Neatorama is proud to present a new series of Whodunits from Hy Conrad. The new mysteries are from The Little Giant® Book of Whodunits by Hy Conrad and Matt LaFleur. Can you solve the mystery before you read the solution?

A black Cadillac tore around the busy street corner, barely slowing as it approached the steps of the courthouse. The tinted, passenger-side window rolled down and a semi-automatic handgun poked its barrel out.

Pauly Gillespie, mob informant and federally protected witness, stood frozen in his tracks, his worst fears looking like a definite possibility. Pauly's FBI bodyguards threw themselves on top of him, but not before two shots erupted and Pauly had taken a bullet in the shoulder.

The Cadillac screeched across two lanes of traffic. But it made the mistake of turning left down an alley and getting stuck behind a double-parked delivery van. The two hit men scrambled out and raced away—right into the arms of four off-duty officers. Having heard the shots and the sirens, the officers grabbed the running men and held on until the FBI caught up.

Special Agent Brown was new to this unit and was always given the boring, inconsequential jobs. In this case, he was told to clear the Cadillac out of the alley so that normal traffic could resume. Brown adjusted the rearview mirror, backed the car out, and drove it around to where his colleagues were Mirandizing their suspects.

Brown stood and watched. One of the handcuffed men was tall, lean, and sullen. The other was a good five inches shorter, Agent Brown's height. Large but short. He spoke animatedly, gesturing freely with his hands.

Agent Fordney, director of the unit, seemed exasperated. "They ditched the gun back in the alley," Fordney growled. "They ditched their gloves back there, too. All right, boys, I'm going to ask you again. Which one of you was the shooter?"

Now it's time for our collaboration with the awesome What Is It? Blog! What is this thing -the long one on the very left of the wall? You don't have to know to win!

Place your guess in the comment section below. One guess per comment, please, though you can enter as many as you'd like. You might know the true answer, but we're going to select two winners who come up with the funniest, most outlandish guesses to win a T-shirt from the NeatoShop. However...

You MUST write your T-shirt selection alongside your guess. If you don't include a selection, you forfeit the prize, see? Look through the Science T-Shirts, Funny T-Shirts and Artist-Designed T-Shirts for starters.

Check out more mystery items at the What Is It? Blog. Good luck!

Update: This is a turtle probe, or turtle hook. Sometimes turtles will burrow into a muddy bank, if the hunter can see their breathing hole he can find the shell by probing the mud, and then hook the shell with the rod and pull the turtle out. Interesting, but we were looking for funny but wrong answers. One came from ktc, who said it’s a “Vintage tooth puller for dental clients with serious halitosis.” Ha! That’s worth a t-shirt from the NeatoShop! A shirt also goes to Lucas Gentry, for this answer: “It's a "Me too" parachute. Requires one sky diver to have already deployed their own parachute.” Congratulations to both! See the answers to all of this week’s mystery items at the What is It? blog.

Hey look! It's time for our collaboration with the wonderful What Is It? Blog! Do you know what the object in this picture is? It doesn't really matter if you do, because we are looking for the funniest guesses. You can win a t-shirt from the NeatoShop! But first, read the rules:

Place your guess in the comment section below. One guess per comment, please, though you can enter as many as you'd like. Two winners who submit funny and/or clever (albeit ultimately wrong) answers will each win a T-shirt from the NeatoShop.

Please write your T-shirt selection alongside your guess. If you don't include a selection, you forfeit the prize, okay? May we suggest the Science T-Shirt, Funny T-Shirt and Artist-Designed T-Shirts?

There are more pictures of this thing, and other mystery items of the week at the What Is It? Blog. Good luck!

Update: This object is a meat tenderizer, patent number 2,495,989. That makes sense, but your incorrect answers were much funnier! A winning entry came from stapler, who was the first to see the obvious resemblance: “Designed and tested by Red Skull, this in an early Gillette Mach 6 shaving razor prototype.” Yep! The other t-shirt from the NeatoShop goes to sandyra, who said, “t's the cigarette loading/firing machine that shot out cigarettes at the fembots mouths in that Austin Powers movie. 6 fembots, 6 cigarettes. Perfect.” Congratulations to both! And thanks to the What Is It blog, where you can see the answers to all this week’s mystery items.

It's Thursday, so you know what it means, Neatoramanauts: it's time for the What Is It? Game, brought to you by the always amusing What Is It? Blog.

What is this thing in the picture? Your guess can win you a free T-shirt of your choice from the NeatoShop! Here's how to play:

Place your guess in the comment section below. One guess per comment, but you can enter as many guesses as you'd like in separate comments.

