Greg Karber, an Arkansas native also known as G.T. Karber, has carved a niche in the literary world with his detective puzzle book, “Murdle.” His work, influenced by his background as the son of a judge and a civil rights attorney and having a grandfather who was an FBI detective in San Francisco during the 1960s, has recently garnered significant attention.

Karber’s book “Murdle” was named Book of the Year at The British Book Awards 2024. The book, published in the UK by Souvenir Press, has topped the non-fiction: lifestyle & illustrated category and was the leading book in the literary charts during the Christmas season. It has been described as an ‘utterly addictive’ puzzle book, appealing especially to armchair detectives.

The concept for Murdle was initially scribbled on a napkin by Karber in a café in 2022. It involves a Sudoku-style grid where readers, using a list of weapons, suspects, and locations, must deduce the details of a fictitious crime. Karber, a part-time computer programmer, later developed a code to generate these puzzles, ensuring accuracy and eliminating human error. This led to the creation of the website murdle.com, which offers free daily puzzles and has amassed a large following.

In addition to his first book, Karber has published two more books in the Murdle series, with his latest titled “Murdle: Even More Killer Puzzles: 100 Cunningly Clever Murder Mystery Logic Puzzles.” His books have reached a global audience and have been translated into more than 28 languages. A junior version titled “Murdle Junior: Curious Crimes for Curious Minds” is set to release in November.

Karber’s work, celebrated for its engaging and challenging content, has resonated particularly well with British audiences, which he regards as a significant compliment given that “Murdle” is a tribute to British mysteries. Karber is currently on tour promoting his third book in the series, living with his partner Dani.