1920s Speakeasy murder mystery
A 1920s speakeasy is the easiest theme to say yes to. Everyone already knows the look (pearls and pinstripes, feathers and fedoras), and the setting does half the storytelling for you: a secret club where everybody is bending the rules a little, so every guest walks in with a reason to lie. Put a password on the front door, dim the lights, play hot jazz low and serve drinks in teacups, and your living room turns into 1925 before anyone says a word in character.
In a Killer Cast speakeasy case, your friends are the suspects. You add the guest list and we write a mystery around those names, ready in minutes: the bandleader who stopped the music at the worst possible moment, the club manager whose ledger doesn't add up, the society heir who sneaks downtown every night. Each guest gets a private invite page with their character, a secret, a motive and two or three costume ideas, plus an optional illustrated portrait drawn from their selfie in an art deco poster style. Nobody needs a script or acting talent. Every round comes with clear objectives: what to find out, whom to question and what to keep quiet.
On party night, a narrator voice with captions opens the case and runs three rounds from any TV or laptop, while the Evidence Locker unlocks period evidence like telegrams, club matchbooks, ledger pages and a newspaper extra as suspicion builds. Then come the accusations, the big reveal and a party recap to share in the group chat. Below you'll find a sample cast, era slang, costume and menu ideas, decor, music and a hosting timeline for 6 to 20 adults.
The Blue Canary, a basement jazz club hidden behind a bakery: a password at the door, a six-piece band on a tiny stage, bathtub gin served in teacups and a back office nobody is supposed to enter.
Frankie “Two-Tone” Marlowe
Jules Fontaine
Rory Vance
Sloane Ashby-Hart
Meet the
suspects
Frankie “Two-Tone” Marlowe
Manager of the Blue Canary
Runs the Blue Canary's door, floor and books with a pocketful of favors. Knows every password ever used and every guest who ever forgot one.
“Keeps a second ledger, and the victim's name is circled in red on every page.”
Costume ideas: Pinstripe vest or jacket with a bold pocket square, two-tone shoes, or white tape across the toes of black ones, a pocket watch on a dollar-store chain.
Jules Fontaine
Bandleader of the house band
Leads the Canary's six-piece band with a grin and a baton. The stage has the best view in the room, which makes Jules either the best witness or the best liar.
“Stopped the music for exactly four minutes tonight and won't say why.”
Costume ideas: Dark suit or dress with a bow tie, a chopstick or rolled program as a baton, Hair slicked or pinned back with a little gel.
Rory Vance
Bootlegger and the club's supplier
Brings the gin in through the coal chute every Tuesday. Friendly, generous and very curious about who else has been selling to the club.
“Last week's shipment came up twelve bottles short, and the victim was counting.”
Costume ideas: Flat cap, rolled shirtsleeves and suspenders, a canvas work apron or chore jacket, a cardboard box labeled TOMATOES as a prop crate.
Sloane Ashby-Hart
Society heir and nightly regular
Old money, new trouble. Comes downtown every night to dance and tips the doorman generously to forget each visit.
“The family thinks Sloane spends these nights at the opera. The victim knew better and was charging for silence.”
Costume ideas: Anything sequined, beaded or velvet, Long faux pearls or a silk scarf, Satin gloves and a long prop cigarette holder (a black chopstick works).
Billie Moreau
Torch singer with big ambitions
Sings heartbreak like nobody else in the city and hears every whisper from the spotlight. Wants out of the Canary and into the big time.
“Had a new contract signed by the victim at ten o'clock. By midnight it was torn in half.”
Costume ideas: A long dark gown or a velvet jacket with a flower on the lapel, a vintage microphone made from a paper towel tube and foil, a single long glove or a silk flower pinned in the hair.
Avery Quill
Gossip columnist for the Daily Clarion
Writes “Overheard After Hours,” the column everyone reads and nobody admits to reading. Pays for gossip in cash and pays back grudges in print.
“Tomorrow's column was already typed, and the victim's name was in the headline.”
Costume ideas: A paper press card tucked into a hatband, a notebook, with a pencil behind one ear, Tweed blazer or cardigan with a brooch.
Remy Hollister
Card sharp in the back room
Deals the back-room poker game every night and somehow never loses. Smiles a lot and blinks very little.
“Dealt the victim a winning hand at midnight, and Remy never deals a winning hand by accident.”
Costume ideas: A green card-stock visor and arm garters, a vest with a loosened tie, a deck of cards peeking out of a breast pocket.
Ellis Dunmore
The new bartender, hired last Tuesday
Mixes a decent drink, asks a lot of friendly questions and writes things down whenever nobody is looking.
“Carries a federal badge in one boot, and the victim found it.”
Costume ideas: White shirt, black vest and a bar towel over one shoulder, Rolled sleeves held up with arm garters or rubber bands, a small notebook tucked into the vest.
