Leslie Whitlock
Eleanor's eldest child · President of Whitlock Toys
Eleanor's eldest child and president of Whitlock Toys. Warm and steady, the one who holds the family together, and the happiest person in the house since Robin came home.
A murder mystery party in a deck of cards
A Merry Little Murder
Christmas Eve, 1966. A blizzard has buried Whitlock House in Vermont. The phone line is down, the road is closed, and the whole family is home for Christmas. Grandma Eleanor won't live to open her presents.
- 4–8 players
- 90–120 minutes
- 16+
- 3 cases in one deck
How it works
Everyone's a suspect
Each guest plays a member of the Whitlock household, with a secret to keep and a goal for the evening. Over three rounds, the cards reveal what happened that night. Then everyone names who did it, how and why.
- Dress up and take a characterEvery guest gets a character card, a statement to read aloud, and a secret card for their eyes only.
- Play three roundsEach round brings new evidence and a public clue, and from Round II a twist. Question, bluff and accuse while dinner goes round.
- Name the killerEveryone writes down who, how and why. Then the host reads the solution, and the truth finally comes out.
Only the killer may lie. Everyone else may dodge, deflect and change the subject. Read the full rules.
Three cases, one deck
The same night, a different truth
The same house, the same guests, the same Christmas Eve, and a different killer each time. Play all three with the same group: nothing learned in one case is true in another.
CASE A
Medium. A good first case.
CASE B
Medium. Play it first or second.
CASE C
Hard. Save it for last.
The guests
The Whitlock household
Eight characters, any mix of them, at any table size from 4 to 8. Characters nobody plays are still suspects.
Robin Whitlock
Home since October
Came through the front door in October, fifteen years after being presumed dead in Korea, and was welcomed home as Leslie's eldest child, who ran away at 17. Quiet, grateful, and still a stranger to some.
Jamie Whitlock
Eleanor's younger child · The black sheep
Eleanor's younger child. Charming, broke, and the family's black sheep. Makes a lethal eggnog.
Dr. Morgan Price
The family doctor
The family doctor for thirty years and Eleanor's old friend. Prescribes her heart drops, and never misses a Whitlock Christmas.
Frankie Whitlock
Leslie's younger child · Next in line
Leslie's younger child, raised in the shadow of a dead hero sibling. Ambitious and sharp-tongued, and next in line to run the company, until October.
Hollis Grant
Housekeeper since 1935
Housekeeper at Whitlock House since 1935. Knows every room, every recipe and every family secret.
Avery Lomax
The family lawyer
The family's lawyer, invited for Christmas as an old friend. Knows exactly what's in Eleanor's will.
Kit Dalton
Frankie's intended
Frankie's intended, spending a first Christmas with the Whitlocks. Charming, curious, and very interested in the family business.
In the box
74 cards
For every case
- 3 rules cards and a host card
- A case picker
- 8 character cards
- 8 Round I statements
- The Evening, and one card for after the solution
Cases A, B and C
17 cards each: 8 secrets, 3 public clues, 3 pieces of evidence, 2 twists and the solution. Every card back says which case it belongs to, so the host can deal everything face down.
Free with every deck
Invitations, name tags, detective notes, a host guide and a 1960s dinner plan, ready to print. See the printables.
Questions
Before you invite the family
How many players do we need?
Four to eight. Any mix of the eight characters works, and the ones nobody plays stay in the story as suspects. With four or five players, you can also run the game in game master mode.
Does the host need to know the solution?
No. The cards run the evening, so the host can play a character and investigate like everyone else.
Can we play it more than once?
Yes, three times. The deck holds three complete cases, each with a different killer, method and motive. Sort the deck back by the labels on the card backs, and the next Christmas Eve is ready.
Do we need anything else?
A pencil per player and about two hours. The free printables add invitations, name tags and detective notes, and the dinner plan paces a 1960s supper to the three rounds.
Is it scary?
It's a cosy, slightly wicked 1960s whodunit, not a horror game. It's best for players aged 16 and up, because of its murder theme and the occasional cocktail.