Solving Expansion Cases in Detective: City of Angels
Find more mysteries to piece together and solve in the Bullets Over Hollywood expansion for Detective: City of Angels.
If there’s one thing I know about myself, it’s that I will steer clear of a game for too long when given the chance… And it was time to dig into more Detective: City of Angels! Maybe it would have made sense to pace myself as these expansions were released, but no matter. Time to dig into Detective: Bullets Over Hollywood to discover more 1940s mysteries!
Spoiler Alert
No solutions are presented, although you may see some elements from the cases included in this expansion. I don’t go into details about how to solve any of the clues, and everything is presented to provide an idea of the included cases without any major spoilers. If you like surprises when opening up a new case, you may want to skim or skip over this post. No worries!
Game Overview
Game Name: Detective: City of Angels
Publication Year: 2019
Designer: Evan Derrick
Artist: Vincent Dutrait
Publisher: Van Ryder Games
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
This system is all about solving mysteries in 1940s L.A. A paragraph system works in the solo mode, providing details and answers to questions. But suspects lie! Challenging these replies to get to the truth is a core mechanic, and finding the right solution is challenging and satisfying.
First Play
June 22, 2019
Complexity
2
Latest Play
May 10, 2025
Expansions
3
Setup Time
10 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
21
Play Time
45 Minutes
High Score
N/A
Game Area
36" x 28"
Low Score
N/A
A Set of New Cases
Hurray for new cases! Included in this first expansion are a total of 4 cases, all in their own handy boxes. You might notice a familiar naming convention on one case…
Exciting! All of these cases looked like they would be in the more difficult realm with some very unique mysteries.
Again, no spoilers! I think the only disappointment existed in Requiem for a Gangster. This was designed to work with a twist in the competitive game mode for a challenge.
In solo, as I’ll note below, it’s actually downgraded from a hardboiled to gumshoe case… And was a bit too easy for me.
Finding the Reason
Most cases involve identifying a motive from a set list on the back of the sleuth mode book. For one of these cases, there was a little twist with a smaller set of motives.
Nearly all of the cases either have a motive that takes some time to track down, or multiple suspects and motives.
Figuring out the truth often involves piecing together clues or carefully questioning a suspect. Call out a lie correctly, and the truth may very well point directly at someone!
Surprises popped up in these expansion cases, making me think a lot more and wade through lots of evidence.
Return of a Villain
I’ll try not to spoil too much, yet let’s just say that once you play the base game, there is a character who seems perfect to make a return in another case. A-ha! Another appearance.
Christmas in July introduced reports from official sources, provided I had the right information to ask about.
Taken on their own, a few reports seemed to point to one conclusion. Others led to something else… And I still found even more possibilities when I investigated further.
This was a neat case that had more going on beneath the surface and was another enjoyable mystery to work on!
A Case Masterpiece
Perhaps my favorite case from this expansion was The Masterpiece of Madrid. Again, no spoilers, as what you see is present at the start. That’s right: It’s all about puzzles!
The usual mystery is still present and requires a solution, but the case also presents a secondary sort of mystery.
I’ll be honest: I got stumped a couple of times and started wildly guessing, which was a bad idea. So I needed to very slightly cheat and give myself back 2 actions on the last day.
Appalling. Ha! I still solved everything and got the correct solution, so I didn’t mind going slightly over the time limit.
Ranking the Bullets Over Hollywood Cases
Moving through this expansion went rather quickly! I think the cases took me less time to complete than some of the base game cases, most likely due to me flying through my investigations. That information was mine, and no one was going to stop me from finding the truth. It was a little close a couple of times, yet I managed to find the solutions. Hurray!
- The Masterpiece of Madrid (Hardboiled)
- Crimson Obsession (Veteran)
- Christmas in July (Hardboiled)
- Requiem for a Gangster (Gumshoe)
Searching the City
Some cases focus more on asking the right questions, and others are more about moving around L.A. I put this search grid to good use, hunting down lots of paragraphs to read!
It was neat to balance the main investigation with another mystery, since everything took up actions and time.
As I mentioned, I cheated a little bit to get to the last location I needed for the final solution… Close enough!
Reading the paragraphs for the useless locations was still fun, though. There were some humorous moments mixed in and I enjoyed feeling like the entire setting was alive.
Who Did It?!
Requiem for a Gangster was the most disappointing of the cases, likely since it wasn’t designed for the sleuth mode. It still worked and there were some interesting plot points.
Or maybe my young Columbo senses were too good and my first instinct led me in the right direction. Ha! Apparently, I’m an excellent fictional detective. I’ll take it!
The case quality was pretty great overall, and I was glad I had a chance to finally explore this first expansion.
It’s not a mystery what will be coming up next… A little smoke. A few mirrors? And the most obvious expansion!
Session Overview
Play Number: 11-14
Expansion: Detective: Bullets Over Hollywood
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Play Details: All Expansion Cases
Outcome: 4 Wins
I thought this last case was going to be difficult, but the gumshoe classification turned out to be correct. Not a big deal, though: I thought the quality of the other cases was awesome as I worked my way through the clues and the entire city of L.A. There’s only one more thing to do… Solve even more cases as an expert detective like Columbo!
%
20 Plays
Affordability
Price & Value
8
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
10
Originality
Design & Theme
7
Quality
Components & Rules
9
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
7
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
5
+ Pros (Positives)
- Different case structures and special rules provide fresh takes on the system and make each mystery feel unique.
- A recurring character seems to add a bit of intrigue to one case, providing an ongoing mystery and adversary.
- Paragraphs are easy to look up and have something relevant, even if it turns out to be a dead end with flavor text.
- Leveraging suspects by calling out lies is an excellent mechanic that shines and brings each character to life.
- Clues are usually presented in an obvious way, yet some of them require a bit of reasoning to really make sense of.
- The limited number of investigation days creates a bit of tension to use actions for the most useful information.
– Cons (Negatives)
- Requiem for a Gangster might not be as satisfying in the sleuth mode, since it was designed for competitive play.
- Some puzzles might be rather tricky to solve solo, especially without a lot of hints to help point towards the answers.
- With some evidence, it’s easy to start going down the wrong path and not realize how to pivot to the true solution.
- Cases have a single solution, so playing again is not really possible, making the solo experience somewhat limited.
Victory Conditions
Complete the Case
- Overall Goal Progress 100%
Goals and Milestones
Complete all base game cases. (9/9)
Complete all Bullets Over Hollywood expansion cases. (4/4)
Complete all Saints and Sinners expansion cases. (3/3)
Complete all Smoke and Mirrors expansion cases. (4/4)
Continue the Conversation
Do you have a favorite case from Detective: City of Angels? Have you played through the expansions? I wondered what might be waiting for me in these cases that have sat around for so long. Awesome mysteries! I was only mildly disappointed in a single case, while the rest kept me on my toes and hunting down the clues. Onto another expansion!
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