The Malachite Butte Trouble: a free Western logic-grid puzzle

Nobody in the county will say plainly what took place at Malachite Butte, so the deputy wrote down what could be proved and left the rest. The ledger will hold up if you will.

This free Rookie logic-grid puzzle has 4 suspects, 4 locations, and 4 pieces of evidence. New to logic grids? Start with the pencil-solving guide.

How to mark the grid

●: These two belong together.
✕: These two are ruled out.
blank: Still undecided.

How to play

Click, tap or press Enter on a cell to cycle it: blank, then ● for a confirmed pairing, then ✕ for one you have ruled out. Nothing fills itself in — the deductions are yours to make. Use the arrow keys to move around the grid.

Fill obvious Xs does the bookkeeping only: for each ● you have marked, it crosses off the rest of that pairing's own row and column. It never adds a ●, never reads a clue, and never changes a mark you made.

On a narrow screen the grid scrolls sideways.

Every case has exactly one solution, and it is always reachable by deduction alone. Nothing here guesses for you, and Check will not tell you which mark is wrong.

Clues and evidence

Everyone agreed: Whistle Rufe Mink had the spent blasting cap.
Cornish Tom Trewin was at Malachite Butte — that much is settled.
Cornish Tom Trewin had nothing to do with the bent assay ladle.
Whistle Rufe Mink was nowhere near Copper Basin.
Ottie Gaunt was never linked to the falsified assay slip.
Nobody could connect Cornish Tom Trewin to the falsified assay slip.
Nobody could place Whistle Rufe Mink at Deadfall Notch.
You can rule out Copper Basin for Foreman Gil Mercer.

The grid

On a narrow screen the grid scrolls sideways.

Your marks, completions and streak are saved in this browser only. There is no account, and clearing your browser data clears that local progress. If you accept analytics, the site sends anonymous puzzle-usage events; it never sends your grid marks, clues or solution.

If you want a hundred more

Five volumes, printed and portable

Each Frontier Logic volume collects 100 western mystery logic-grid puzzles, every one with exactly one solution and a complete answer key. Every volume stands alone, in standard and large print.