You might know what they are, but if you want to win a t-shirt, you'll have to use your imagination, because we are going to select two winners who give us the funniest incorrect guesses. If you guess right, then good for ya - but you don't win anything, mmkay? So, it's up to you, funny people: you have twice the chance of winning that T-shirt now.

Please write your T-shirt selection alongside your guess. If you don't include a selection, you forfeit the prize. We highly suggest you take a look at the NeatoShop's new selection of Funny T-shirts and Science T-Shirts.

Ready? Go for it! THere's another picture of this object at the What Is It? Blog.

Update: The pictured items is a push stick that was used to move workpieces into a bandsaw blade. Your answers were much more entertaining. Susan Castle had a great answer: “It's the device that Bart Simpson's barber uses to achieve a perfect cut every time!” That’s certainly good for a t-shirt from the NeatoShop! The other winner is Tapisbis, who said, “It's a Shark Guage. After struggling out of the surf, you put the tool into the wound, count the marks to determine the size of the Shark that bit you.” Congratulations to both! Thanks to everyone who entered, and thanks to the What Is It Blog. You can find the answers to all the mystery items of the week posted there.

It's once again time for our collaboration with the wonderfully entertaining What Is It? Blog. Do you know what the pictured item is? Can you make up something totally wacky? That's what we're looking for: the funniest and most creative guesses. We will award t-shirts from the NeatoShop to two commenters who post the cleverest, funniest, or most outlandish use for this thing!

Place your guess in the comment section below. One guess per comment, please, though you can enter as many guesses as you'd like in separate comments. You have until Friday evening to come up with great guesses.

Please write your T-shirt selection alongside your guess. If you don't include a selection, you forfeit the prize. May we suggest the Science T-Shirt, Funny T-Shirt and Artist-Designed T-Shirts?

See, you don't have to know the answer to win! And there's another picture of this thing, as well as other mystery items, at the What Is It? Blog. Good luck!

Update: the item is a gunner's quadrant or artillery inclinometer. Interesting, but your wrong answers were downright funny! A t-shirt goes to pismonque, who said “That's the FreeFall thrill ride at Six Flags Over Lilliput.” Another t-shirt goes to Lucas Gentry for his answer “It's a practice bat'leth, for infant Klingons. Once you turn 5 years old, though, you need to use real blades, though.” Congratulations to both! Find the answers to all the mystery items of the week at the What Is It? blog.

Hey look! It's time for our collaboration with the wonderful What Is It? Blog! Do you know what the object in this picture is? It doesn't really matter if you do, because we are looking for the funniest guesses. You can win a t-shirt from the NeatoShop! But first, read the rules:

Place your guess in the comment section below. One guess per comment, please, though you can enter as many as you'd like. Two winners who submit funny and/or clever (albeit ultimately wrong) answers will each win a T-shirt from the NeatoShop.

If you guess the correct answer, you'll get a big pat on the back.

Please write your T-shirt selection alongside your guess. If you don't include a selection, you forfeit the prize, okay? May we suggest the Science T-Shirt, Funny T-Shirt and Artist-Designed T-Shirts?

This ia one of several mystery items of the week at the What Is It? Blog. Good luck!

Update: The mystery tool is an ice pick. A serious ice pick. Your funny answers were good, too. One came from tchitchou, who said, “That's an old device used to curve bananas. This version is no longer used because workers were cutting their fingers too often. A round version is now used.” That’s good for a t-shirt from the NeatoShop! Phil and Buster had a winning answer, too: “This is a device my third grade teacher used to demonstrate the difference between a dull ache and a sharp pain.” Ha! Congratulations to the winners, and thanks to everyone who played. See the answers to all of the mystery items of the week at the What is It? blog.

W00t! It's time for another collaboration with the awesome What Is It? Blog. Can you guess what this odd item is? This week, we are looking for funny and clever answers, not the correct one, but if you guess correctly, you'll win our undying respect. If you have one of the two funniest answers, you'll win a T-Shirt from the NeatoShop!

Place your guess in the comment section. One guess per comment, though you can enter as many guesses as you'd like. You have until the answer is revealed on the What Is It? Blog tomorrow.

You must write your prize selection alongside your guess, so visit the NeatoShop and take a look around. If you don't write your prize selection, then you don't get the prize. I think you'll like the selection of funny t-shirts and science t-shirts -or even t-shirts of your favorite blogs and websites.

There's another picture of this unidentified object at the What Is It? Blog, as well as other items to guess about. Good luck!