On party
night
The real screens from a sample Roaring Twenties Speakeasy party. Your guests get their own, written around your list.
The invite 
Their part 
Clues each round 
The Evidence Locker
The Evidence
Locker
RAID DRILL TONIGHT, 10:40 SHARP. Hollis throws the main switch behind the bar. Lights out for 5 minutes, not one second more. The band plays "Sweet Tea Serenade" from the top and does not stop for anything. Velvet sings. The room hums along like a sewing circle with nothing to hide. Gin goes into the flour bins. Teacups get tea. My office stays bolted, and nobody uses the piano passage. If the dry agents come at midnight, we are a tea room with a very good band. A.F.
The Evening Clarion
Thursday, October 15, 1925
DOWNTOWN CLUB OWNER'S TUNE FETCHES $5,000
The Harrowgate Music Company announced this afternoon that it has bought the dance number "Sweet Tea Serenade," a favorite of certain downtown tea rooms, from its composer, Mr. Ambrose Featherstone, for the remarkable sum of five thousand dollars. Sheet music will be in the shops by December. Reached by telephone, Mr. Featherstone said only, "Every note of it came straight from the heart." Asked where the song was first performed, he said he could not recall. THE NIGHT OWL HEARS ALL: Which downtown tea room hired a new bartender on Tuesday who asks more questions than a census taker? The Owl is watching. The Owl is always watching.
Dress the
part
For everyone
- Pinstripes, vests and suspenders with a fedora or flat cap
- Drop-waist, fringed or beaded dresses with a headband or cloche hat
- Any dark suit or dress plus one statement piece: pearls, a feather or a bow tie
- Shirtsleeves, suspenders and a newsboy cap for the working crowd: bootleggers, bartenders and musicians
- Velvet, satin or a faux-fur wrap for the society set
- Polished black or two-tone shoes to finish any look
On a budget
- Thrift a sequined or beaded top and wear it with black pants or a black skirt
- Make a headband from black elastic, a craft feather and an old brooch
- Dollar-store suspenders turn any white shirt and dark pants into bootlegger chic
- Cut fringe from a dark plastic tablecloth and tape or stitch it to an old hem
- Pin a silk flower or a strand of plastic pearls to anything black
Accessories that sell it
- Fedora, flat cap or cloche hat
- Long strands of faux pearls or beads
- Feather headband
- Pocket watch on a chain
- Bow tie or slim tie with a tie clip
- Satin or lace gloves
- Prop cigarette holder (a painted chopstick works)
- A deck of cards or a few poker chips in a pocket
The menu
- Drinks
- Bee's Knees: gin, fresh lemon and honey syrup (alcohol-free: swap the gin for cold-brewed black tea or a zero-proof gin)
- French 75: gin, lemon and sugar topped with sparkling wine (alcohol-free: lemon and sugar topped with sparkling white grape juice)
- Rye Old Fashioned with an orange twist, served in a teacup for authenticity
- Teapot punch: one pot of rum punch and one pot of iced tea with ginger ale for the alcohol-free crowd, poured into mismatched teacups
- Cream sodas and root beer floats from a “soda fountain” corner (naturally alcohol-free)
- Bites
- Deviled eggs with a dusting of paprika
- Shrimp cocktail served in coupe glasses
- Celery boats stuffed with cream cheese and chopped olives, a true 1920s party snack
- Mini club sandwiches cut into triangles
- Spiced nuts and popcorn in paper cones at the bar
- Mains
- Chicken à la king over toast points or puff pastry shells
- Brown-sugar glazed ham, sliced thin, with soft rolls and mustard
- Chafing-dish meatballs in a rich gravy, kept warm all night
- Dessert
- Pineapple upside-down cake, a Jazz Age favorite
- Chocolate wafer icebox cake (make it the night before)
- Gold-dusted chocolate truffles on a black platter
- No alcohol
- The Password: muddle 4 mint leaves with 1 oz honey syrup and the juice of half a lemon, add 3 oz chilled black tea, shake with ice, strain into a teacup and top with ginger ale. Garnish with a lemon twist.
Set the scene
- A password sign on the front door (“Knock twice and ask for Frankie”) with the password printed in the invite message
- A bakery front at the door: a cake stand of rolls and a hand-lettered FRESH BREAD sign, with the club hidden behind it
- Black and gold everything: black tablecloths, gold paper fans and a scatter of gold confetti
- Mismatched thrift-store teacups and saucers for every drink
- Candles and warm string lights only; switch off the overhead lights
- Art deco sunbursts made from accordion-folded gold card stock taped to the walls
- Feathers in tall bottles or vases on the bar and tables
- A small bell by the door to ring as a “raid alarm” between rounds
- Wooden or cardboard crates labeled TOMATOES or SODA WATER to hide the bottles
- A stage corner with a lamp and a prop microphone for the torch singer
Music
Hot and smoky: brassy jazz while the room is loud, slow and sultry when the secrets come out.
