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Murder in Manhattan
$49.95
Add intrigue to your next party with this murder mystery game, set at a Manhattan cocktail party.
Format:
Mystery Party Kit
Setting:
New York cocktail party
Time:
90+ minutes
Ages:
Adult
Players:
Play with Printed Sheets or the App
Hosts have the choice of playing the game with printable documents or using the PWM Party Assistant app
View app gameplay guide
Gossip, treachery & murder at an upscale NYC party…
Backstory
You and your guests have been invited to the anniversary bash of Mr. Francis Fisk, a noted businessman. The attendees include a number of Fisk’s high-society friends, family members, and business associates. These high society sophisticates live in a world of intrigue, gossip, treachery and endless jockeying for social superiority.
Murder!
Things take a turn for the deadly when a rolling blackout provides someone with the opportunity to advance their social agenda in a more brutally direct fashion than most of the guests are familiar with. When the lights come back on, a grisly crime is discovered!
Solving the Mystery
Reputations are at stake and no one at the party wants to risk the scandal of press and police involvement. Now the guests must work together to sift through the evidence and identify the killer in their midst!
There are 25 primary suspects in this mystery, however only 10 are required to play the game. The host or hostess will play the role of Taylor Walker, the head caterer. Read the "How To Play" section for more information on how to play an expanded game with more than 25 guests.
* = Optional character
Male Roles
- *Alexei Siranov - Security: Doorman at Fisk’s building and security for the party, Alexei is in charge of making sure none of the lower classes get into the celebration.
- Chester Fisk - Playboy: The debauchery and indulgence of the life of the upper class run hand in hand with this well-known playboy, younger brother of Jonathon and Francis. He owns the Castle, a hotel known for ruining the reputations of many celebrities and socialites.
- *David Kreig - Author: David published a biting satire on Upper East Side personalities—recently at the tope of the New York Times bestseller list—which everyone suspects is based on actual socialites.
- Francis Fisk - Real Estate Tycoon: This party is being thrown by Francis in celebration of his company’s twenty-five years of success in real estate. He is very well known and always throws the most elegant parties.
- *Grayson Kreig - Rock Star: A one-hit wonder, Grayson was once part of the band Eagle’s Rose, which has long since broken up.
- *Isaac Corrington - Retired Senator: Although retired from government life, Isaac is the head of the politically active Corrington family. Easily the king of the Upper East Side socialites, Isaac has played the social and political scene for years.
- *Jesse Corrington - Journalist: Editor of a biting online gossip site, Jesse is known for only publishing verifiable rumors. He comes from one of the most powerful families on the Upper East Side.
- Jonathon Fisk - Outcast: Jonathon runs Fisk Enterprises in Australia and has been invited back to New York for his brother’s big celebration. Rumor says he left due to some scandal that was covered up.
- Richard den Waldern - Philanthropist: A young but prominent philanthropist, he is known for giving generously to children’s charities around the country. He was recently in Florida on vacation.
- *Sam Lily - Lawyer: Sam is an entertainment lawyer known for his famous clients and sharp sense of humor.
- Zachary Wellington - Architect: A board member of Fisk Enterprises from Chicago, he is attending the event with his daughter Candice.
Female Roles
- *Ashley LeBois - Editor: Up-and-coming queen of the younger generation, Ashley is the editor of Runway, a popular fashion magazine. She rules the younger generation with well-timed rumors and vicious social takedowns.
- Candice Wellington - New Girl: Candice is both Zachary’s daughter and his assistant. This is her first time in New York.
- *Davana Gudriov - Housekeeper: Ashley’s maid and housekeeper, Davana has been looking out for Ashley since she was a little girl.
- *Francine (Frank) Rose - Debutante: A cousin of the den Walderns from Florida, Frank recently arrived in New York and is making her debut among the upper class.
- *Gwen Kreig - Rising Star: New to the social scene, Gwen is a fashion designer with cutting-edge style and swift social-climbing ambitions.
- *Helen LeBois - Designer: Helen owns and designs her own line of haute couture fashion, catering only to the rich and fabulous.
- Irene den Waldern - Party Planner: Irene runs a very successful public relations firm that caters to the Upper East Side and numerous celebrities and socialites. She is throwing this party for Francis.
- Jo Chase - Filmmaker: New to the scene, Jo makes documentaries and is filming the party for a new documentary.
