Quote from Alex55 on Thursday 18th July, 2019, 06:18

any additional help???

Quote from Stephen Lockyer on Friday 2nd August, 2019, 14:58

Look at the years above the line, between the addition signs, and add them up...

Quote from deadman88 on Tuesday 27th August, 2019, 18:05

I bought all 4 books on impulse, and I am disappointed with the first impression of this book. 

Unless a reasonable hint/explanation is given on how to even start with this 1st puzzle and why is it that way, I shall keep my comments to myself first.

Quote from morbus on Sunday 8th September, 2019, 20:54

@deadman88: Welcome to the forums.

"Reasonable" is in the eye of the beholder. As the first page of the book suggests, however, this is a story-based puzzle experience. The most important thing to "know" is what this experience is about: Henry VIII, the identity of Prisoner 7, and then helping Prisoner 7 escape. Knowing any facts about Henry VIII (and, as an American, I knew none) will help you with the starting puzzles. For example, I might say:

Hint 1:

[spoiler]There are six vertical lines. What did Henry VIII famously have six of?[/spoiler]

And then, Hint 2:

[spoiler]Focus only on the lifelines of the three wives in the dashed circle.[/spoiler]

And then, to reiterate the previous hints in this thread:

Hint 3:

[spoiler]Add the ages of the wives when Henry VIII became King of England.[/spoiler]

But, does that make the puzzle "reasonable"? That, I can't say.

Quote from Bremster on Saturday 20th June, 2020, 05:18

So I was really disappointed with this as a first puzzle in any of the books, after my wife bought a heap of them on spec after hearing a great review.

The answer is wrong, because a good puzzle will take into consideration research as well as what is on the page. I studied the timelines involved.

If the clue is supposed to be "ages of the wives" then it doesn't hold up because some of them were born later in the year than the crowning of Henry, so their ages at time Henry became the King isn't just Year minus Year.

So the answer is actually wrong.

I admit the first thing I tried was the sum of the ages of wives at the time of their marriage to Henry, rather than his crowning, which I can see having looked closer would be a misreading; but even then, the numbers should match.

I hope as I move forward I don't need to keep coming back here because there are mistakes in the answers.