Update: the mystery item is a wire fence stretcher. However, we were looking for wrong but funny answers, and we got them! Patrick Scott 1 explained that it is a “Dharma Initiative plot perforator! More holes, more holes!” which is a reference to the TV show Lost. That wins him a t-shirt! Another t-shirt goes to ladybugs, who said it was “Jaws of Life used during medieval times to cut knights out of their armor after a horrendous battle." Congratulations! Thanks to everyone who played, and thanks to the What Is It? blog.

The following is a Whodunit by Hy Conrad featuring Jonah Bixby, a twelve-year-old crime solver and son of a police detective. Can you solve the crime?

(Image credit: Flickr user Gabe Mulley)

It was a warm Saturday afternoon, and Jonah was on his skateboard, negotiating the curvy sidewalk along River Road. That's when he almost hit the lemonade stand. He saw it just in time, swerving, then tumbling onto a brand-new lawn in front of a brand-new house.

"Are you okay?" asked Denny. Denny was Sally Smith's eight-year-old brother. He was the one who'd set up his business right in the middle of the sidewalk.

Jonah brushed himself off. "You need to find a better spot to sell lemonade."

"No way," said Denny, not quite understanding what Jonah meant. "This is the best. See those guys moving furniture?" He pointed to two workmen who were pushing a final sofa up a ramp and into the house. "They bought nineteen glasses."

"Wow." Jonah was impressed and his irritation dissolved.

"Yeah, it's great," said Denny, but his smile dipped at the corners. "There's just one problem."

Then, as if on cue, the problem came riding up on his bike. It was Frankie Rooter. Frankie was a year older than Jonah, big for his age, and fast becoming a real bully.

"Give me another one," Frankie growled at Denny.

"Hey." Jonah stepped forward. "You want lemonade, Frankie? Pay for it."

"No, that's all right," Denny said. He had already poured a glass and was handing it over. That's when they heard the shouts coming from just inside the new house.

Through the open door, the boys could hear two men arguing at full volume. A second later, one of the men came to the door and saw them on the sidewalk. "You kids. Come in here now." He spoke with such authority that not even Frankie hesitated.

Inside the front door was a spacious entryway, with three corridors branching off in different directions and a grand staircase going up. The man who had ordered them inside was the moving-van driver. The other man was smaller, almost timid-looking. But right now he was angry. They were both angry.

It's Thursday, so you know what it means, Neatoramanauts: it's time for the What Is It? Game, brought to you by the always amusing What Is It? Blog. What is the object in the picture above? Your guess can win you a free T-shirt of your choice from the NeatoShop. Here's how to play:

Place your guess in the comment section below. One guess per comment, but you can enter as many guesses as you'd like in separate comments. Post no URLs or weblinks.

You might know the correct answer, but if you want to win a t-shirt, you'll have to use your imagination, because we are going to select two winners who give us the funniest incorrect guesses. If you guess right, then good for ya - but you don't win anything, see? So, it's up to you, funny people: you have twice the chance of winning that T-shirt now.

Please write your T-shirt selection alongside your guess. If you don't include a selection, you forfeit the prize. We highly suggest you take a look at the NeatoShop's new selection of Funny T-shirts and Science T-Shirts.

Ready? Go for it! (Don't forget to visit the What Is It? Blog for more clues!)

Update: the mystery item is a chain breaker, or chain detacher. There’s more about it at the What Is It? blog. Meanwhile, we had a lot of wrong but funny answers here in the game! Andrew Dalke had a clever answer (a reader favorite with 5 ♥s), “It's for grooming the sheep that make steel wool.” That’s a winning answer, but unfortunately, he did not select a t-shirt. StilesJM 1 also had a good answer, it’s “Salvador Dali's salad fork.” That’s certainly worth a t-shirt from the NeatoShop! Thanks to everyone who played this week, and thanks to the What Is It? blog!

The following is a Whodunit by Hy Conrad featuring Jonah Bixby, a twelve-year-old crime solver and son of a police detective. Can you solve the crime?

(image credit: Flickr user Atavic Art)

Detective Carol Bixby gazed at the corpse and couldn't shake the feeling that she was taking part in a cheesy mystery novel. She had heard stories about murder victims writing a last dying message in their own blood. Such things actually did occur. But why would someone use his last ounce of strength to crawl over to a wall and write in blood ... his own name? It made no sense.

The murder scene was in the offices of Martinez and Kramer, certified public accountants. It was an oddly shaped space. In the front was a reception area guarded by Mona Lapinski, a middle-aged assistant. Behind her station, the office split like a "Y," with two long corridors angling off. At the end of one corridor was a frosted glass door, with painted letters proclaiming "Douglas Kramer." At the end of the other corridor was a similar frosted door, this one with the name of his partner, "Gil Martinez."