- *Mercy Neist - Scheming Socialite: A well-known socialite, Mercy mysteriously left New York a few years ago and has only just returned from traveling abroad. She is a troublemaker and a schemer who used to give Ashley a run for her money.
- Rose den Waldern - Queen: Queen bee of the older socialites, Rose rules the Upper East Side with an iron fist inside a silken glove.
Male or Female Roles
- *Callaway Lee - Bartender: Callaway was hired by Irene to be attentive and discreet as well as to keep the drinks flowing.
- *Jamie Lavigne - Caterer: Jamie was hired by Irene to be attentive and discreet and to make sure the party runs smoothly.
- *Sydney O’Connor - Caterer: Sydney was hired by Irene to be attentive and discreet and to make sure the party runs smoothly.
- Taylor Walker - Head Caterer: (Played by the Host/Hostess) Taylor was hired by Irene to be attentive and discreet, as well as to run the staff and make sure the party goes as planned.
- Jess McIntire - Caterer: (Played by the guest that played the victim in Act One) Jess was hired by Irene to be discreet and bring her any juicy gossip throughout the night.
Extra Players
- *Investigator (male or female): Additional players have the option of playing the role of "Investigators". In this role the players are not suspects and do not have character backgrounds but can question the suspects and try to solve the mystery along with the other players.
What's Included
Murder in Manhattan is a 171-page downloadable PDF file that you print at home. It includes the following features:
- An introduction that explains the basic principles of running a mystery-party and provides specific tips on props, menu items, sound effects, and special tips to help make your party exciting, memorable, and easy to run
- Step-by-step instructions on how to prepare for your party
- A detailed party guidebook that will walk you through the event in a simple, easy-to-understand format
- Instructions on how to run the party for a large group
- Nametags and character sheets for each player – the character sheets include tips on costuming and role-playing, as well as special goals and gossip unique to each character
- Fully customizable invitations, complete with RSVP cards and guest lists
- 13 pages of gorgeously illustrated full-color props and clues for use during the scavenger hunt
- Voting sheets
- Customizable awards for your guests
- And much more!
With your purchase of Murder in Manhattan, you will also receive the following:
- Step-by-step printing instructions
- Two MP3 audio effects for use with your party
- Instructions on how to use these audio clips to best effect
Follow these steps to host this mystery:
- Each guest will each assume the role of a particular character
Mystery Parties involve a combination of improvisational acting, storytelling, and creative problem solving. Each guest will play the part of that character throughout the course of the game. Each character has specific personality traits, goals, secrets, and information, all of which are included in the character sheet; a big part of the fun is getting into character and taking on a new, exciting role. - A mysterious Event will occur
At some point during the party, an Event will occur that will force the players to come together in order to solve a problem or unravel a mystery. Traditionally, the Event in question will be the murder of one of the characters (as played by a guest), but the parties crafted by Playing With Murder often use this basic framework to accommodate different types of Events, thereby ensuring that your guests will be surprised and entertained (even if they are veteran murder mystery party players). - Solve the mystery!
Your guests will need to use the information that their characters know (as well as additional clues that are provided during the game) to solve the mystery or overcome the problem posed by the Event. Typically this culminates in the guests voting on the identity of the murderer, but again, different parties will have different specific goals. All of our parties also come complete with additional subgames (treasure hunts, unique character goals and special puzzles) that are guaranteed to keep the action intense and your guests motivated and focused.
Expanded Game For Large Groups
If you have extra players, there are two ways that you can accommodate everyone:
- Investigator Role – Additional players have the option of playing the role of “Investigators”. In this role the players are not suspects and do not have character backgrounds but can question the suspects and try to solve the mystery along with the other players. Expanded Games include a PDF guide that explains how to use the Investigator role, as well as printable character sheets and name tags for anyone that is playing an Investigator.
- Multiple Groups – It is also possible to break your guests up into groups and play multiple instances of the game at the same time. The game will more or less happen the same way; the host makes announcements and each group moves their game forward simultaneously based on the host’s instructions. It’s good to have one assistant in each group to answer questions and facilitate gameplay within the group. This method provides a more intimate experience for your guests, who get better acquainted with a smaller group and participate in a more digestible story.Please contact us if you’d like more information about how to run your party using the Multiple Groups method.
