Cain's Jawbone: A Novel Problem

In 1934 The Observers crossword writer Edward Powys Mathers wrote a unique novel Cains Jawbone. The title referring to the first recorded murder weapon was written under his pen name Torquemada. The story was not only a murder mystery but one of the hardest and most beguiling word puzzles ever published. The 100 pages of the book were printed and bound out of order and the reader was invited to re-order the pages solve the mysteries and reveal the murderer(s). There were over 32 million possible combinations of pages but only one order was correct. The puzzle was extremely difficult and was only solved by two puzzlers whose names were revealed in The Observer - but the solution to the problem remained a secret. The Laurence Sterne Trust is interested in all literary works that challenge the idea of linear narrative (BS Johnson Marc Saporta Julio Cortzar &c) in line with Laurence Sternes legacy so the Trust responded with a mixture of surprise and delight when The Torquemada Puzzle Book was donated to the museums contemporary collection even though the solution was missing. Now after many months of research and good fortune the Trust has managed to unlock the secret of Cains Jawbone. To share the complexities red-herrings and literary adventures hidden in the puzzle Unbound is republishing the book in a custom-made box so that readers can physically reorder the pages for themselves and then get down to identifying the characters behind the fiendish crimes.