Perceptive PI

A master of disguise, you’re a crime-busting jack of all trades! You’re able to quickly take on any role or task to gather the evidence you need and crack a case wide open, gaining you the curious title of Perceptive PI! 

Your friends call you Hawk for your keen eye and incredible observation skills – nothing gets past you, and even the best criminal mastermind is no match…  

You’re totally motivated to get the job done for the reward – you’re in it not just for the money but for the sense of achievement in cracking those tricky cases.  

Your ideal case

Test out your sneaky clue-solving skills and catch the crafty criminals on a detective mystery Treasure Trail! 

To find your closest investigation, head to the Treasure Trails website and click on the ‘Buy a Treasure Trail’ tab at the top. Choose your local area to see all the Trails nearby listed on the left-hand side.

Click on the ‘Advanced Filter’ drop-down option above this list, and then pick the right theme to show all the active cases near you!

Once you’ve chosen your Treasure Trail, read on for top tips on how to plan your perfect investigation. 

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Make a covert day of it

Pre-case prep

Before you start combing around for evidence, it’s vital that you’re prepared for a day of clue-cracking and subtle observation. 

Fuel up

You might be ducking and diving a lot today. Your investigation could take many turns. We suggest something light for breakfast, some fruit and yoghurt, or a slice of toast. Then prepare some snacks to take with you to have on the go – avoid wrappers that might rustle!

Get kitted out

You’ll be undercover on your investigation, so dress to blend in. Check the weather – you don’t want to be over or underdressed and stand out! Oh, and pack a few different hats so that you can change your appearance if needed.

Limber up

If you’ve not been out sleuthing in a while, you might be a little rusty! Before you leave, have a good shake out, limb by limb, and practice slyly looking up, down, left and right in search of the evidence. Then, quickly jump left and right a few times to dodge out of view. Finally, a brisk 30 seconds of catching up with criminals on the spot will do the trick! 

If you’re anticipating a strenuous investigation, here’s some extra warm-up training:

Pick your detective codename

You never know how many criminal masterminds and horrid henchmen could be on your tail trying to thwart your investigation.

To avoid giving away your identity and drawing attention to yourself, you’ll need to choose a codename. Make sure all PIs in your team have their own codename and that you refer to them with that name at all times! 

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Out on your Trail

Top Trailing tips

You usually like to work alone, but the more eyes, the better for spotting clues. Listen to the rest of your squad in order to get your case cracked. You’re quiet and calculating, taking care to fully screen all evidence before jumping to conclusions. You see things from all angles but must remember not to overthink the clues – some may be as simple as they seem! 

Act like a true private investigator

Every time you spot a clue, keep quiet and resist the urge to shout out! Instead, make the ‘found it’ signal – rotate your pointing finger twice, then subtly point at the evidence in question.

Keep a lookout for…

Anyone showing suspicious behaviour – they could be linked to your investigations! Don’t approach them, or you might blow your cover. Instead, make as many notes as you can in case you need to refer back to them later. 

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Back at your office

Submit your answer

To close the case, you need to find out whether you’ve successfully cracked this tricky task or whether the criminal slipped through your fingers this time. So, don’t delay – submit your answer; you may be rewarded!

Grab some grub

After a hard day undercover, you’ll be hungry and in need of a good feed. A healthy plate of food is what you need after all that stakeout snacking, so make those vegetables count!

Put down the paperwork for some evening fun

After a hard day out on patrol, you deserve to unwind and have a laugh. 

Grab a deck of cards and have a game of Go Fish. You’ll need to practice your strategy and observation skills to work out who has the cards you need! Find out how to play here.  

Gather your fellow PIs in front of the telly for some top detective films – try Nancy Drew (2007) for the young detectives, or Knives Out (2019) and its sequel Glass Onion (2022) for the big investigators. If you’ve got a little more time on your hands before your next assignment, hunker down and get nostalgic with a Poirot TV show marathon. 

If you’d rather curl up with a good book, Murder Most Unladylike (Robin Stevens, 2016) is a great read to get younger sleuths ready for their next case. In the Woods (Tana French, 2007) will keep the adults entertained, while The Ashes of London (Andrew Taylor, 2017) mixes history, mystery and crime-solving goodness. 

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What’s next?

Now that you’ve had a taste of detection, you’ll be eager for some more! But did you learn anything while on your case? Put your new-found knowledge to the test and retake the quiz to see if there’s anything you’d do differently next time. You may discover that you’ve become a totally new type of adventurer!

Get social

Don’t forget to share your perceptive PI escapades with us on social media. Tag us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram – you never know, we might feature you as our detectives of the month!