Both the standard and expanded games are included with the purchase of any game kit.
Read more about Expanded Games here
First time hosting a murder mystery party?
Visit our How to Host a Mystery Party page to get step-by-step instructions on how to prepare for your murder mystery party.
Content Rating:
This party is rated adult. While there is no explicit material, the party does contain references to the following:
- Infidelity and extramarital affairs
- Gambling
- Drug and alcohol use
- Ponzi schemes
- Suicide
- Involuntary institutionalization
- Assault
- Arson
- Murder
Difficulty:
This party is moderately complex to set up. We recommend a venue with at least two rooms and a sufficient area to hide clues for the scavenger hunt.
This party is average difficulty to solve.
Dianne –
Headline Murder In Manhatan
Nickname Dianne
It was the most fun I had in a long time.Everyone stayed in character all thru the whole party.We had appertisers,Champagne,Then moved to dining room for soup,salad,wine,main course,dessert.Then lights won’t out.We all wore formal attire and dressed according to their character Loads of fun and mystery .We played classical music.we had 14guest 5 guessed the murderer. We had 2servers plus myself , who also had part.It worked out great.
Megan –
Headline First of many murder mystery parties!
Nickname Megan
Menu Highlights We decided to go with heavy hor d'oeuvres. I ordered a large tray from Chik-fil-a then got several finger foods from Costco. All the food was set up in the dining room so guests could help themselves. I also purchased a large pizza and popped it in the oven around 10pm. This worked out great as people were starting to get hungry again by the end of the night. As far as drinks, we had everything: Beer, Wine, Liquor; our guests could help themselves with whatever drink they liked.
Theme Highlights I ordered a New York skyline from Amazon. I cut it out and placed it on all the windows, this helped set the scene tremendously. I started out playing the cocktail party sounds that were provided. But by the time everyone showed up, it was so loud from all the different conversations that you couldn't even hear it. I also used the other sound effect that was included, That worked out okay, I'm not sure everyone could hear it even though I played it through our sound bar. As far as the invitations: I sent out an Evite first. Then once I got everyone's RSVPs I emailed them their character sheets individually. There were only a couple characters that had really specific costume suggestions. Both guests committed fully to their role and it was fantastic! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00745IWYA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1'
I’ve wanted to attend a murder mystery party for years but never had the chance. Finally, I decided to host my own! The party was so much fun. We had 26 RSVPs. It worked out perfectly, I only had one person as an Investigator. Then, two hours before the party, I had a couple drop out. I replaced the investigator (male) with the male character that dropped out. We played with only one character missing but it didn’t make much of a difference, really.
I can’t decide if I preferred knowing who the killer was ahead of time or not. I’m a planner and organizer so I liked knowing and being able to plan accordingly but I also would have liked to see if I could guess the killer.
I was a little apprehensive about the "caterer" characters at first. I didn’t want to invite people to a party then ask them to serve food and drink. But I had a few guests on the shy side who preferred not to have super social characters so I assigned them caterers. Once they arrived I told them they did not have to serve anything but if they wanted to use it as an excuse to jump into conversation they could. That worked out great.
Everyone arrived at 6pm. I gave everyone a chance to get drinks and mingle for about an hour, then I passed out name tags and said we would be "officially starting". This worked well because people got a few drinks in them and loosened up a little so they were less nervous, I think.
It might have worked a little too well because I had a hard time getting everyone’s attention when it was time for the scavenger hunt 🙂
Everyone was having so much fun and that made me happy!
Towards the end, everyone was slinging accusations at each other and when it came time for voting, out of the 24 people, I only had 4 people guess correctly. The mystery was just hard enough that it was challenging but not impossible. I was glad for that.
We finished the game at 10pm. I probably could have wrapped it up sooner if I had moved the game along faster, but everyone was having so much fun laughing and talking, I hated to interrupt. There was never a lull in conversation or the game the entire night.
We got great feedback from our guests and have already decided this will be an annual event!
Caylee –
Headline Murder Mystery in Manhatten Solved!
Nickname Caylee
Menu Highlights We had a sign up for everyone to bring a classy pick-up item. The "caterers" were able to carry around trays of any of the food offered and guests were able to eat whenever they chose. The drink offered was a delicious cherry limeade topped of with limes. (Sprite, frozen limeade, cherry macchiato juice, cherries and limes) Delicious!
