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If you’re a true crime buff, you’re gonna love my latest subscription box discovery: Be the Detective. This unique one-of-a-kind subscription brings you a fully immersive, realistic mystery that unravels over a three-month period, with each new month jam-packed with hidden clues to solve and riddles to decipher.
What makes this subscription so exceptionally unique is that you aren’t receiving skincare, makeup, or lifestyle products at a discounted price. Instead, you’re receiving an experience, the joy of which is in the astounding amount of detail and thought placed into the curation of each box.
This month’s box is episode one of ‘The Dual,’ the case of who murdered Claire Fontaine. Each case is covered over a three-box period, with new clues and discoveries coming to light each month. There to help you along the way is New York detective Phineas Quinn, who supplies each box with evidence to sift through, including witness statements, autopsy reports, journal entries, and various other pieces of evidence. Everything is well put together and incredibly detailed, making it an electrifying activity.
How much is this journey to amateur sleuth going to cost you? $30 per month or $28.33 for three months. There’s also discounts available for purchasing six months or twelve months of the subscription.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
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Subscription Details
Subscription Box: Be The Detective
Price: $30.00 per box
Delivery Options: Every month
Be The Detective Review
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I don’t want to give away too much, but I have to say, I am obsessed. It almost reminded me of those ‘choose your own adventure’ books that I used to read as a kid, but on a much more adult level. Everything was so meticulously done and well-thought out that I almost felt like I was in a crime show, attempting to solve this mystery alongside Detective Phineas Quinn. I am skeptical that his name is ‘Phineas;’ it sounds like the name of an eccentric serial killer. Because hey, suspect everyone and trust no one when it comes to solving a murder case. I love shows like ‘Fear Thy Neighbor’ on Discovery Plus, which outlines true stories of people getting murdered by their crazy neighbors over the length of grass and such. This subscription is set up kind of like that, slowly unfolding the story before your eyes with enough twists and turns to keep me captivated. And the mother of all cliffhangers had me on the edge of my seat the entire time, waiting for the killer to be revealed.
What I Loved About Be The Detective
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What I loved was how much detail was included and how realistically the materials, such as the autopsy report and journal, were. It was a whole lot of fun, doing this with a friend after an adult beverage or two. This is one of the first activities I’ve done in my grownup life that was so incredibly fun that didn’t completely revolve around screens. While there were some digital elements, such as websites to visit and gather clues from, and the Quinn Detective Agency site where you can chat with Quinn himself and find out if your discoveries are accurate. There is also a Facebook group for each ‘episode’ of The Dual where you can find and gather more detail if you find yourself stumped.
What I Didn't Love About Be The Detective
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Honestly, what I didn’t love is that in this particular episode, there are two discovery objectives and neither of them are to find the killer. I’m going to have to wait on the edge of my seat for the next box to see where the story goes. But all I want to know is WHO murdered Claire Fontaine!
What I Wished Be The Detective Had Done Differently
Nothing! I found this to be a truly delightful experience, and I think anything I would want would be in addition to the marvelous job that’s already been done. One thing I will say is that I would love more visual elements. In this particular episode, there is a TRAILER that really amps up the eerie feel of the mystery as well as some surveillance footage to establish the whereabouts of a certain someone – I’m not gonna tell you… Get the box and figure it out yourself. In addition to that, I would love some footage of Phineas Quinn giving advice or police interviews with suspects, witnesses, etc., that are visual as opposed to the written transcripts. I just feel so invested in these characters that I want to know what they all look like. Plus, I feel like you can see murder in the eyes…
Who Is Be The Detective Good For?
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I feel like this is definitely for a more adult audience; maybe not the little ones as the autopsy report is detailed and also has visual sketches of injuries that could be intense for the 16-and-under crowd. But for the rest of us, I think this is a wonderful and refreshing change of pace from what at least my group of friends in our twenties and thirties usually do. It’s a great group activity, especially if you’re into true crime, ID Discovery, Law & Order, etc. This may be morbid, but I could even see this as a fantastic date night activity if your significant other enjoys a bit of the post mortem fun.
Verdict
I was very impressed with this Be the Detective box! This is definitely a subscription that I would purchase outside of reviewing, as well as recommend to friends and family who enjoy crime-solving and internet sleuthing. I love how any of the websites and locations listed, you can actually find online, and that clues are spread out between your computer screen and the hard paper copies. Nothing makes you feel like you’re in a detective squad room reviewing vital information than having a paper autopsy report and a ‘MISSING’ poster in hand. If you are at all interested in true crime, mysteries, or brain puzzles and want to challenge yourself, don’t hesitate to try this box. Similarly, if you want to give this a try but are worried that you’re going to have trouble figuring it all out, don’t worry; there are plenty of clues available and hints you can access in case you get stumped. It’s not at all like the stress of being trapped in an escape room, unable to figure out that last clue for the life of you (as I know from personal experience, wink-wink). And remember, it's all in the details.
Have you tried Be The Detective? What did you think?
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