- 1920s hot jazz with trumpet, clarinet and banjo for arrivals
- Ragtime piano for cocktail hour
- New Orleans-style brass band numbers to kick off each round
- Slow blues with a muted trumpet during the investigation
- Torch ballads with piano and a lone vocalist for the final accusations
- Crackly gramophone-style recordings at low volume under the narrator
- Modern pop hits rearranged as 1920s jazz for dancing after the reveal
Talk the
talk
- Speakeasy
- An illegal bar hidden from the law during Prohibition. You needed a password, or a friend, to get in.
- Giggle water
- Any alcoholic drink. (“Who spiked the giggle water?”)
- Bathtub gin
- Homemade liquor mixed up in whatever was handy, usually served with plenty of juice to hide the taste.
- Bootlegger
- Someone who makes, smuggles or sells illegal liquor.
- Dry agent
- A federal Prohibition agent whose job is to raid speakeasies and pour the stock down the drain.
- The bee's knees
- Something excellent. (“This band is the bee's knees.”)
- Big cheese
- The person in charge, or someone who acts like it.
- Applesauce
- Nonsense. A polite way to tell someone their story doesn't hold up.
- On the level
- Honest and telling the truth. (“Is that alibi on the level?”)
- Gumshoe
- A private detective, or anyone asking too many questions.
- Take a powder
- To leave quickly and quietly, usually right before trouble starts.
- Hoofer
- A dancer, especially one who dances for a living.
Who’s in
the room
The Club Owner
Runs the room, knows every regular by name and keeps two sets of books.
The Bandleader
Charming and quick with a wink; the stage gives the best view of everything that happens in the club.
The Bootlegger
Supplies the hooch and the trouble. Friendly right up until a shipment goes missing.
The Society Heir
Old money slumming it downtown for thrills, with a famous family name to protect.
The Torch Singer
Sings heartbreak beautifully and hears every whisper from the spotlight.
The Undercover Agent
Poses as a regular or new staff while quietly building a case against the club.
The Gossip Columnist
Writes the column the whole city reads and trades favors for scoops.
The Card Sharp
Runs the back-room games. Lucky at cards, unlucky at keeping friends.
Hosting
timeline
3 weeks before
Create your case and send each guest their private invite link with the club password. Ask everyone to RSVP within a week so the cast is set.
2 weeks before
Costume nudge: remind guests their invite page has costume ideas for their character. Pearls, suspenders and hats are cheap online but can take a few days to arrive.
1 week before
Shop for the menu and bar: gin or zero-proof spirits, honey, lemons, mint, tea and ginger ale. Pick up thrift-store teacups, gold card stock and candles. Print the optional at-home kit if you want name tags and clue cards.
2 days before
Make the icebox cake and honey syrup, fold the deco sunbursts and test the narrator audio on the TV or laptop you'll use.
Party day, afternoon
Set up the bakery front, tape the password sign to the door, set the bar with teacups and bottles, dim the lights and queue the hot jazz.
Party night
Ask every guest for the password at the door, then allow 30 minutes of mingling in character before the narrator opens the case. Serve the mains after round one and dessert before the final accusations and reveal.
The morning after
Share the party recap in the group chat so everyone can relive the reveal and see who took home the awards.
Questions
Do guests need to know 1920s slang?
No. Plain English solves the case just fine. The vocabulary list on this page covers the fun phrases, and a well-timed “applesauce!” always gets a laugh, but nobody is graded on it.
What if some guests don't want to dress up?
Give them an easy out: a fedora, a strand of pearls or a bow tie is enough to look the part. Every character's invite page suggests two or three simple pieces, so nobody has to buy a full outfit.
Is a speakeasy party too boozy for a mixed crowd?
Not at all. Illegal liquor is part of the story, not a requirement. The teapot punch, the tea-based Bee's Knees and the Password mocktail all work alcohol-free, and the mystery plays exactly the same either way.
How many people can play, and can I play too?
Cases are written for 6 to 20 players. Six feels like a private back room; twenty feels like a packed Saturday night. You can play a suspect yourself and solve the case alongside your guests, or run the game while the narrator handles the rounds.
Do I need to print anything?
No. Invites, character pages, the Evidence Locker and the narrator all run on phones and a TV or laptop. If you love paper props, the optional print-at-home kit adds things like name tags and clue cards.
How long does a 1920s murder mystery party take?
Plan on about three hours door to door: half an hour of mingling, three rounds of play with food in between, then accusations and the reveal. The case itself is ready in minutes, so most of your prep is drinks and decor.
Host a Speakeasy 1925 mystery
Pick a theme, add your guest list and see your cast in seconds. The preview is free.
