Case 0017 · October 31, 2026

The Icon Restorer of Plaka

Under the Acropolis, an old man knew a saint from a sinner by the gold alone.

Tonight's case — free to play Difficulty: ●●●●●

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No graphic violence, no jump scares: a fair whodunit puzzle, about ten minutes a night.

The briefing

For fifty years Kyriakos Andreadis restored icons in a narrow studio in Plaka, under the floodlit walls of the Acropolis. Churches trusted him, and collectors feared him, because his certificate could make an icon priceless or worthless.

The rest of the briefing is waiting in the case file.

The victim

Kyriakos Andreadis, age 72Icon restorer and appraiserKyriakos could read an icon the way other men read a letter: the egg tempera, the gesso, the gold leaf, the century in which each was laid. Wormy panels went into the walk-in nitrogen chamber at the back of the studio, which he called his little desert, because nothing could live in it. Every Saturday night Marina sent down a plate from her taverna on the roof next door. He signed very few certificates, and never one he did not believe.

The suspects

Eleni AndreadiMuseum conservator · Daughter
Nikos VlachosApprentice icon restorer · Apprentice for nine years
Marina KostakiTaverna owner · Neighbour on the roof next door
Theodoros RaptisAntiques dealer · Client for twenty years
Hanna LeitnerFine art shipping agent · Visitor from Vienna

How to play this case

DifficultyFiendish (5/5)
The suspects5
TimeAbout ten minutes

5 suspects and 16 pieces of evidence wait in the file. Sweep your flashlight across the scene, listen to every voiced statement and pin what doesn't add up. You have three accusations to name the killer, the method and the motive; after that, the morning paper tells the whole story.

About this case

Case 0017, “The Icon Restorer of Plaka”, opened on October 31, 2026. Difficulty: Fiendish (5/5). It puts 5 suspects and 16 pieces of evidence in front of you, all connected to Kyriakos Andreadis. Like every Midnight Casebook file, it is a fair puzzle: there is no trick ending and no outside knowledge needed — everything that points to the answer is somewhere in the scene, the evidence or the statements.

Case notes

The Icon Restorer of Plaka unfolds in a narrow studio in the old Athens quarter of Plaka, beneath the floodlit walls of the Acropolis. For half a century Kyriakos Andreadis worked here among panels of egg tempera, gesso and gold leaf, an appraiser trusted by churches and feared by collectors, because his signature could make an icon priceless or worthless. It is a Saturday night, a taverna sits on the neighbouring roof, and at 21:40 his daughter finds him dead inside the sealed chamber at the back of the studio.

The file gathers five people around him, from family and a long-serving apprentice to a neighbour, a dealer and a visitor from Vienna, each wanting something from the old man. Three of them were in the building that evening, so timings and movements matter, as does the puzzle of a sealed room. You will also need to weigh who stood to gain from a single certificate, whose account does not hold, and whether every document in the studio is what it claims to be.

Rated five of six, this is a demanding case for players who keep careful notes and do not mind being beaten a few times before the picture comes clear.

Questions about this case

Is “The Icon Restorer of Plaka” free to play?

Yes. It is tonight's case, so it is free for everyone until the next case opens at midnight. Play it in your browser or in the Android app — no account needed to start.

How hard is “The Icon Restorer of Plaka”?

“The Icon Restorer of Plaka” is rated Fiendish (5/5) on the Midnight Casebook scale. Difficulty follows the week: Monday's case is the gentlest and the weekend's files are the toughest, and most players close a daily case in about ten minutes.

What if I get stuck on “The Icon Restorer of Plaka”?

Hints open one at a time: the first points to evidence worth a closer look, the second to a contradiction, the third explains one part of the puzzle. Free players get one hint per case, plus an extra one on hard cases during their first seven solves; Casebook Pro unlocks all three. Each hint costs 10 points and each wrong accusation 20, but time never counts against you.

Do I need to download anything to play “The Icon Restorer of Plaka”?

No. Like every Midnight Casebook case, it plays in any modern browser at midnightcasebook.com/play, and there is also an Android app. Sign in with Apple or Google when you want to keep your streak, scores and badges on every device.