Is there anything better than a good old detective story? Thrilling twists, grisly murders and a brainy hero, as a nation we’re frankly obsessed with them. Whether it’s popping on the latest true crime documentary or queueing in the rain to see The Mousetrap, there’s an ever-so-slightly unsettling edge to the way we go after murder mysteries – but let’s not delve too deeply into that! Murder mystery has many sub-genres, from classic crime novels like the Woman in White to police procedurals like Happy Valley and Line of Duty . But, at the end of the day, it all boils down to the simple whodunnit, where there’s a body, a list of suspects, and someone to solve the riddle.
Murder Mystery is thought to have started with The Murders in the Rue Morgue, by Edgar Allan Poe, a short story that has later been described as the first detective novel. Then in 1887, a certain writer came along to introduce the world to Sherlock Holmes. Once the game was afoot there, more writers tried their hand at crime stories, but none could ever compare to Dame Agatha Christie , who remains the best-selling novelist of all time with 66 novels and 15 collections to her name.
This guide has a marple-ous range of activities to try, taking place up and down the UK. We’ve got the more traditional murder mystery evening, which usually includes a three-course dinner with a side of corpse, or the more modern interpretations, which involve Law and Order-style forensics. These experiences can be se.