Writer crafts mystery books highlighting metro area landmarks - KMSP-TV

A stay at home dad has turned his hobby into a business. For Jay Carlson, that hobby involves being as crafty as possible to outsmart other people.

There are a lot of mysteries at the Oakland Cemetery, and that's exactly why Carlson chose it as setting for his new book in which you are the detective.

"I really have been making puzzles and games my whole life," said Carlson.

Carlson says it took some time to craft the mystery in his Clue Town series of books, and just like The Following's devious Joe Carroll, he wants to involve as many people as possible.    

"I like games. I want other people to like games. They're one of the few things I'm good at," Carlson said.

Unlike Joe Carroll, Carlson is not a serial killer. He's a writer and creator of Clue Town.

"The way the book works is that each clue is at a landmark, an existing landmark that's not going anywhere, and use the information from that landmark to solve the puzzle and move to the next location," said Carlson.

Basically, Clue Town is an old-fashioned scavenger hunt. In his Oakland Cemetery book, you use information from mausoleums and gravestones to lead you from page to page. You get a compass and a pencil, but the rest is up to your brain.

"It wasn't until I started surveying the area that I started noticing all these nooks and crannies that I felt like, even if you're a seasoned Oakland Cemetery-goer, these would be something new, that you hadn't seen before," explained Carlson.

It's not easy. You'll make some wrong turns along the way, and like any mystery mastermind, that's exactly what Carlson wanted.

"It's an experience. It's kind of like going to the movies, but much cheaper for the family," Carlson said.

So far, Carlson has released Clue Town books on the cemetery and Piedmont Park. He's currently working on one for downtown Decatur. For more information on Clue Town Books, click here!