12 Killer Murder Mystery Weekends That’ll Unleash Your Inner Sherlock

Posted on 16th Feb 2021. In , ,

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If you fancy adding a little murder and mystery to your weekends, then we have scoured the internet to find you the very best, gripping whodunit games for you to play – either online, on a weekend away or at home as part of a dinner party. 

From a murders that happen in your front room to fabulous hotels where something sinister needs solving, if there’s a murder mystery weekend to be played in the UK, you can be sure it’ll feature here. 

So, gather your loved ones, a note book and a magnifying glass – there’s a killer on the loose and no-one’s safe until you’ve found them. Not even you. Mwhh haa haaa.


Dream Now, Weekend Later 

We know that it’s not safe to travel fully around the UK just yet. So please use this article as inspiration for future weekend planning until the area you want to travel to is fully up and running again. Please also check each business’s website before visiting for up-to-date information.


Murder Mystery Weekends to Play Online

1. Sherlock in Homes – Murder at the Circus/Murder on Ice 

Mind-boggling & Marvellous

Gather your team of detectives and immerse yourself in a world of deadly murder, mystery and mayhem with Bristol-based Sharp Teeth Theatre.

Choose from two virtual murder-mystery cases: Murder at the Circus or Murder on Ice. Both brilliantly acted, these interactive productions mean pitting your wits against some of the UK’s most talented performers and improvisers.

Murder at the Circus is the original run-away hit from Sharp Teeth Theatre. Expect high wires and even higher stakes as you attempt to unmask a murderer with your fellow audience members, in this Victorian case of dastardly behaviour and deadly death at the Bearded Lady’s Circus of Wonders. 5th Feb – 27th March.

Murder on Ice is the brand new murder mystery from the same fabulous team. This time, the action takes place on a remote exploration outpost deep in Antarctica. The victim is famous explorer Albert Ross, whose murder is so dastardly it will make your blood run cold. 12th Feb – 10th April.

Over Zoom, you’ll come together with your loved ones to crack the case interviewing suspects as you piece together the puzzle. It’s 90 minutes of sofa-based fun that’ll make your night and, crucially, will help fund the theatre groups through this challenging time.

  • Suitable for 8+ years
  • Streamed LIVE
  • Brought to you by Sharp Teeth Theatre

Cost: £12 per device

Timing: 1 hour 30 mins (no interval)


Play Online

2. Cold Case #1 – Lockdown

Realistic & Compelling

From the English Queen of Murder (and the original creator of the murder mystery weekend), Joy Swift MBE, comes a new and epic online plot to solve from your home.

The murders take place in lockdown as tensions thicken. 13 victims, 9 prime suspects, over 60 videos of interrogations and over 150 pieces of evidence to piece together on your own murder investigation board.

Sift through suspect interviews, police reports and crime footage, watch live action to deduce whodunit, then make your case – will you be commended by the DCI or sent back to the beat?

  • Suitable for 16+ years
  • Not live
  • Brought to you by Murder Mystery Investigations

Cost: £9.99

Timing: No time limit and your progress is saved along the way

Pic Credits: Murder Mystery Investigations


Play Online

3. Tall Tale Mysteries – Various Events

Fun & Fabulous

Join a criminal crew of actors hailing from County Durham for a night of guessing and giggling as you sleuth your way through one of their fabulous interactive online investigations.

All through the year, this dastardly bunch offer up inventive plots to solve at home, including a night of 1920s’ fun with silent movie star Gerda Loynes, a whodunit aboard the yacht of multi-millionaire Sir Ivor Mansion and a tongue-in-cheek caper with Jayne Fondant and her glorious bakes.

  • All ages welcome
  • Streamed LIVE
  • Brought to you by Tall Tale Mysteries

Cost: £12 per household

Timing: 1 hour

Pic Credits: Tall Tales Mysteries

murder mystery weekends with Tall Tales Mysteries - Murder and Mulled Wine Cast

questventure - cocktails spies and murder,

Play Online

4. Questventure – Cocktails, Spies & Murder

Boozy & Brilliant

The Department of Secret Services are begging you for help. High-level espionage, a mole and a killer cocktail has left them at a loss. It falls to you to solve the murder through online puzzles.

