Nine Lives Software

adventures worth dying for

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NOIR: The Midnight Ledger - Walkthrough (Act One, Release 1)

This is Release 1 (v5.4.4, 4 October 2026), kept to compare. The current release is here.

Generated from the game’s own tested walkthroughs - don’t edit by hand. Regenerate with UPDATE_DOCS=1 cargo test --release docs (the test suite fails when this file is stale).

Spoilers, obviously. Stuck on one thing? Try the case notebook (N) first - its current lead is a hint.

Routes at a glance

Route Score Honor Ending
The straight way (below) 100 / 100 +20 (Decent) CASE CLOSED
Believing the wrong clues 15 / 100 +0 (Gray) THE WRONG MAN

Act One: Who Killed Eddie Walsh?

Kane Investigations

  1. USE the couch. (+2 pts; you get: dime)
  2. USE the bookshelf. (+3 pts; you get: flashlight)
  3. USE the desk. (+5 pts; you get: empty revolver, .38 shells)
  4. Combine the .38 shells with the empty revolver. (+5 pts; you get: loaded revolver)
  5. USE the filing cabinet. (+5 pts; you get: Eddie’s file)
  6. USE the wastebasket. (+5 pts; you get: crumpled note)
  7. USE the whiskey bottle. (+2 pts; you get: whiskey)
  8. USE the telephone.
  9. In the notebook (N), connect Eddie’s note: the password is ‘the hour I always… with Eddie phoned me every night at midnight sharp. ‘…. (+5 pts)
  10. Go through the door to the street.

Harbor Street

  1. Use the dime on the newsstand. (+2 pts; you get: newspaper)
  2. LOOK at the newspaper in your inventory.
  3. In the notebook (N), connect Eddie ‘drowned’ - but he couldn’t swim. Crane gi… with Eddie’s file: ‘Blue Moon. Crane. Follow the mone…. (+5 pts)
  4. TALK to the bouncer. (+5 pts)
  5. Go through the alley.

Back Alley

  1. USE the trash cans. (+5 pts; you get: matchbook)
  2. TALK to Morrie.
  3. Use the whiskey on Morrie. (+5 pts; honor +5)
  4. Go through the way out to the street.

Harbor Street

  1. Go through Blue Moon entrance.

The Blue Moon

  1. TALK to the bartender.
  2. LOOK at the glass of bourbon.
  3. TALK to Rita.
  4. Use Eddie’s file on Rita. (+8 pts; honor +5; you get: brass key)
  5. Use the brass key on the door marked PRIVATE. (+5 pts)

Crane’s Office

  1. USE the painting. (+3 pts)
  2. USE the wall safe. (+8 pts; you get: Crane’s ledger)
  3. USE Crane’s desk. (+5 pts; you get: Crane’s letter)
  4. Go through the door to the club.

The Blue Moon

  1. Go through the exit to the street.

Harbor Street

  1. Go through the road to Pier 9.

Pier 9

  1. Pull the loaded revolver on the gunman. (+8 pts)
  2. TALK to Victor Crane. (+8 pts; honor +10)
  3. USE the police call box. (+1 pts)

Other endings

Deductions

In the notebook, click one card and then another to connect them. Some deductions are required to go on; some are worth points; some are wrong - built on lies and planted evidence - and the notebook can’t tell the difference (on Easy, doubtful cards get a “?”).

Connect With Deduces True?
Eddie’s note: the password is ‘the hour I always… Eddie phoned me every night at midnight sharp. ‘… the password is the hour Eddie always called - M… yes
Eddie ‘drowned’ - but he couldn’t swim. Crane gi… Eddie’s file: ‘Blue Moon. Crane. Follow the mone… Eddie didn’t drown by accident. He was following… yes
Big Tony’s knuckles are scabbed over - fresh, a… Sal: Big Tony walked Eddie out the back on Tuesd… Big Tony walked Eddie out back and beat him to d… no - a red herring
Vera, the cigarette girl: Eddie left Tuesday wit… Rita: Crane had Eddie killed. She gave me the ke… Rita lured Eddie out to his death - and now she’… no - a red herring
Swede, a sailor: saw Eddie walk off Pier 9 drunk… Eddie ‘drowned’ - but he couldn’t swim. Crane gi… Eddie got drunk and fell off the pier. An accide… no - a red herring

Where the red herrings lead:

The wrong man

Act One: Who Killed Eddie Walsh?

Kane Investigations

  1. USE the wastebasket. (+5 pts; you get: crumpled note)
  2. USE the telephone.
  3. In the notebook (N), connect Eddie’s note: the password is ‘the hour I always… with Eddie phoned me every night at midnight sharp. ‘…. (+5 pts)
  4. Go through the door to the street.

Harbor Street

  1. LOOK at the bouncer.
  2. TALK to the bouncer. (+5 pts)
  3. Go through Blue Moon entrance.

The Blue Moon

  1. TALK to the bartender.
  2. Choose “Ask about Eddie Walsh”.
  3. End the conversation.
  4. In the notebook (N), connect Big Tony’s knuckles are scabbed over - fresh, a… with Sal: Big Tony walked Eddie out the back on Tuesd….
  5. Go through the exit to the street.

Harbor Street

  1. Go through the door to your office.

Kane Investigations

  1. USE the telephone.
  2. Choose “Tell Brody: Big Tony killed Eddie”.

Difficulty, time and health

  Easy Normal Hard
Second chances 5 3 1
Seconds to act in a standoff 20 10 6
Deadline (Crane’s letter to the Pier 9 standoff) none 240 s 120 s
Current lead in the notebook yes, plus a gut feeling about which cards to connect yes no
TAB labels yes yes no

The deadline clock only runs while you’re playing - not while text is on screen. Once midnight passes, Kane’s health drains until he reaches the end of the act (or dies). Loading the revolver in a standoff costs 4 seconds; reading an item costs 1.5. A nap on the office couch gives back health but costs a minute of the clock.

Second chances

Kane has 3 (on Normal) second chances per game. After some deaths the death screen offers SECOND CHANCE, which puts you back just before the fatal move:

Death Saved if…
Shot you carry Eddie’s diary, Eddie’s file or the ledger (it stops the bullet)
Drowned you carry the flashlight (a fisherman sees it)
Beaten (or worn down after a deadline) your honor is 0 or more (someone you did right by drags you out)
Run down always - the Packard only clips you
Poisoned you’ve read Eddie’s note about the bartender
Drank yourself to death never