Have you been invited to a murder mystery party? worried that you will be out of place? Don't panic, help is at hand, and we have plenty of tips to aid you in your quest to keep your sanity.
If the murder mystery writer is playing fair there is a clear set of clues that will lead to the culprit What you need to do is watch carefully and keep an eye out for the suspects who satisfy all three of the cardinal rules for murder.
By this I mean motive, opportunity and means - uncover the suspect with all three and you will be able to point a confident and accusing finger.
* Cash -Would the suspect stand to gain an inheritance from the victim? What business interests are involved? Who needs money? Is the suspect being blackmailed?
* Love - love and betrayal can cause jealousy - Did the victim stand in the way of true love?
* Revenge - Had the victim hurt someone else in the scenario? Perhaps the victim is guilty of a previous crime, or they have caused pain or suffering to the suspect in some way.
In many, if not all, dinner party scenarios, of course, most guests have a motive, but perhaps a few people have no good reason to kill. You can rule these people out early.
*Motive
What would drive someone to commit murder? Ruling out psychopaths, who rarely feature in dinner party scenarios, things can usually be boiled down to Love, Money or Revenge. These can occur in various combinations, but consider:
*Means
Means and opportunity are sisters in rime, but they are distinct enough in the minds of writers, so consider them separately. By "means" we need to consider whether the suspect had the ability to commit the crime, eg. could they fire a gun?. Ask yourself how the crime was committed and then consider whether the suspects had the capability.
*Opportunity
This is more associated with when and where the crime was committed. If a victim was stabbed and the suspect was miles away at the time, then they ain't guilty m'lud. Similarly if the crime needs some sort of premeditation and the suspect has only recently acquired a motive to kill the victim, they can often be ruled out.
*Other things to look for
There may be other clues at the crime scene - a broach, footprints etc, and these may be important in ruling suspects out. Observe and note all that you can.
Of course, all of these elements are concealed inside a complex web of intrigue. Alibis can be forged, evidence can be misleading and seemingly impossible feats can be performed by the most unlikely person - coming up with such twists and turns is all part of the murder writer's job, otherwise everyone would solve the crime. But you can see trough their tricks, can't you?
