▁Each ▁story ▁involves ▁the ▁club ▁members ' ▁knowledge ▁of ▁t riv ia . ▁Near ly ▁every ▁story ▁here ▁is ▁about ▁dec oding ▁a ▁r iddle , ▁each ▁of ▁which ▁provides ▁a ▁clue ▁based ▁on ▁dying ▁or ▁last ▁words , ▁misunder stood ▁words , ▁forgotten ▁words , ▁or ▁with h eld ▁words . ▁A ▁few ▁are ▁based ▁on ▁facts ▁that ▁are , ▁perhaps , ▁not ▁generally ▁known ▁to ▁the ▁public ▁– ▁As im ov ▁was ▁a ▁frequent ▁writer ▁of ▁popular ▁science ▁and ▁his ▁incl ination ▁to ▁explain ▁anything ▁and ▁everything ▁for ▁the ▁general ▁public ▁carried ▁over ▁into ▁other ▁fields , ▁such ▁as ▁history ▁and ▁soci ology ▁– ▁but ▁all ▁the ▁myster ies ▁play ▁fair ▁with ▁the ▁reader , ▁who ▁is ▁given ▁either ▁enough ▁information ▁to ▁figure ▁out ▁the ▁solution ▁or ▁a ▁satisfying ▁conclusion ▁that ▁is ▁based ▁on ▁previously ▁given ▁facts ▁and ▁person ality ▁qual ities . ▁ ▁Cont ents ▁" Introduction " ▁" Si xty ▁Mill ion ▁Tr ill ion ▁Com bin ations " ▁( E ll ery ▁Queen ' s ▁Myst ery ▁Magazine , ▁ 5 ▁May ▁ 1 9 8 0 ) ▁– ▁A ▁par ano id ▁math ematic ian ▁who ▁suspect s ▁that ▁his ▁work ▁on ▁Gold bach ' s ▁conject ure ▁has ▁been ▁st olen . ▁When ▁the ▁authorities ▁demand ▁his ▁co operation , ▁he ▁sul k ily ▁gives ▁a ▁clue ▁to ▁the ▁code ▁which ▁protect s ▁his ▁work ▁on ▁a ▁shared ▁computer , ▁suspect ing ▁that ▁no ▁one ▁could ▁possibly ▁guess ▁or ▁dedu ce ▁the ▁code . ▁Fort un