Case No. 001 · Now open to order
Islay Detective Agency
Every letter to Santa has vanished from Islay. Case No. 001, The Vanishing Letters, is a five-night detective case for the whole family. A new sealed envelope every evening, a twist every night, and the final answer on Christmas Eve.
Orders close 14 December. Designed, printed and hand-cut at Wild Islay Studio.
Chief Inspector Gillies left this message for new recruits. Crack it to prove you're Agency material.
Meet the team
I’ve run the Islay Detective Agency for longer than I care to admit. Islay doesn’t have much crime. What it has is mysteries. Missing letters. Strange lights. Things that vanish off ferries. And lately, far more of them than one Chief Inspector can manage.
So I’ve teamed up with Connor at Wild Islay Studio in Bowmore. I investigate the cases. Connor turns my files into the real thing: every statement typed, every photo printed, every envelope cut, sealed and stamped by hand. He’s the only person on the island I’d trust with my evidence.
Now we’re recruiting. Not police officers. Families. People who notice things, ask awkward questions and don’t give up when the answer looks too obvious. In my experience, it usually is. Open one envelope a night. Trust your eyes. Trust no one else.
The case files
Every case is designed, printed and hand-cut in Bowmore, and every one is set right here on Islay. Open cases are ready to order. Sealed cases are on Chief Inspector Gillies’ desk, and they open when she says so.
Every letter to Santa has vanished from the sorting office. Five suspects, five nights and a twist every night, with the final answer on Christmas Eve.
How it works
Cases run all year round. Some take a couple of hours, some run over a couple of days, and some last five nights.
Pick an open case. One price for the whole family, with everything included.
A police-style evidence box, sealed and stamped, with every envelope inside.
Open the evidence when the case tells you to. New clues, new suspects and a twist. No peeking ahead.
Name the culprit, open the final envelope and earn your family’s first rank stamp.
Three kinds of case
Cases all year round for the whole family, with a role for every age.
Cases for school holidays and rainy days, to play solo or with a friend.
Harder codes and darker plots. Made for a night in with friends.
Climb the ranks
Keep your warrant card. Each case your family solves earns a new rank stamp, and the Chief Inspector keeps a record of every detective on the island.
Sworn in. Your family’s first case is closed.
Trusted with the trickier evidence.
The Chief Inspector starts asking for your opinion.
The highest rank on the island. Your family joins the Hall of Fame.
Agency HQ
Agency HQ is the private Facebook group for families on a case. Chief Inspector Gillies posts briefings there, hints if you’re stuck, and the first look at every new case.
Spoilers stay inside HQ. What happens in HQ stays in HQ.
Family Cases are made for the whole family to play together. Everyone gets a role, and the grown-ups get their own harder codes.
Everything you need: the case file, a sealed envelope for each night, evidence, codes and the case board. It’s all printed and pre-cut, with nothing extra to buy.
It depends on the case. Some take a couple of hours, some run over a couple of days, and some last five nights. The Vanishing Letters runs over five nights, from 20 December to Christmas Eve, at about 30 minutes a night.
Orders close on 14 December, so your evidence box is ready before the case begins.
Yes. Collect it from the studio in Bowmore or have it posted to you.
Ask in Agency HQ. Chief Inspector Gillies drops hints there for families who need a nudge.
