Here is a free murder mystery party script you can run tonight. It is called Dead Stop, it takes about an hour, and it is for 4 or 5 players: a snowbound overnight train in 1934 and an art dealer found dead in his compartment. Below are the story, the cast with costume ideas, the host's read-aloud lines for each round and the running order. The rest of the script (each character's secrets, the six clue cards, the solution and an epilogue for every character) opens free when you set it up, and it prints.
What a murder mystery script contains
Every party murder mystery, free or paid, has the same parts. This is where each one is for Dead Stop.
| Part | What it does | For Dead Stop |
|---|---|---|
| The setup | The victim, the place, why nobody can leave | On this page |
| Character sheets | Who you are, what you want, costume | Cast on this page; full sheets with the free setup |
| Secrets and goals | What each player hides and must find out, round by round | Free setup (kept off this page so guests can't read them) |
| Host's lines | What the host reads at the start of each round | On this page |
| Clues | Evidence revealed two per round | Titles on this page; full cards with the free setup |
| Solution | Who did it, how, and the proof | Free setup |
| Epilogues | What happens to each character afterwards | Free setup |
The story
The overnight sleeper from Edinburgh to London is stuck in a snowdrift outside Carlisle. At 11:40 pm the attendant finds Julian Ashcombe, a Bond Street art dealer, dead in compartment 4. He was struck once on the back of the head with the silver head of his own walking cane. His briefcase is open on the bunk, and a folder labelled VANCE is missing from it. The police cannot reach the train before morning. Until then, the passengers in this carriage are the only suspects.
The characters
Four characters are always in. The fifth joins if you have five players. Everyone sees this much about everyone else:
| Character | Who they are | Costume idea |
|---|---|---|
| Dr. Eleanor Vance | The restorer in compartment 5, travelling to London to authenticate a painting | A dark travelling coat, spectacles, a small leather case |
| Margaret "Peggy" Ashcombe | Ashcombe's wife, travelling separately, in compartment 1 | Something good but a little out of fashion, a hat, gloves |
| Captain Hugh Pelham | A retired Army captain in compartment 2, who bought a painting from Ashcombe | A tweed jacket, any striped tie, a moustache if you can |
| Thomas Reid | The attendant for this carriage, who found the body | A dark jacket buttoned to the neck, a cap, a cloth over one arm |
| Iris Kettle (fifth player) | A young secretary in compartment 3, on her way to a new job | A plain coat, a notebook, a cheap hat |
Each player's own sheet says more. This is how Thomas Reid's begins:
Twelve years on the railway, four on the Edinburgh sleeper. You know every regular on the line, and Julian Ashcombe was a regular: London to Edinburgh and back once a month, always compartment 4, always with a briefcase, always a tip. You found the body at 11:40 when you noticed the door ajar. You are the only person on this train who is supposed to be awake.
After that come his secret and his goals for each round, which only he reads.
The host's script
Read these aloud at the start of each round, or let the TV screen show them. Each round reveals two clues.
Round 1: Stopped in the Snow (15 minutes; clues: Compartment 4, The attendant's log)
It is a quarter to midnight. The Edinburgh sleeper has been stuck in a drift outside Carlisle for two hours, and the attendant has just found Julian Ashcombe dead in compartment 4. The guard has wired for the police, who cannot reach the train before morning. Until then, the five of you are the only people in this carriage, and one of you did it. Introduce yourselves. Find out who knew Ashcombe, and why they were on this train.
Round 2: What Was in the Briefcase (15 minutes; clues: The torn letter, The banknotes)
The attendant has been through the corridor bins and the dead man's pockets. A torn letter and a bundle of banknotes have turned up, and both of them point at people in this carriage. Somebody was being threatened. Somebody was being paid. Ask harder questions.
Round 3: The Door Handle (15 minutes; clues: The door handle, The tea slip)
Two last things. There is something on the handle of the compartment door that should not be there, and the dining car has produced a slip of paper that fixes the time Ashcombe was last alive. Put the evening in order, decide who had the time and the reason, and be ready to vote.
Running order
- The day before: send each player their character. Reading it takes two minutes.
- On the night: one table is enough. Dim the lights. Read the Round 1 lines and show the first two clues.
- Three rounds of 15 minutes. Players mingle, question each other and work through their goals.
- The vote. Everyone names the killer. Nobody may vote for themselves.
- The reveal. Read the solution, then each player reads their epilogue.
The host plays a character too, and advances the rounds from their phone with one tap.
Writing your own instead?
If you would rather write a script for your group, our guide on how to write a murder mystery party walks through the victim, the suspects, the clue trail and the timeline. Dead Stop is a useful model: five characters, six clues, and every character with a reason to lie.
With Sleuth Night
Dead Stop is our free mystery, and it runs on the same app as our paid ones. Each player gets a private link with their character on their phone, the clues show on your TV or any shared screen, and the vote and the reveal happen on the phones too. It never needs unlocking, and the print view is free. If your table enjoys it, our full mysteries are built the same way for bigger groups, about two hours each, $29, free to set up. For 6 players or 8 players see those pages, or try Corked for 4 to 6 at a dinner party.