product, so nothing ships, and because the files are delivered instantly, all sales are final. AI disclosure: this item was created with the help of AI tools, which NicheToolkits uses to help design the files, write the copy and make the images and films.
