The Murder of Max Sinclair [prev. Case Closed]

Ronan (our GM) jumped straight into character for our briefing, which took place in the cafe, before taking us through to the room. His improvisation skills were second-to-none, as he questioned if Detective Clueless was related to a certain DJ Clueless - one of our characters from our playthrough of their other room, Radio Nowhere. As we stepped into the room, we literally felt as though we'd entered a film noir. The ambience was incredible, heavily utilising dynamic lighting and music throughout to enhance storytelling. As with Radio Nowhere, this room is broken into "acts", with each requiring that you correctly answer a series of questions about the investigation. The answers are written on a questionnaire sheet, which you post through a letterbox in the room. If the answers are all correct, the lighting will change and you'll hear a voiceover aka your "internal monologue", which unlocks the next stage of the case. Once you've successfully completed all of the acts, you'll discover the identity of the murderer and face a final challenge. Our first task was to identify aspects of the crime scene that didn't add up, which was a great test of our observation skills. Compared to Radio Nowhere, The Murder of Max Sinclair leans more into puzzle-solving, as well as deduction. As such, you can expect to find more traditional puzzles and locks, alongside the murder mystery elements. It felt like a full forensic investigation, in which we tested blood, searched for hidden messages, compared handwriting and listened intently to cassette tape recordings. All in an attempt to find key pieces of evidence that would lead us towards the killer. The experience manages to pack in a significant number of tasks across the 90 minutes, with plenty to share out across a larger team. Before our visit, we were delighted to learn that The Murder of Max Sinclair had been announced as one of only 7 UK-based TERPECA 2025 finalists. Having now played the room, we can totally see why. It is a real treat for fans of the noir/detective genre and a great fusion of escape room, murder mystery and immersive theatre. It was an absolute joy to play and I cannot wait to see what Ronan dreams up next. A full review of the games on offer at this venue can be found here: https://escapepuzzler.com/case-closed-edinburgh-uk-feature/

Super ambient murder mystery room, with solid puzzles and a thorough story. Host Ronan was absolutely excellent, and the final moment was some of the most fun we’ve ever had in an escape room. So easy to tell this is a room made with love!! 🚢

This was by far one of the best escape rooms I have completed. Words cannot really describe how great an experience it was. We took the time to enjoy the board game cafe prior to the escape room, the hot chocolate and latte were on point. The escape room itself was the complete experience, that was only enhanced by the enthusiasm and passion of the games master. This was the highlight of my time in Edinburgh and cannot recommend it enough. When I come back to Edinburgh, Case Closed will be on the top of my list.

An experience really like no other. The strongest narrative I’ve ever experienced in an Escape Room. Simultaneously a very unflashy set and yet an extraordinarily immersive experience. A must do in Edinburgh!

An incredibly positive surprise! The perfect proof that great rooms don’t need a huge budget. A truly thrilling case. I enjoyed every minute of solving it.

We thoroughly enjoyed The Murder of Max Sinclair. Our GM Ronan, gave an enthusiastic and friendly welcome and guided us through the game, offering a genuinely interactive and fun experience. This is a fun, well thought out experience, with an impressive attention to the art of storytelling. You need to rely heavily on deduction alongside puzzling skills, and we really enjoyed this different approach. Great room that we’d highly recommend.

All I can say is wow! The wonderful people who created this experience clearly have a love and passion for what they do, very thorough, very original and one of the best I’ve done! Our game leader was brilliant, and enhanced the experience from start to finish (I can’t remember the lovely person’s name unfortunately!) - Thanks again for a great time :)

Fantastic room with a fantastic host.

I adore Case Closed's Max Sinclair room. It's not the most high tech room. It was clearly put together on a pretty shoe string budget, but there so much loveliness and creativity in each part of this room! The focus is less on escaping and more piecing together the case (if you like The Return of the Obra Dinn, this game is for you). One of my favorites in the UK!

We had an absolute blast in this room! More of a mystery-solving experience than a typical escape room (we were encouraged to take our time to enjoy the experience rather than rush through it). Ronan was a fantastic host—energetic and enthusiastic. We are excited to try their other room on our next trip to Edinburgh. Highly recommend!