Theme Highlights We had the "cocktail" party at our host church in a parlor. The room had a good many lamps so we turned off all the lights and just used lamps and and candles. We used a jazz station on Spotify for background music. Overall, the mood was perfect for the party.
Our MOPS (mom’s group) had a date night and this murder mystery party was perfect!! The victim and the killer were so into it and made the party very exciting. The people involved got extremely into character and had a wonderful time!
Scott –
Headline Murder in Manhattan NYE party
Nickname Scott
Menu Highlights Our Caters handed out the following Bacon wrapped scallops Deviled Crab balls Lasagna Ravioli Buffalo Chicken Ragoon Spinach artichoke bread bowl dip We also did a champagne bar with Blackberry-thyme champagne cocktail margarita Champagne cocktail cotton candy champagne cocktail and raspberry sorbet champagne cocktail
We did the party for new years eve. This was our fourth murder mystery party and one of the best yet. We used the smart things home automation routines to slowly bring in the rolling blackouts creating some suspense. We started at about 8:30 pm and finished right at 11:45 pm just in time for a midnight toast for the new year and watching the ball drop. I would recommend this party for the veteran party host.
Lynette –
Headline Another Success!
Nickname Lynette
Menu Highlights Pulled Pork Sliders BBQ Meatballs Egg Rolls Cold Shrimp Deviled Eggs Bite size Rubens Hummus/Pita Fruit/Veggies Stuffed Dates Cheese, Dips and Crackers Assorted Two-Bite Desserts Wine, Champagne and Signature Manhattans!!
What fun!! My biggest event yet!
Forty ready-to-play guests all came in perfect costume and character. Laughter and hilarity abundant! Seven Keen Detectives! Heavy hors d’oeuvrves and Manhattans, our signature drink, satisfied all. Poor victim! Done in by his/her real life offspring! Lol!
Tammy –
Headline Murdered for Gossip
Nickname Tammy
Menu Highlights Brie cheese wrapped in Pillsbury dough with a jelly on top (one sundried tomato pesto, one apricot jalapeno jelly) huge hit with the party
Theme Highlights This game is the most fun when people really take on their characters, talking with accents or attitudes unlike their own.
This is the 4th Murder Mystery party the host has ran, 2 were physical board games and 1 was a free download. I had 14 people registered and chose this game for my birthday party. There were high hopes for this game however it did fall short of expectations.
I was really disappointed that as the host the murder was ruined for me by reading the briefing package. It meant I couldn’t even properly participate in the game or take on a fun significant character. I played along as if I didn’t know, but that was definitely disappointing.
There was a lot of information for guests to remember and rely upon, even with giving them their bios and characters a week a head of time. Instantly after reading his bio, one of the guests knew his character was "Chuck" from the TV series Gossip Girl. Once playing, he could relate every single character and plot line to Gossip Girl. Not only was it disappointing for him, but it caused some confusion for many of the guests who didn’t see the show.
As a host who paid for this game, I was very disappointed that I paid for a plagiarized version of a TV show. Not only that, but given the fact the story line and characters were plagiarized, there were major errors in Francine’s story line which impacted her interactions with other characters and facts being brought up to the group.
In the future I would trim down my party numbers to find a free or board game version instead of buying from this website.
Bruno –
Headline Not your older brothers' murder mystery party.
Nickname Bruno
Menu Highlights Ordered small sandwiches and cheese platter from the grocery store. Lots of wine.
The occasion was a friend’s birthday. She wanted a party that didn’t draw a lot of attention on her but where everyone was having a good time. This was a terrific time; everyone was into it. Lasted about 2-3 hours.
Chris –
Headline Murder in Manhattan
Nickname Chris
Menu Highlights Jalapeño poppers Panchetta wrapped asparagus Mint yogurt mini toasts Mini cupcakes Champagne Martinis
Theme Highlights We sent out the invitations in envelopes containing the invitation, RSVP card, and character sheet to each players home a few weeks in advance. We went with 20's themed costumes as it distinguished the business and other upper class characters from the others. It was amazing to see eveyones costumes all very well 20's themed with lots of tassals, feathers, pearls, and even an old camera! We played the sound effect for the room chatter that was included but felt it was getting a bit stale so switched to a video of cafe chatter about an hour in.
Upon entry people collected a name badge and were ticked off from the guest list at a lectern.
