Item - Who Killed Harlowe Thrombey?

For several years, I compared detective stories unfavorably with Who Killed Harlowe Thrombey?. This was partly my own stubbornness, but I think WKHT also does things a straightforward adventure could not. I remember having such a tough time with mystery books, until this one, where I could actually make mistakes and try again. I sort of needed to. And I remember feeling blindsided by Dr. Haledjian's two-minute mysteries as a kid, because I didn't have enough knowledge of the world. (Rereading them in college, I cleaned up and found them all too easy. But I legitimate enjoyed them beyond feeling "hey, I actually got smarter in the past ten years.") That's not to say those books were bad, but WKHT actually made me feel like I could learn and improve. And it has what I consider two effective foils: Prufrock, the bumbling, pipe-smoking police inspector, and Jenny Mudge, a girl your age who manages to solve the case before you do in some endings. Sometimes you team up with her, too. WKHT is also largely internally consistent, and even what seems to be a tangent (visiting a hit man who has an alias) brings things together.

The book starts with wealthy Harlowe Thrombey (CYOA names always will be a bit on the nose, but I still love this one) asking you to check on his suspicions someone wants to murder him. He's heard you do good work (you figured out who stole something from your aunt), and anyone suspicious won't be that wary of a kid. Unfortunately, you can't prevent him drinking poisoned brandy and dying, but you can sort out the suspects. There's his useless nephew Chartwell, his wife Jane, his daughter Andrea, and her (possible) fiance Richard. Jane's just unhappy, Andrea and Richard are just unlikable, and Chartwell has never been good friends with Harlowe and could stand to inherit money or a piece of Thrombey's business empire.

Through it all Inspector Prufrock makes several amusing wild claims -- I haven't read the entire canon but he is by far the best developed bumbling adult in the series so far. He's silly enough that the ending where he solves the case feels genuinely more like a loss than one where the hit man shoots and kills you. For my young self, it was nice to be able to run circles around an adult. And it's genuinely hilarious when (ROT13 encoded) npphfrf lbh bs gur zheqre, orpnhfr lbh qba'g unir na nyvov. (Not a plot spoiler, but funny to be ambushed with.)

WKHT also has an unusual structure for CYOAs. It has several bottlenecks, including at the end where you can choose whom you accuse. There are a lot of chances to investigate and move to the next bottleneck, with the understanding you'll miss part of the story. Of course, the final bottleneck has all the suspects in the room, and you get to accuse the person you suspect! WKHT also doesn't go in for random deaths and in fact gives the reader credit for maybe observing more than they did. In several places it says "You write down what you observed." As a kid, I didn't, but looking back, I legitimately think this sort of thing helped me be more observant despite, well, never being a witness to a murder. I've had flattery before but this "Oh, you saw this, right? Just nod and say yes, we'll let you slide" sort of nudge seems helpful to adults, whether from a book or another person. It contrasts well with Prufrock jumping at what seems, to my adult self, as obvious bait and red herrings. It also plays the cute trick of "If you think you solved the murder" and then leaving you hanging with "You call up Prufrock," which works, as there are several endings where the murderer confesses or acts out.

These and other different endings help you piece together the murder differently, as you figure out whose alibi works and whose doesn't. Since WKHT I've read or watched other mysteries with a similar conceit. A similar non-murder example of deceit occurs in Herge's The Castafiore Emerald, which is a classic in its own way. And WKHT isn't quite at that level -- there's one ending where Jenny Mudge solves the case due to a very silly slip by the otherwise careful murderers, and it breaks consistency. But there's a reason I remembered it well for so long. It's well above the CYOA norm.

One more thing I wish to add: after college, WKHT was one book I wanted to read again. I checked for it in the Chicago Public Library system. There was only a Spanish copy. I checked it out and read it anyway and actually learned some Spanish, which added to the "I'm doing cool deduction work" feel. I wasn't really surprised that WKHT was chosen for translation. It doesn't try to be weird or use big words, but it's impressively complex. And the page/branching structure (very little need to flip backward or halfway through the book) makes it easy to reread and relive.

More reviews by andrewschultz

This is a very well-designed gamebook. It has excellent (but not absolutely perfect) continuity and consistency, more-interesting-than-usual characters, and a clear goal (the solution of the mystery) to work towards.

