Cain's Jawbone Box
By Edward Powys Mathers
You've seen the TikTok, but have you bought the box to solve the ultimate Novel Problem?
Publication date: Autumn 2023
Support this project
Box
PLUS:
- Room for notes at the bottom of each page

Two Boxes
PLUS:
- Two illustrated boxes (186mm x 120mm x 48mm) with one hundred individual cards in each
- Room for notes at the bottom of the page
Frequently Asked Questions
Will I get the box in time for Christmas 2022?
Where can I get my book delivered to?
If James Joyce and Agatha Christie had a literary lovechild, this would be it. Daily Telegraph
A unique hybrid of word puzzle and whodunnit. Literary Review
Cain’s Jawbone is a 100 page whodunnit in which six people die. To find out who killed them, the reader must re-arrange the book’s pages in the correct order. There is only one solution.
The story so far...
In 1934, The Observer’s crossword writer, Edward Powys Mathers, wrote a unique novel Cain’s Jawbone, published by Gollancz. 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 and was only solved by two puzzlers whose names were later revealed in The Observer - but the solution to the problem remained a secret.
In 2017, the Laurence Sterne Trust (who after many months of research and good fortune had managed to unlock the secret of Cain’s Jawbone) partnered with Unbound to revive Torquemada’s challenge and Cain’s Jawbone was reissued as a box of 100 cards. A prize of £1,000 was offered, with a closing date of 19 September 2020. Astonishingly, there was a correct entry and the comedy writer and puzzle fiend John Finnemore claimed the prize.
The paperback was re-released in 2021 and became a viral senstation with over one hundred thousand copies sold worldwide, and to date is being translated into eight different languages.
In this specially customised box are one hundred cards of individual pages from the book, sorted in an entirely haphazard order. Through logic and intelligent reading, you can sort the cards into the only correct solution to reveal the six murder victims - and their respective murderers.
This beautifully bound package is the ultimate gift for the detective in your life or a brilliant collectable for yourself, if you're brave enough to attempt this notoriously difficult puzzle.
Can't wait for the box? Purchase a copy of the paperback edition here.
Quick select rewards
Box
PLUS:
- Room for notes at the bottom of each page

Two Boxes
PLUS:
- Two illustrated boxes (186mm x 120mm x 48mm) with one hundred individual cards in each
- Room for notes at the bottom of the page
Does this set include a copy of the bound book?
Hi Nicholas, Only the box edition is included here. Best wishes, Lena
The current contest for Cain's Jawbone closes at the end of 2022, will the contest continue if this box set is fully funded?
Hi Haley! We may open a new competition for the publishing of the Cain's Box! Keep your eyes peeled for an announcement at 100% !