On the day of the murder, Mona left the office around noon to walk in the park and eat the sandwich and apple she brought every day from home. Gil Martinez left a few minutes later to have lunch with a client at his private club. That left Douglas Kramer alone in his office.

Mona was the one to find his body. "I was coming back from the park," she said in her statement. "I saw Larry, the guy from Worldwide Parcel, on the sidewalk, ringing our buzzer. He said no one was answering, which isn't unusual at lunchtime. I signed for the parcel, said good-bye to Larry, and unlocked the door. People in this building are very good about security. Strangers don't get in."

"Anyway," Mona continued, stopping to take in a deep breath. "The parcel was for Mr. Martinez, so when I got inside, I took it straight back to his office. A soon as I walked in..." She shivered. "Chairs turned over, lamps broken. And the blood."

When Gil Martinez walked in a minute later, he found Mona standing in his private office, screaming at the top of her lungs. His business partner, Douglas Kramer, lay next to the wall, a pair of scissors embedded in his stomach. On the wall, by his outstretched hand, were four letters printed in blood. "D-O-U-G."

It's once again time for our collaboration with the wonderfully entertaining What Is It? Blog. Do you know what the pictured item is? Can you make up something wonderfully wacky? That's what we're looking for: the funniest and most creative guesses. We will award t-shirts from the NeatoShop to two commenters who post the funniest or most outlandish use for this thing!

Place your guess in the comment section below. One guess per comment, please, though you can enter as many guesses as you'd like in separate comments. You have until Friday evening to come up with great guesses.

Please write your T-shirt selection alongside your guess. If you don't include a selection, you forfeit the prize, see? May we suggest the Science T-Shirt, Funny T-Shirt and Artist-Designed T-Shirts?

See, you don't have to know the answer to win! And remember, there are more mystery items to figure out at the What Is It? Blog. Good luck!

Update: the pictured item is is a British grenadier's match case. It carried a slow burning piece of cord used to light grenades. The What Is It? blog has a lot more about it. The answers y’all came up with were much funnier. Patrick Scott called it a “Pope Francis Supersoaker Aspergillum. Rowdy crowds get a Holy Soaking!” That’s good for a t-shirt! And kantoboy put it succinctly, it is “The Tin Man's actual wish.” Ha! -that’s a winner, too! Thanks to everyone who played along, and thanks to the What Is It? Blog.

The following is a Whodunit by Hy Conrad featuring Jonah Bixby, a twelve-year-old crime solver and son of a police detective. Can you solve the crime?

(Image credit: Flickr user Howard Jefferson)

"Mom, please, I've never been inside a fire scene," Jonah whined.

"And you're not getting into this one," Carol said flatly. They were standing in front of a small bungalow on Beaverton's north side. The charred walls were still standing, but the fire had been intense enough to kill the home's single resident, a pretty, young waitress named Sarah Simmons who had lived there with her beloved cat. The arson investigator was here to determine if it was an accident or not, while Detective Bixby was on hand to oversee the removal of the body and preserve the scene, in case it proved to be homicide.

Jonah's mother joined the other investigators inside the bungalow, leaving him alone on the porch. "I tried to stop her, but she wouldn't listen," said a choked voice from behind him. Jonah turned to see a nervous little man with a thin, hawk-like face. He introduced himself as Billy Borenson, Sarah's neighbor.

"I just came home from the grocery store when I saw the fire." He pointed to his car, parked haphazardly in the driveway of the bungalow next door. "Her house was filled with flames. They were coming out the windows. I'm the one who called 911," he said, rather proudly. "I guess everyone else on the block was at work or something."

Jonah had no reason not to like Billy Borenson, but he didn't need a reason. The guy just seemed creepy. "What do you mean, you tried to stop her?"

"Oh, I mean Sarah. I would have gone in to save her, you know. But she came out just as I was about to. We stood on the lawn together, just waiting for the fire engines. And then I was dumb enough to ask about her cat, Mr. Tibbs. Before I could stop her, Sarah was running back in the house, calling for her cat."

"Why didn't you go in after her?" Jonah asked. He was a little irritated by the man's false boasts of bravery.

"That would've been suicide," Borenson said. "There were flames everywhere, even on the floor..." He stopped as he saw a younger man running up the driveway. "Uh-oh," he whispered to Jonah. "That's Sarah's boyfriend. Ex-boyfriend, I mean."

It's Thursday, so you know what it means, Neatoramanauts: it's time for the What Is It? Game, brought to you by the always amusing What Is It? Blog.