More reviews by Demian

What a great, little book! I thoroughly enjoyed this one, as I feel that this book truly is a showcase of the excellent author and storyteller that is Edward Packard. The plot here is simple: trying to solve a murder in the classic "whodunit" sense. Packard, as always, is great at staying in the world of his books; this one is no different, as it is focused and stays on topic of the story to keep the reader interested and engaged. I also enjoyed just about every single ending in this one -- something that I do not think I have ever said about a CYOA book. As in many of Packard's works, the consistency is excellent and many threads of the book cleverly loop back into each other at sensible times. Overall, I highly recommend this one, as I believe it is truly one of the better CYOA books.

More reviews by Enigmatic Synergy

1/10
Could've been done much more perplexing than it is. I solved the case each time. 14 endings are perfect, but nah. Not my kind of adventure. The funniest end is where the worst police officer solves the mystery--that's how easy it is. Packard's worst by far--and that's saying a lot for THE best author in the series!

More reviews by Good

This is not the first gamebook to cast the reader as a detective (a few of the Tracker Books used this idea before). Nonetheless, this entry by maestro Edward Packard set the stage for later detective series such as Sherlock Holmes Solo Mysteries and Webs of Intrigue. As other reviewers have mentioned, the solution to the murder mystery is the same no matter which path the reader takes (a factor which reduces the suspense somewhat in subsequent reads). However, there are several different ways to solve the mystery, all of which require careful choices. Overall, this is a very entertaining and involving gamebook which everyone should take the time to read. Two thumbs up.

More reviews by Guillermo

I have recently gotten back into CYOA books, over 10 years since I first read them as a kid. One of the ones I was most excited to get a hold of again was Harlowe Thrombey, largely because its straightforward premise (solving a murder) makes it a bit more engaging than the traditional, tangential CYOA books. Reading again did not disappoint. It's relatively easy to follow but a fun one to solve and allows you to pay attention to the details, from which you can make choices. Of the handful I've reread, this is my favorite, a classic.

Also, I remembered one of the pages exactly as it looked from the first time I read it. Page 101 (I didn't remember the number) is a great page, featuring a long list of potential page options and directions to go. One of a few fun details to this classic CYOA.

More reviews by hintoffilm

Right in the middle of Edward Packard's best streak as a Choose Your Own Adventure author, he gave us Who Killed Harlowe Thrombey?, a murder mystery...for kids. Last year you solved a robbery at your aunt Marinda's house. Since then, you've built a private detective business, assisted occasionally by Jenny Mudge, the eccentric girl down the street. Your first major case comes via Harlowe Thrombey, president of Thrombey Plastics Company. A wealthy man, Thrombey suspects his wife Jane plans to murder him. He asks you to visit his mansion and assess the risk yourself, but you find Jane to be perfectly pleasant. Should you stick close to Thrombey in case his fears are justified, or go home until he presents real evidence?

Angela, Thrombey's niece, is expected to marry Dr. Robert Lipscomb. Thrombey's nephew, Chartwell, seems decent enough. Jenkins the gardener is in the hospital on the night you come to the Thrombey house, and Helga the maid serves dinner. The evening goes fine...until you leave Thrombey alone with his snifter of brandy. He staggers out clutching his throat, dying of arsenic poisoning. Your initial round of suspect interviews is interrupted by Inspector Prufrock, a police detective with a history of incompetence. He interrogates everyone at the party, but you'll have better luck launching your own investigation. Angela and Jane were in the music room at the time the arsenic was poured into the brandy bottle, but each claims the other left for ten minutes. One has to be lying. Robert Lipscomb was shooting pool in the game room, so he seemingly couldn't be guilty. You are as baffled as Prufrock, but go over the alibis closely and you'll find a crack that widens as you pick at it. The murderer can be outed, but choose wisely where and when you level your accusation, or you'll wind up dead as Thrombey.

As the mystery thickens you might wish to bring Jenny Mudge in on the case. She can be irritating but has a knack for solving crimes, and she's friends with the maid, Helga. Jenny has her own theories as to whose hands are stained with Thrombey's blood, and you'd do well to hear her out. You might pick up a secondary lead by researching John J. Keane, a convict known as Henry Hawk or the Falcon. His ancillary involvement in Thrombey’s death appears likely. The Falcon has spent time in the klink and would kill to stay free, so try not to corner him in isolated places. If you're sensible, you can elicit enough information from him to prove who laced Thrombey's drink with arsenic. Are you about to close your biggest case?

Who Killed Harlowe Thrombey? may be the most evocative gamebook I read in grade school, but it doesn't quite hold up. The way the story is layered—everything running together in the middle instead of dividing into distinct paths—it's easy for even the author to get confused. In some sections of reused text, you suddenly know things you have no business knowing, because it's possible to arrive at that spot through a different route. The book has minimal replay value because every storyline funnels into one main narrative. The atmosphere of paranoia at the beginning is wonderful, and Paul Granger's illustrations are magnifique, but the book doesn't rise to its destiny as one of the great Choose Your Own Adventures.