Work as a team, as a household, or race alongside other households by yourself to solve the alcohol-themed puzzles and uncover the dangerous double agent before they strike again. One ticket will give your team/s access to the escape room.

  • Suitable for 18+ years
  • Not live
  • Brought to you by Questventure

Cost: £10

Timing: Approx 90 minutes to complete, access any time

Pic Credits: Questventure


Murder Mystery Weekends For Dinner Parties

5. Murder Mystery Games – The Chocolate Bar Mystery

In Person Laughs

The year is 1926 and a confectionary scandal has broken loose: 10,000 children have fallen ill after eating a newly-released chocolate bar.

There’s an emergency meeting of the chocolate company’s Board of Directors to get to the bottom of the crisis. Can the makers sweet talk their way out of the blame?

To find out, dress-up with your group (groups of 8 – 14 people are best) and download your party pack and your scripts – this story will unfold with all of you playing the characters and one of you organising the action.

The plot has been created by Murder Mystery Games (one of the first companies to make whodunits available to download online) and is designed to run for around 90 minutes, with plenty of twists along the way.

Of course, if you can’t gather in person, you can still play this murder mystery weekend with your crew virtually using Zoom or Facetime. You can even hire one of the organiser’s actors to host the murder mystery event for you (although it is a little pricey).

  • Brought to you by Murder Mystery Games
  • Other games available
  • Download and play at home
  • Suitable for 12+ years

Cost: £19.99

Timing: Approx 90 minutes, access any time

Pic Credits: Murder Mystery Games


For Dinner Parties

6. Red Herring Games – The Little Rock Horror Shop Murder

Mature Fun

Step into the world of science fiction with a new murder-mystery extravaganza from Red Herring Games.

The plot: Hyde Studios is best known for its cliché-crammed science fiction and horror B-movies. With a new science fiction double feature in the early stages of production, the last thing anyone expected was for the studio owner and director, Jacqueline Hyde, to vanish mysteriously one evening. The only trace of her is a pool of blood, an upturned sign and the slight smell of burning.

What happened to Jacqueline Hyde? Where is her body? Who is responsible? And will the new B-movie, ’Little Rock Horror Shop’, ever be made?

As part of the package (which you can either download and print at home or order as a pre-printed kit), you’ll get full character scripts, decoration and recipe suggestions, character labels, invitations and a CD or MP3 files of the inspector who’ll set the scene.

  • Suitable for 17+ years
  • Not live
  • Brought to you by Red Herring Games
  • For groups of 6 – 20 people

Cost: From £21.99

Timing: Approx 90 minutes, access any time

Pic Credits: Red Herring Games


For Dinner Parties

7. Night of Mystery – Murder at the Juice Joint

Classic People-Pleaser

From one of the stalwarts of murder-mystery dinner party kits, Night of Mystery, comes an exciting 1920s’ game for up to 20 players.

The Juice Joint is a swanky, successful speakeasy run by Rosie Marie and she’s planning a big bash to celebrate the joint’s popularity. Trouble is, one of the names on the guest list is also on someone’s hit list.

Which means there’s murder on the menu and no one is safe until the murderer is found. But you all have the chance of solving it.

The downloadable murder mystery weekend kit includes a host guide, a schedule of the night, character descriptions, character objective sheets,  evidence, and a detailed solution.

Plus, the Night of Mystery website is packed with fabulous free resources to make your night of bloodshed truly sensational. And you can even choose a New Year’s Eve version of the murder mystery pack as well as a LGBT-Male version.

  • Suitable for 18+ years
  • Not live
  • Brought to you by Night of Mystery
  • More games available
  • For groups of 6 – 20 people

Cost: From $45

Timing: Approx 90 minutes, accessible for 60 days

murder at the juice joint guests

murder mystery party zombie theme old asylum

For Dinner Parties

8. Playing With Murder – Zombie Cannibal Asylum

Crazy & Unique

If you want something a little different for your murder-mystery dinner party, Playing With Murder have just the mystery for you.

Transform your home into an asylum and get set for mayhem with the undead as an unusual murder takes place.

You and your guests are the unfortunate inmates and staff at Penderghast Asylum, a facility for the criminally insane that has been turned over to Dr. Abraham Weiler, who is using the inmates as research subjects to find a cure for the zombie virus ravaging the world.