What is this thing in the picture? Your guess can win you a free T-shirt of your choice from the NeatoShop! Here's how to play:

Place your guess in the comment section below. One guess per comment, but you can enter as many guesses as you'd like in separate comments. Post no URLs or weblinks.

You might know what it is, but if you want to win a t-shirt, you'll have to use your imagination, because we are going to select two winners who give us the funniest incorrect guesses. If you guess right, then good for ya - but you don't win anything, mmkay? So, it's up to you, funny people: you have twice the chance of winning that T-shirt.

Please write your T-shirt selection alongside your guess. If you don't include a selection, you forfeit the prize. We highly suggest you take a look at the NeatoShop's new selection of Funny T-shirts and Science T-Shirts.

Ready? Go for it! Visit the What Is It? Blog for more pictures of this object.

Update: the mystery object is a corn husker, according to patent number 27,638, "...it both strips off the husks and severs the ear from the stalk." We also had some funny alternate suggestions for its use. Jaguarfeather said, “New evidence has emerged that sea life evolved through its own Iron Age. A rare specimen fossil of the high-arched metallic dorsal Clampfish has recently been excavated near Iron Bay, BC.” That’s good for a t-shirt from the NeatoShop! And e6c has this to say, “It's my wife's nose hair tweezer... (for the love of God, I hope my wife doesn't see this post)” Well, you might be in trouble now, because that’s a winner! Thanks to everyone who played (all the answers were great), and thanks to the What Is It? blog!

The following is a Whodunit by Hy Conrad featuring Jonah Bixby, a twelve-year-old crime solver and son of a police detective. Can you solve the crime?

(Image credit: Flickr user Dustin Quasar)

"Mom, I look like a stupid penguin."

Jonah waddled back and forth in front of the museum, pretending to be outraged by the rented tuxedo. In reality, though, Jonah thought it was kind of cool being dressed up like James Bond and taking part in his first undercover assignment.

"Jonah, stop," Carol Bixby hissed as she straightened the straps of her formal gown. "The first rule is not to draw attention to yourself."

"Sorry." Jonah didn't blame his mother for being upset. After all, she and the other police detectives had worked long hours to ensure that tonight's event ran smoothly.

The event was a charity gala featuring five newly acquired sculptures. They were modern pieces and each statue was accented in real fur. That was why the museum needed such security. Anti-fur protestors were picketing the museum, and some had even threatened to crash the gala and destroy the offending works of art.

At the front of the line, Jonah handed the guard his long rectangular ticket and got in return the ticket's torn square stub. Then he and his mother stepped through metal detectors and underwent a bag search. Once inside the grand lobby, they blended in with the other formally dressed guests, except that Detective Carol Bixby wore an earpiece and had a police-issue handgun in her fancy little purse.

The crowd was just beginning to wander back toward the exhibition rooms when her earpiece began to squawk. "Silent alarm," a voice informed her. "Exhibition Hall J."

"The statue room," Carol whispered to her son and started sprinting in that direction. Jonah followed and so did two other undercover "guests." All four of them wound their way through the labyrinth of hallways and arrived at about the same moment, rushing into Exhibition Hall J and finding it freshly vandalized.

Jonah saw the five statues in the center of the room, each one with a red "X" sprayed across it. On one of the walls was a message, also in red paint. "Fur Is Mur..." it said, the last letter trailing off into nothing.

Now it's time for our collaboration with the awesome What Is It? Blog! What is this thing? You don't have to know to win!

Place your guess in the comment section below. One guess per comment, please, though you can enter as many as you'd like. You might know the true answer, but we're going to select two winners who come up with the funniest, most outlandish guesses to win a T-shirt from the NeatoShop. However...

Please write your T-shirt selection alongside your guess. If you don't include a selection, you forfeit the prize, okay? May we suggest the Science T-Shirt, Funny T-Shirt and Artist-Designed T-Shirts?

Check out the other mystery items, too, at the What Is It? Blog. Good luck!

Update: This is a lawn mower blade balancer.It is used after sharpening the blade to ensure that each half of it weighs the same. You can see a video of the process at the What Is It? blog. We, of course, were looking for imaginative but wrong answers. Tapisbis had a good one,

It's one of the first artificial Christmas trees. Before plastics became common, scientists searched for viable artificial Christmas trees, this early tin example was quite popular although balancing the ornaments on the shelves proved challenging after a couple of eggnogs.

Which is deserving of a t-shirt from the NeatoShop! Another one goes to Warren Auld, who said it was “Archimedes drain plug. Also the reason he suddenly shouted ‘Eureka!’” Ha! Thanks to everyone who played this week, and thanks to the What Is It? blog.