The ones I have seen come in a "kit"....a box with the tape, the number and names of guests, suggested meny and sometimes "clues" to be found.
You invite people to fill the "cast list"...it's more fun if they come in costume, then play the tape....which is the scenario set up....it tells when to break for cocktails etc ( it definitly goes better with a little alcoholic beverage!)...The hostess may plant a clue or 2 ( like a handkerchief and the guests must find out who's it is)....periodically the tape stops so the guests can question each other as to where they were when the murder happened or what their relationship is with the deceased......
And eventually someone realizes "whodonnit"....
It's fun....but you need guests who will be with the program....or it'll fall flat.
Linda C

My parents did two "How to Host a Murder" games when I was a teenager. They seemed like soooo much fun. Everyone came all dressed in character and some people used the appropriate accents throughout. They really got into it. There were about 12 people total. Dinner was all part of the game. One of the games was an 'Arabian Nights' theme. I remember my parents pitched a mock 'tent' over the dining room table made of sheets. For the other murder mystery night which took place in England, I got to be the 'hostess'. I think I was 14 or 15 at the time. I wore the classic british-maid outfit, served the food, and spoke in a british accent. I think everyone had a blast. I can't wait to throw my own now that I'm getting married and have my own place!

p.s. Bizzybee, I'm not sure where you are from, but in our area, Barnes and Noble carries "How to Host a Murder" games. I'm sure there are other kinds out there. Perhaps you live by a Barnes and Noble?

I have hosted a couple of these parties (kits in a box) and had a great time. We also adapted one to a dinner theater setting and did it for our church's couples group. The actors semi-memorized their parts and an MC asked them questions regarding the night of the murder. The guests were served dinner, and then after mingling with the "suspects" voted on who they thought was the murderer. It went over very well, and the actors all had a ball. Some people love to have a chance to be in front of a crowd.

I got mine from Tailor Made Mysteries which has an amazing selection of adult or family mysteries, not all "murders". They'll even write one for you. They have all different themes for all ages and group sizes.

I did one last year for my dad's 60th, "Cocktails at Graveside" it was called. Everyone came in costume and really had a great time. I didn't go crazy decoarting, but you can - the more you get into though, the more fun you have!

Try it.

I have done many of these interactive murder mystery games. Some are very good and some can ruin a party. There are a few things to look for...
 Scripts to read are a party staller
 Murder that takes place at party is more fun
 Games that come with money and secrets are always great as they allow for blackmailing, extortion etc... by the guests.
 Games where your only agenda is to solve the murder are pretty boring. You need sub plots going on to make them fun.
 Well crafted characters are important. If a games character is listed in a few lines then it is a bad game.

With a good game your party will be talked about for months to come and everyone will want to know when you will be having another one!

the boxed sets can be fun, but there are others out there that are 10 times the fun of those. We played a Tailormademysteries game once and it was not fun at all. I would not recommend them. Here are the 2 game suppliers I would recommend that were a success at our parties. Both suppliers games are downloaded from the internet after purchase.

Murder Mystery Games - http://www.murdermysterygames.co.uk/
Games for up to 200 players. These were a lot of fun to play, but the 2 we played both had drug themes which we did not care for, but they were still very well written and everyone had a good time in spite of that.

The newest we found that was a whole lot of fun was from Dinner and a Murder Mystery Games - http://www.dinnerandamurder.com/scripts/
The game was a 1920's gangster game for 12-20 people. It really was a blast. They say they will be adding new games every month and plan on doing some kids and teen games in the near future, so if anyone enjoys these I would keep my eye on them.

Both sites have a newsletter you can sign up for to be notified of new games when they come out.

Hope this helps!

If you want to get murder mystery games online, check out Shot In The Dark Mystery Games - they also have Host Help articles and quizzes. www.shotinthedarkmysteries.com

This sounds like fun! Google has lots of sites but some of it is confusing. Can anyone offer some "real death" suggetions?

There are absolutely LOADS of murder mystery games out there on the internet these days. Some are easier to host than others. You need to decide if you want "easy hosting" or "hard hosting" and if you're looking for something where the guests get everything given to them so they don't have to think on their feet, or just a back story and leave them to be complete sleuths. The latter works better for people who love ad libbing and have an Am Dram flair, but certainly aren't for the faint hearted. Freeform games are one of the firms who specialize in the back story only plots. I've never hosted one of theirs - took a look and decided most of my friends wouldn't cope with something so free flowing. Most of my friends like something more scripted. I'd suggest shopping around to see what you like the look of best. There's a complete listing of firms on a number of websites dmoz being one, and EntsWeb another - I use Red Herring Games myself. You can either download them instantly or have them printed and sent to you.
http://www.red-herring-games.com