The opening speech was given and everyone was offered drinks.
Characters then spread out to gather information about each other.
As the evening went on and it got darker a "blackout" occurred and the scream of [the victim] was heard.
The scavenger hunt lasted only a short time but some characters decided to deliberately withhold evidence pertaining to their characters until pressed by the group.
After a lengthy discussion where each person was given the opportunity to read all evidence and make their mind up on who the killer was, the voting cards were handed out and each player cast their votes for the killer, best actor, and best costume.
The votes were very close across all categories with no one voting for themselves! The killer was discovered however and the awards were handed out.
Jeanne Turner –
Headline Murder in Manhattan
Nickname Jeanne Turner
Such a fun party! I had about 25 people there A lot who didn’t know each other but everyone got along so well due to the suggested prompts in the scripts. It’s helpful to have one other person who knows and can help you manage the light for the black out. Super good time we’ll do it again.
Megan Lang –
Headline Homicide on the Upper East Side
Nickname Megan Lang
Menu Highlights We tried to do fancy, Manhattanite food - tartlets for starters, lamb shank for main course and cheesecake and coffee for dessert.
We hosted a murder mystery dinner for 17 guests. It was held at a beautiful venue and an outside caterer did the food. Our guests got into character SO well and all put in a huge amount of effort.
One big error noted in the script: Rose den Walden’s info sheet says that Helen LeBois was previously married, but Helen LeBois did not know about this. Also some grammar/spelling errors and typos.
7/17 guests guessed the murderer correctly, which I think reflects that the game is the perfect level of difficulty.
WLK –
Headline This was fantastic for a Halloween/Birthday party!
Nickname WLK
Menu Highlights We had a potluck style dinner and everyone brought appetizer type food. Such as cheeseburger and pulled pork sliders, chicken tenders, barbecue smokies, ect. Most themed food was mummy-shaped oreo balls! We also had plenty of drinks which definitely helped the success of the party. We had a pumpkeg (see attached images), themed jello shots, sangria, and more!
Theme Highlights I decorated for Halloween which was easier and cheaper than going with the Upper East Side Theme. However, people dressed as the theme for the game and it set the mood really well. I didn't use the background noise that came with the game, instead we had a halloween/cocktail party playlist.
I had this party for my boyfriends birthday party/ Halloween. The party was fairly easy to plan, the manual outlines every step by step. To make it even easier I had a potluck style dinner instead of preparing everything myself. It all went great! As people started to arrive we let them interact as normal and then when everyone had arrived we sang happy birthday, blew out candles, and then started the game and everyone got straight into character! It was hilarious to watch.I highly recommend if you are looking for an entertaining evening!
Jacy –
Headline Murder in Manhattan
Nickname Jacy
Menu Highlights We wanted to stay with the theme of cocktail party so we had each guest bring appetizer style food. So we had a lot of dips, clams casino, stuffed mushrooms, etc.
Theme Highlights Since we did do the party around Halloween we decided to kind of dectorate Halloween style. We had an entry way that had a sign that said "a little party never killed nobody" and letters with the guests names on them, in these letters it was kind of bullet point information for each individual guest just in case they weren't fully prepared. We also had a sign that gave our friends snapchat name because her character was Jo Chase and she was making a documentary. So then everything was recorded on her snapchat story.
We had the most fun! We decided to do it around Halloween to get all of our friends together for some catching up and just something fun. We thought this would be the best idea!
Sarah –
Headline Murder in Manhatten cocktail Party
Nickname Sarah
Menu Highlights We had pork sausage stuffed mushrooms. Sushi. Brownie bites with chocolate covered strawberries Lemon bars. Steak kabobs With lots of wine and shots.
Decided to do this for Halloween and because I’ve always wanted to do a murder mystery party. We ended up having less then the required amount of guests (I didn’t see the games with less players at the time). It still went great though and was very fun. Everyone got into character easily. The kid was very helpful but a little pricey for my taste. I enjoyed it as did my guests though.
