Theme and Location

• Every party needs a theme, including a murder mystery party. If you and your friends enjoy reading or watching murder mysteries, host a classic detective novel-themed party or a modern television crime drama whodunit event. If you are creative, develop your own original theme to impress your party guests. Or, if you are stuck for ideas, buy a murder mystery party kit. Once you have decided on a theme, find a location to best suit your party. A stately manor, a hotel ball room, office and even your own home are all possible party locations.
  
  

Get into Character

• The success of your party depends on the characters featured in your murder mystery story. When asking guests to take on roles during the party, consider their personalities and willingness to act and perform in front of a crowd. If you have people who want to participate but would be comfortable with a lesser role, cast them as observers. Another option is to have guests choose their roles beforehand or on the day of the party. Regardless of the role your guests take on, have everyone dress up in costume to reflect the theme of the evening.
  
  

Food

• Food is a main feature at any party, including a murder mystery soiree. If your party has a certain theme or is set in a certain time period, serve a meal that reflects the theme you are trying to achieve. If you think you will be short for time and a full-course meal is not feasible, serve appetizers instead. Consider limiting the amount of alcohol you serve so your guests can keep on track and play their roles without distractions.
  
  

An Unexpected Twist

• A good detective story has an unexpected twist at the end, so include one in your party. Arrange to have more than one murderer at your party and keep his identity under wraps as a last minute surprise for your guests. You can also take a page out of one of your favorite daytime soap operas and having your murderer come "back to life" when most of your guests have concluded he or she was one of many unfortunate murder victims.
  
  

Capture the Memories

• Guests at your murder mystery party will laugh, smile and have an overall enjoyable time. To capture all the fun during the evening, delegate one of your guests to be the photographer and have her dress the character. Another way to reward your guests at the end of a fun night is to have an awards ceremony after the murderer has been revealed. "Best Killer," "Best Murder Victim" and "Best Death Scene" are some of the award categories you could develop.