Spot the Crooks – The Usborne Detective’s Handbook Challenge Answers

Last Tuesday I set two challenges related to the theme of disguise and crime in costume from The Usborne Detective’s Handbook, challenges which suffice to say had me fairly puzzled now and when I was a child. To see the original challenges click here. If you already think you know the answers keep on reading.

In the first challenge you had to detect the criminal Sidney Lurchpast, who is renowned for his ability to disguise himself. Surprisingly only pictures 4 and 8 below are not Sidney Lurchpast, which according to the book is deducible from the fact that in picture 4 the man has a different jaw and longer neck than Lurchpast and in picture 8 the man has a smaller ear – two features which apparently cannot be faked or changed.

In the second challenge you had to spot the real Roderick Roehart out of a line up of three. Below in the first picture is Roehart before he left for Brazil and in the second picture is our line up many years later.

The real Roehart is the man on the far right. The handbook says that ‘obviously, the years have changed Roehart. The hardships he suffered in Brazil have made him thin, bald and tired.’ He can be picked ‘out from the others by his height, rather short arms and smallish feet.’

So how did your little grey cells do?