Dustin –
Headline Melanie's Murder In Manhattan B-Day Mystery Party
Nickname Dustin
Menu Highlights I had a local Italian restaurant catering laid out, made Cosmos, and had a cake made following the theme (they even had blood spatter icing) and it all went over really well
Theme Highlights I sent out everyone's character sheets to them in the mail and everyone enjoyed dressing up and playing their parts. I didn't use the audio files, I just played some old school Jazz music in the back. I did get LED candles for the blackout and hide the clues around very well and at the end had card stock awards for the end of game made up with small party favors to go along and we decorated our house plenty of fresh flowers and gold, black, and silver coloring and finished everything off with cake, champagne, and cosmos
I held this event for my wife’s birthday and we had an amazing time. There were a total of 20 people involved in the game so definitely plenty of suspects. I had the event catered and a cake made as well as beer, wine, and cosmopolitans to drink (it is upper east side Manhattan right??) I really did my best to follow the instructions laid out to a "T" and feel that this murder mystery game is the best one I have ever been involved in (this is my 3rd one, but 1st as a host). I feel that now we have set a bar to do this again next year and even better 🙂
Tuyet –
Headline Murder Manhattan
Nickname Tuyet
This is our 2nd Annual Murder Mystery Party and as always, it was a blast! Everyone had such a great time, especially the newcomers this year. There was a lot of information to study but everyone stayed in character and it was so much fun. I bought the expansion pack so we could invite more people this year which works out great for those who don’t want to act or study at all.
JB –
Headline Murder in Manhattan
Nickname JB
Menu Highlights We had a lot of appetizers- meatballs, cheese plate, spring roles, pizza (toward the end of the evening), crackers, dip. We served wine, beer and lots of cocktails.
Theme Highlights We had Christmas lights on a railing to give the allure of a penthouse party. Lights were on dim. Music playing in the background. We used the kitchen for the 'caterers' and bartender. Most people stayed in the other rooms to socialize.
We hosted the Murder in Manhattan for a 40th birthday party with 33 guests (used 6 Private Investigators plus the 25 roles).
We took the time to give people roles (characters) that fit their personalities (outgoing people with roles where they needed to feel comfortable interacting and being loud…). This, along with everyone coming dressed to their role, were a few of the reasons the event was a tremendous success.
Throughout the party we had ‘caterers’ walking around with food (appetizers) and drinks in hand for the ‘guests’, and the bartender did a great job ensuring no glass was empty.
Everyone left that evening commenting how much fun they had and what a great time.
We are thinking about making this a yearly party!
Sara –
Headline murder in Manhattan
Nickname Sara
Menu Highlights Meat balls, soup & rolls, shrimp cocktail with veggies & dip, crime scene popcorn (popcorn with red food coloring & white chocolate drizzled over the popcorn ) blood spattered fudge (white fudge with red food coloring drizzled over it) we served wine/beer/ & bloody Mary's along aith non alcohol drinks.
Theme Highlights Grayson - showed up looking a lot like Bret Michaels - aka burned out 80's rock star. Chester - got a rockin pin striped suit at goodwill paired with a purple silk shirt... He's A retired farmer in real life - looked super awesome! The girls- we r all moms of small kids and scoring ci tail dresses at goodwill & breaking old bridesmaid dresses was so much fun! Girls of all ages love playing dress up!! Turning 35 was amazing and so I have fun!!
35th bday – success! 13 couples – so much fun! None of us had even been to a party like this. Most of us are parents and rarely do much "fun" stuff. We had a bb sitter in the other room … And the adults had a blast! We dressed in costumes and arrived in part ready to place. The story line is great, easy to plan and we planned a Buffett style menu including drinks. The Bloody Mary’s were a success, a friend made a cake that looked like a high rise building & a martini glass with blood handprint. Definitely going to plan another party for this summer!!
Celsey –
Headline 29th Birthday
Nickname Celsey
Menu Highlights I picked one of my favorite dinners since it was MY birthday. Chicken pillows and a Mashed Potato bar!
We decided to celebrate my 29th Birthday with a Murder Mystery party! We had the family over for delicious food, lots of laughs, and of coarse….murder! We had the BEST time! Everyone dressed up (my sister in law really embraced her character, I will attach a photo) and we had so much fun! It was so hilarious listening to everyone interrogate and gossip about each other. We had a couple of write in guests (Disney princesses) that joined us for dinner and then watched a movie while the adults finished the game. Perfect for a night with family or friends! I would say that this is the most thought out murder mystery party I have ever seen. Lots of character options, a fun and easy story line, and the scavenger hunt is a fun addition. I would recommend this party to anybody! We plan on having another party to celebrate New Years in a month or so! Thanks for making my Birthday great!
