When you have a few minutes to kill.

Armchairs sleuths can test their powers of deduction with 40 of the best quick-read whodunits in this fifth volume of the popular Five-minute Mysteries series.

Here's the idea. Readers take about five minutes to read a short mystery. Next, they must solve the question posed at the end by putting themselves in the shoes of the detective to examine the evidence and figure out who done it. All the clues they need are found somewhere in the story.

A sampling of the mysteries to solve: A murderer describes in detail the Perfect Crime. But the plan is flawed… how? An English arrow kills a French soldier during the Hundred Years' War. Which clues point to a cold-blooded murder? What clues did the rookie cop see that went unobserved by the veteran sheriff? What exactly told investigators that the forged painting wasn't picture perfect?

Cases are rated easy, moderate and challenging. Some mysteries will unravel faster than a dime-store sweater while others will take longer to solve. Solutions for all, however, are revealed at the back of the book.

Five-minute Mysteries 5 is a treat for both puzzle aficionados and mystery fans, and a rare opportunity to step into the shoes of law enforcement professionals.

Ken Weber