More reviews by KenJenningsJeopardy74

I picked this book due to the reviews on this site and I am glad I did.

Out of the Choose Your Own Adventure series, this certainly is a gem. I agree with the other reviewers in regards to the complexity of the book design as well as the depth of characters. There were subtle clues that passed by from time to time and one could interpret them in a couple of different ways, adding to the mystery.

The illustrations were some of the best in the series and added much detail and flavor... but I must say the illustration of Prufrok near the end of the book detaining an individual was a bit disturbing!!!

The only complaint I have is several choices you make end up leading you to the ultimate answer to the case. The first time I read the book, I was investigating one individual and next thing I know I was tied to a chair and then the police come in and the case was fully revealed. This is the case for several other paths you take that were incorrect, but still everything was reveled. I would rather you reach a sequence that in order to win you would almost need to call it out like in the game Clue, where you state the person and place (We already know the murder weapon!). This could give the reader incentives to investigate more and to tie the clues together instead of the case being solved by chance.

All in all a good read and recommended.

More reviews by noonxnoon

The beginning didn't draw enough sympathy to Harlowe, and if had, it would have engaged the reader much more. "President of Plastic Company?" Additionally, it made it seem that he knew what was going to happen, and allowed it to happen, removing additional sympathy. He would do anything to make his wife happy, and if she wanted him dead, would he kill himself? (just a rhetorical question). Then, it asks you to pick up where Harlowe left off, without any emotional reason to do so, except to outwit "Jenny Mudge." So motivation was low, but illustrations were extremely effective at displaying what was being portrayed. Choices seemed too numerous at times, but the Falcon "trail" was fairly engaging.

More reviews by ontcanada2005

Love the concept, but it didn't quite work for me. A good mystery provides the reader with enough information to solve the case while making it tricky at the same time. This book makes it difficult to get the information you need in an efficient way. Most choices involve deciding which suspect to interview; the suspect gives you a tiny piece of information, and then the plot jumps ahead. You have a much better chance if you cheat and interview multiple suspects at each opportunity. Or don't cheat, manage to avoid being at the mansion when Thrombey is killed, and the police will give you a full summary of all of the suspects' statements the next day, information that you could otherwise spend the whole book chasing down. As it was, my first time through I managed to solve the case using information I had not actually uncovered. So there was no mystery upon rereading. With a few small tweaks this book could work a lot better than it actually does.

More reviews by Scrumptious

In many ways, this seems like the most unusual of the original 10 books in this series. It's structured a lot differently; in fact, it seems almost game-like. I say this because many times in the book you are asked to make decisions. Many of the choices don't at first appear to be of any consequence, since they converge back together again. But later on you are asked what decision you made before, and the plot paths diverge again, this time leading to different outcomes.

Also, it seems a lot more open-ended, since you are often given more than just two choices at a decision point... one of the dilemmas has 12 possible choices to make! I really like this different structure, and I wonder why it wasn't used in any later books.

This book is also very internally consistent, but that is perhaps its biggest (and possibly only) flaw, since after you've solved the mystery the first time, you know exactly how the crime was committed, which not only makes it much easier to win the second time around, it also seriously diminishes the motivation to read it again. It would be nice, though, to see this type of open-ended format applied to a more complex plot than a simple whodunit (so you don't learn the whole thing during any one read), which could lead to a very, very good mystery gamebook.

All in all, this is much better than most of the other early books in the series, and I highly recommend it, especially since the characterization is very good.

More reviews by stonemason

I just loved this gamebook. My favorite in the Choose Your Own Adventure series, Who Killed Harlowe Thrombey? is a well-executed mystery. The clever problem of all of the suspects having alibis is unique and requires a bit of abstract thinking.

All of the characters are much less bland than they usually are in these types of books. Prufrock is a stereotypical bumbling detective who actually adds to the story rather than detracting from it. Falcon's gruff greeting during the apartment confrontation provides some insight as to which choice to make. None of the choices seem arbitrary and the consequences are logical.

The consistency is nearly perfect, although a few minor continuity errors can crop up when you do things in a certain order, but none of them are really serious and aren't noticeable unless you look hard.

I agree that, after reaching a conclusion, you're not really motivated to read the story again. However, some of the endings only reveal a bit of the case. If you want to know everything that happened, you have to read through the book at least a couple of times.

Overall, this book is great, and I'd recommend it to anyone.

More reviews by Waluigi Freak 99