Fred –
Headline Murder at home
Nickname Fred
Menu Highlights Trays with snacks and drinks for the beggining. A table decorated with drinks and a good meal to give atmosphere to the evening. And finally exclusive cocktails for guests.
Theme Highlights Chandeliers, flowers and everyone dressed gave the evening a fantastic look.
A good idea for my birthday. Everyone was fantastic, dressed for the ocassion. They went very well in their respective characters.
The whole house was the stage and it was fun. All guests enjoyed the mystery and research.
I totally recommend it.
Rhiannon –
Headline Murder in Manhattan (Colorado-style)
Nickname Rhiannon
Menu Highlights We had dinner catered: Pasta with chicken breast in butter sauce. Salad. The Manhattan cocktail was the drink specialty for the night. The next time we host, we will ask for all who attend that they BYOB b/c we didn't realize how costly it would be to do it all on our own!
Theme Highlights We went with silver, gold, black and red colors. Had streamers throughout the house. Used my son's blackboard easel to welcome everyone at the door. Ordered an awesome fondant cake with blood and pearl decor. Everyone dressed in cocktail dresses, suits, tie and some even rented a tux!
Everyone who attended our party (hosted Dec. 2014) had an absolute blast. I created my own invitations jazzed up with jewels and printed on card-stock. Mailed each invitee his/her own character bio and invite. Everyone dressed up to play the part. All 25 parts were filled hours before the party, due to some changes in plans by friends.
Highly recommend this! Although no one invited had ever been to a Murder Mystery Party, it was a hit. The murderer was nailed by night’s end!
Stacey Canavan –
Headline Murder in Manhattan - The Elite all have something to hide
Nickname Stacey Canavan
Menu Highlights We had a cocktail menu of Sausage rolls, Pies, Spring Rolls, Chicken Wings, Shazliks, Wedges. All accompanied with White and Red wine for the ladies and fine Scotch for the gentlemen, followed by after dinner Baileys.
Theme Highlights Black & White theme with balloons, table clothes and banners, napkins in wine glasses and black and white individual cookies for each guest to take home.
This was the perfect idea for my 25th Birthday. I wanted to do something different to commemorate my quarter life birthday and have heard about Murder mystery parties but never known anyone whose done one before.
My 20 guests including myself or Taylor Walker was i was known for the night all gathered in the dining room of my house to begin a Murder in Manhattan. No one had been to one of these parties before but we’re all very eager to participate.
When darkness struck on New York City and the power went out one of my guests didn’t make it past dinner but who was it and where was the murderer. All my guests dressed up in elegant evening wear with the gentlemen in suits and ladies in dresses and a lot of shinning jewelry.
As the night progressed their was a scavenger hunt for clues and more and more secrets about my guests started to surface. Everyone laughed and got into character and the night was 100% a success and i would definately host another one.
MMC Napier NZ –
Headline Fantastic
Nickname MMC Napier NZ
Menu Highlights We did a potluck finger food BYO kept costs down and was really interesting.
Theme Highlights We had a painted background in the formal lounge for photo ops and a dance floor in the family room as well as the dining/mingling area in the dining room. The invites said formal attire but there were a lot of NZ variations on the theme which was great.
For most including the hostess this was the first time we had done a murder – a notice went up on the board and before we knew it there were 25 participants!! We followed the party plan and it all went really well everyone had a ball! Everyone got into character in their own unique ways and it was fantastic.
Madman –
Headline A party to kill for!
Nickname Madman
Menu Highlights I did bite size every thing ,cheese cake, cookies, brownies, donut holes and veggies with dip. Then we had a self serve lemon aid drink.