What should have been a night of routine research turns deadly, resulting in one of the unfortunate staff members to join the ranks of the living dead.

It’s up to your cast of living dead to pinpoint the murderer – which won’t be easy because of the zombie witnesses is insane.

Simply download your 128-page PDF party kit, along with your asylum audio files and let the horror commence.

  • Suitable for adults and teens
  • Not live
  • Brought to you by Playing With Murder
  • More games available
  • Standard game for 10 – 32 people

Cost: £29.95

Timing: Approx 90 minutes, access any time


Murder Mystery Weekends At UK Hotels

9. The Nare Hotel, Cornwall

Espionage Breaks

Have you got what it takes to be a spy? You’ll find out if you stay at the beautiful beach-front hotel in Cornwall, The Nare.

The Nare is set on Cornwall’s Roseland Peninsula, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. And it’s here, in this stunning location and in the hotel itself that British spy-novelist, John Stock, set his 6th spy novel, To Snare a Spy.

However, the espionage twists and turns aren’t just confined to the pages of Stock’s novel. The action also takes place in real life as part of The Nare’s ‘Espionage Package’ that guests can bolt-on to their stay.

Aspiring agents book a stay at the hotel to become active investigators in Operation Snare. Your mission: go undercover to expose the Russian mole working at the hotel.

As part of the adventure, you’ll undertake either an overland or maritime mission to find the drop that the previous agent left behind. You’ll then attempt to make covert contact with the mole – once you’ve worked out who it is – without blowing your cover story and spooking the mole.

  • Suitable for all ages
  • Live role play
  • Several different missions available
  • Available all year round

Cost: £25 bolt-on

Timing: For the length of your stay at The Nare

Pic credit: The Nare Hotel


At UK Hotels

10. Lumley Castle, Durham

Lumley Castle is a stunning 14th-century castle located in North-East England, just outside the city of Durham. Throughout the year on selected weekend dates, the Castle runs its intriguing murder-mystery nights centred around Lord Marcus Lumley – the aristocratic but impoverished owner of Lumley Castle.

He’s been found dead and, apparently, the cause of death is a heart attack – or is it? Lord Lumley spent his last evening in the company of his wife, a family friend and a clairvoyant he’d invited to the castle. Was his death due to natural causes or did one of his companions have a reason to kill his?

  • Suitable for all children 12+
  • Includes dinner
  • Live role play
  • Available all year round

Cost: £39.50 pp

Timing: 7pm – 11pm

Pic credit: Lumley Castle Hotel

At UK Hotels

11. Combe Abbey, Warwickshire

In the 12th century, Coombe Abbey in Warwickshire was once one of the region’s most influential monasteries. Today it’s a stunning 4-star hotel which holds regular events, including murder mystery weekends.
As part of a weekend of crime-solving at Coombe Abbey, you’ll enjoy a three-course dinner, an overnight stay with breakfast and a post-show disco.
One of the mysteries you may be brought in to solve is the curious case of Amos, the Head Gardener, who’s found dead. And there’s talk of a mysterious highwayman stalking the premises, much to the despair of his Lordship.
  • Suitable for guests 16+
  • Includes dinner and overnight stay
  • Live role play
  • Available all year round

Cost: From £279 dinner, bed and breakfast

Timing: 7pm – 12:30am

Pic credit: Coombe Abbey

Overhead shot of Coombe Abbey in Warwickshire

Outside of The Old Swan Hotel, Harrogate

At UK Hotels

12. The Old Swan, Harrogate

If you’re looking for mystery, then look no further than The Old Swan in Harrogate. Why? Because it’s here that crime novelist Agatha Christie was found after disappearing for 10 days in 1926. Legend has it she had discovered her husband having an affair and knew his mistress liked to stay here.

This beautiful Victorian hotel, dating back to 1840, plays host to a number of murder-mystery weekends, run by Murder 57. In tha past, guests have sleuthed together over games such as  Murder at the Manor, Blind Date in Venice, and A Spectre Calls.

As part of the package, you’ll get a delicious 3-course evening meal, an overnight stay, breakfast in the morning, plus tea and coffee whilst the murder mystery takes place.

  • Suitable for guests 16+
  • Includes dinner and overnight stay
  • Live role play
  • Available all year round

Cost: From £110 dinner, bed and breakfast

Pic credit: Classic Lodges

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