Guides · By occasion

Murder Mystery Date Night at Home

Most murder mystery kits are party games: every guest plays a suspect, and they need six people or more. On a date night there are two of you, and one of you cannot be the killer. So we made a case instead.

In The Last Dance at the Hotel Mirabelle you both play detectives on the French Riviera in 1958. Each of you opens a private link on your own phone. Your evidence is different from your partner's, and so are the answers you get when you question the suspects. Read it aloud, compare notes, and agree on who did it.

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The case

The Last Dance at the Hotel Mirabelle

1950s · 2–4 players · about 75 minutes

The Last Dance at the Hotel Mirabelle is written for two. You are both detectives, and each of you holds half the evidence, so the case only comes together when you talk. Five suspects, three chapters, and an answer you have to agree on.

Read the full mystery page

✓ You are the detectives; each of you holds different evidence
✓ 5 suspects to question, 2 questions each per chapter
✓ Three chapters on your phones, then agree on who, why and how
✓ Scored out of three when the solution is revealed
✓ Works at the table or over a video call; print view included

What the night looks like

A film star dies in her suite after the summer gala at the Hotel Mirabelle, and the hotel doctor says her heart gave out. The manager asks the two of you to look into it quietly before the police arrive from Nice at dawn.

The case runs in three chapters of about twenty minutes. Each chapter brings new evidence to your phones and a list of questions for the five suspects. You can each ask two per chapter, and only the one who asks hears the answer.

After the third chapter you agree on three things: who did it, why, and how. One of you submits the accusation, the solution plays out on your phones, and you get a score out of three. About 75 minutes, with time for dinner.

Tips for a date night murder mystery

Read everything aloud

The case is built so neither of you can solve it alone. Read your evidence out in full rather than summarising; the detail that matters is usually in a line your partner skimmed.

Plan your questions together

You each get two questions per chapter. Decide who asks whom before you tap, and you cover four lines of questioning instead of two.

Make an evening of it

Dress up a little, pour something French, put on a 1950s chanson record. The Party Pack has a playlist and a short list of props for this case.

Long distance works too

Each of you opens your own link, so it plays just as well over a video call. Open the screen link on one side if you want the shared case file in the middle.

Questions people ask

Can you do a murder mystery with just two people?

Yes, as a detective case rather than a party. In Hotel Mirabelle you are both detectives with different evidence, questioning five suspects who appear on your phones. Nobody has to play the killer.

How long does it take?

About 75 minutes: three chapters of roughly 20 minutes, then ten minutes to agree on your accusation and read the solution.

Can four of us play, as a double date?

Yes. A third and fourth detective can join. Each chapter's evidence is shared out between everyone, so each of you still holds something the others need.

Do we need to print anything?

No. Everything is on your phones. A print view with every detective's file and fold-over interview cards is included if you prefer paper.

What does it cost?

Setting up is free. You pay $29 once, when you open Chapter 1, and there is a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Set up your date night case, free.

Two minutes to set up. Pay $29 once, when you open Chapter 1.

Set up the case, free