Theme Highlights The party was in the basement with a walk out patio. So we brought in some small tables about 2 1/2 feet across and then we made chairs out of buckets with a pillow and a piece of material over that held down by a rubber band. Our party colors were blue and sliver. Blue table clothes and silver covers for our bucket chairs. We had white Christmas lights stapled to the wall around the room to creat a ambiance. When the lights went out we had only the Christmas lights come back on to help withy the effect of emergency light . We had my son play list playing softly in the back ground
This was origanilly going to be for our reunion, but decided at the last minute to use it for my son 17th birthday party. He was nervous about who to invite mostly because he only has a few close friends. So he decided to invite his entire youth group which is about 35 kids. However we had a total of 20 attend. I think everyone was a little nervous at first because this was everyone’s first murder mystery party! However once the welcome, the rules and the story back ground was out of the way everyone got busy trying to find out all the secrets. I was a little surprised with how they all interacted and tried very hard to get into their roles. They all did really well and had a great time! I think the most exciting part was the surprise that there was actually a black out( wink wink ) and then there was someone lying dead on the ground! That’s when I think the few sluggish guest decided that this was a lot of fun and everyone was way more excited to try to figure what was going on! All the kids had a great time and my son was so happy with his party? Thanks
Michelle Wilde –
Headline Easy, fun and would do it again
Nickname Michelle Wilde
Menu Highlights We had a simple pasta dinner, Went cheap on that feeding teenagers. Had sparkling lemonade, cider and grape juice.
Theme Highlights I bought a skyscraper backdrop off amazon and put it up in a window.. Threw down a red carpet and created a "photo booth" area.
My son was turning 16 and we had been kicking around several ideas. We landed on a murder mystery and I found Playing with Murder. By far the best out there. THe party was a hit! All the kids loved it!
They are begging for another one,
Easy to use well written and would use this company again.
Carol Gordon –
Headline Murder in Manhattan
Nickname Carol Gordon
Menu Highlights We really made it easy and turned it into a cocktail party featuring manhattans and champagne, as well as beer and wine. Everyone brought a "finger food" to share while we provided pork sliders among other food as well.
Theme Highlights We decorated in silver and black, used all glass and silver dishes- no paper. Played Frank Sinatra in the background. Many of our guests dressed in costume. We have no pictures to share. Some of the guests took pictures on their phones but I was the head caterer and it was difficult for me to run the party and take pictures. Next time, we'll do a video!
Our party was a blast! Playing with Murder provided everything we needed to host a great party. We had 17 people and were amazed at how everyone played their character to the full extent. Would definitely host another!
margherita –
Headline Best party ever!
Nickname margherita
Menu Highlights For the dinner I've opted for tons of finger food and snacks, which made it easy for me to prepare and for them to carry around while chatting.
Theme Highlights I have been updating the guests every few days for a couple of weeks adding always more details to the evening description (like theme and characters) to make them curious. Everyone dressed up to the theme, which was quite of an easy one.
I was recently in charge of planning an event for the Italian Society I am a part of in my uni in London. I am honestly so proud I chose this! The party went on extremely smooth, everyone identified themselves so unexpectedly much in their characters, it was just hilarious. The plot wasn’t simple and yet it was quite easy to follow for all the guests The characters are very well described and the night was full of surprises.
Michelle Nessman –
Headline Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre Big Hit!
Nickname Michelle Nessman
This package was amazing! VERY easy to navigate and my guests had a blast! I particularly liked that the murder occurred during the party. I would definitely recommend Murder in Manhattan to anyone seeking to try this for the first time.
Stacy German –
Headline Murder in Manhattan
Nickname Stacy German
Menu Highlights Our menu was just appetizers and drinks. We of course had manhattan's as drinks as well as martinis, wine and beer.
Theme Highlights Getting all dressed up as if we were the fanciest of people
What an awesome party! Thank you Playing with Murder. I held the murder in manhattan themed party for my birthday celebration last week Saturday. I had 25 friends attend and everyone really got into character. Such a great time and very easy to host. Overwhelming feedback was that we NEED to do this again!
Leah –
Headline Murder in Manhattan
Nickname Leah
Menu Highlights Dessert and bubbly night - champagne and lavish desserts
Theme Highlights I decorated with flowers, candles and the desserts. We played music from iTunes Radio, used the murder sound effect from the party pack, and provided each guest with an element to their character's costume (bow tie/wig/apron)
My casual "dessert and bubbly" birthday evening was enhanced significantly by the Murder In Manhattan mystery. It was a perfect way for guests who did not know each other to mix and have fun. They all got into it and the actual staged murder was brilliant. Also, I found Ken to be extremely efficient in emailing back when I had questions – he was very helpful and pleasant to deal with. Thanks for making my birthday one to remember!
Helen –
Headline looking forward to playing again
Nickname Helen
It went really well thank you, everyone was guessing right to the every end and even when voting no one got the actual murderer.