New Year's Eve, 1929 · 6–10 guests · about 3 hours
Murder at the Marlowe
A 1920s murder mystery party, made with your guests' names on every page
New Year's Eve, 1929. The Marlowe Hotel's owner raises his silver cup at midnight, drinks — and drops dead. Six of your guests had a reason to want him gone. Three clue cards, opened act by act, will prove which one did it.
Every page is personal
Each guest's invitation, character pages, place card and accusation sheet carry their own name. Choose she, he or they for every part.
A fair, tested solution
Three clue cards, every one needed, and only one suspect fits all three. Blind test players solved it from the clues alone.
Ready in an evening
Type the names, download one PDF, print the pages listed on page 2. The host timetable is worked out in your own clock times.
The guests at the Marlowe
Six suspects, four optional extras
Suspect
Teddy Crane
Lionel's business partner
Owns half of the Marlowe and never lets anyone forget it. Dresses like money, talks like money, and has been very quiet about money since October.
Suspect
Frankie Vale
the singer of the Starlight Room
The voice of the Marlowe's Starlight Room. Hollywood is calling — or so Frankie tells everyone who will listen.
Suspect
Jo Marlowe
Lionel's heir
Lionel's late brother's child and his only family. Charming, broke and bored, and expecting to inherit everything.
Suspect
Sydney Fox
society columnist
Society columnist for the Evening Clarion. Knows everybody's secrets and prints about half of them. Never without a notebook.
Suspect
Max Holloway
head bartender
Head bartender of the Marlowe's “tea room”, which has never served a cup of tea. Hears everything, says nothing, pours generously.
Suspect
Remy Fontaine
racehorse owner and card player
Owns racehorses and plays cards with anyone. A lucky streak that ran out in October and shows no sign of coming back.
Optional part
Billie Rose
the house photographer
The Marlowe's house photographer. Never without a camera, and never misses a face.
Optional part
Dr. Charlie Ames
the Marlowe's house doctor
The Marlowe's house doctor, here mainly for the free champagne. Sober enough, most of the time.
Optional part
Ollie Finch
bandleader
Leader of the Marlowe Melodians. Plays the trumpet, the piano and, when the rent is due, weddings in Queens.
Optional part
Kit Harper
Lionel's private secretary
Lionel's private secretary. Types fast, talks less, and has read every letter that left the office this year.
What's in the kit
Everything for the evening, in one PDF
Personal invitations
One for each guest, with their name, their part, a costume idea and your party details.
Four-act character pages
Secrets, gossip and questions for every guest, one page per act, so nobody can read ahead.
Three clue cards and the solution
Sealed envelopes the host opens act by act. Every clue is needed.
Host guide with your timetable
Your cast list, a minute-by-minute evening in real clock times, tips and a shopping list.
Toast script and guest list
The murder at midnight, read aloud, and a who's-who for the tables.
Accusation sheets, place cards, awards
A sheet for every guest, folded name cards for the table and four certificates.
Sample pages made for a party hosted by “Alex”. Your kit carries your own names.
How it works
- 1
Type your guests
Paste your guest list and deal the parts, or choose who plays whom.
- 2
Check the free preview
Three pages with your own names, before you pay anything.
- 3
Unlock and download
One payment of €34. One PDF in US Letter or A4, ready to print.
- 4
Host the night
Send the invitations, follow the timetable, open the envelopes.
Questions
- How many guests do I need?
- Six to ten. The six suspects must be played; four extra parts (the photographer, the doctor, the bandleader and the secretary) are optional. If nobody plays them, they stay in the background of the story and nothing important is lost.
- Do my guests have to act?
- No. Every guest gets one page per act that says who they are, what they know, what to tell the others and what to ask. Reading it aloud in a funny voice is optional but encouraged.
- Can the host play too?
- Yes. The clue cards never name the murderer and the solution stays in a sealed envelope until the end, so the host can play a part and still be surprised.
- Can anyone play any part?
- Yes. When you make the kit you choose she, he or they for every part, and the booklets, clue cards and solution follow your choice.
- Does it have to be New Year's Eve?
- No. The story is set on New Year's Eve 1929, but it works for any dinner party, birthday or anniversary — the host simply sets the clocks to midnight when the murder happens.
- How long does it take?
- About two and a half to three hours, dinner included. The host guide has a timetable in real clock times, worked out from the start time you type in.
- What do I print?
- Page 2 of your kit lists every part with its page numbers. A home printer is fine, black and white works, and you choose US Letter or A4. You need four envelopes and a few pens.
- Is the mystery fair?
- Yes. Three clue cards decide the case, every one of them is needed, and only one suspect fits all three. Blind test players solved it from the clue cards alone before we published it.
- Do you see my guests' names?
- No. Your kit is made in your own browser. Names and party details stay on your device; we never receive them.
- Is it suitable for everyone?
- It is written for adults: a poisoning, gambling, Prohibition-era drinking and plenty of secrets — but no gore and nothing crude. A sparkling non-alcoholic drink works just as well for the toast.
Something else? Write to hello@printamystery.com. Refunds: see our refund policy.