Remember the choose your own adventure books where each decision made determined what happened next in the book?
Now, take that to Seward Memorial Library for “The 12 Clues of Christmas Manor,” a combination escape room and choose your own adventure mystery, according to Jacquelyn Schranz, creator of the story.
Groups of detectives have to figure out from eight suspects who stole the Emerald Star in a blizzard at Christmas Manor. Each group can have from two to eight people.
“The bigger the group, the more fun,” Schranz said.
Group members are given ID cards, telling them which character they are portraying, what their background is, personality and quirks and including props they can use.
“I hope people get into the roles,” Schranz said.
The group will tour the library, stopping in various locations to learn a new clue. All 12 clues will be part of the tour, no matter which path the group takes, Schranz said. The story has two endings. The narrator, who will be a library staff member, will try to move the blame around as each clue is revealed.
“You can’t trust anyone,” Schranz said.
Each clue stop will have puzzles to solve to reveal the information, she said. Puzzles could be anything from a jigsaw to a logic problem to a maze.
The mystery should take about an hour to solve, she said.
This is the second choose-your-own-adventure idea the library has hosted. The first was in 2021 and featured elves at the North Pole.
Schranz, who wrote this mystery, said she started with the setting – Christmas Manor, a Victorian mansion. Then she added the characters and the puzzles.
“It’s fun to see how they all work together,” she said.
She likes to see the puzzles and clues set up and see the story actually unfold. The mystery begins in the lower level and makes stops in the Heritage Room, kids’ area and other spots around the library.
“There is walking involved,” Schranz said.
To schedule a visit to try to solve the mystery, contact the library at (402) 643-3318 or visit the website, sewardlibrary.org.
The mystery continues through Sunday, Jan. 4.
