Deadly Little Murders

A murder has been committed. The evidence is on your table.

Give your colleagues a shared challenge that encourages conversation, collaboration and different ways of thinking. Working in teams around tables, guests investigate an original murder case and decide who they believe is responsible.

This is a facilitator-led experience. There are no actors and no role play. Guests participate as teams, with a host guiding the investigation and keeping the event moving.

Each table receives sealed evidence envelopes, opened in stages to reveal witness statements, clues and unexpected details. Teams share discoveries, challenge theories and reconsider their conclusions as the case develops.

There are different ways to contribute, from spotting an inconsistency to connecting clues or questioning an alibi.

Friendly competition builds towards the final verdict, when each team submits its conclusions before the truth is revealed. For dining events, the investigation unfolds between courses.

The result is an absorbing group activity that gives colleagues a natural reason to listen to one another, exchange ideas and enjoy working something out together.

Deadly Little Murders grew from the belief that people connect when they have something interesting to work out together. Its roots lie in original crime writing, corporate event delivery and psychology.

The concept was also shaped by experiences of murder mystery evenings where it was difficult to follow the crime, enjoy the meal and spend time with friends. Performances interrupted the conversation, and the acting did not always make the mystery more convincing.

That prompted a different approach: lose the actors and make the people at the table the detectives.

Give them the evidence, let them question it together and make their discoveries the centre of the experience. Guided by a facilitator, their conversation becomes part of the investigation, drawing them into a shared goal: solve the crime.

This is the foundation of Deadly Little Murders. Colleagues become the investigation team, bringing different perspectives, debating possibilities and reaching their own conclusions.

The enjoyment comes from the people around the table and what they discover together.

Deadly Little Murders draws on founder Jameson Hartshorn’s experience of delivering more than 500 C-suite peer networking events across Europe. That work brings an understanding of corporate audiences, careful event planning and creating an environment where people feel comfortable contributing.

His live entertainment background includes creating and running music and DJ events, including the flagship funk night Takin’ Off, developing a feel for atmosphere, timing and keeping an audience engaged.

The storytelling experience behind DLM includes commercial writing and published fiction, with titles including Planet Buu and the Deadly Little Murders crime series. That writing background shapes the original cases guests investigate at each event.

Our events are designed for organisations planning team away days, staff socials and company celebrations, with HR teams, learning and development professionals, office managers and business leaders in mind.

The format suits groups bringing departments together, welcoming new colleagues or giving an established team time to reconnect. It provides a shared focus for people with different roles, personalities and interests.

Founder Jameson Hartshorn holds a Business degree and an MBA in Psychology, majoring in Positive Psychology. He is also a trained psychometrician and holds a Diploma in Journalism awarded with distinction.

That combination of business, psychology and storytelling informs how our events are designed and facilitated, creating opportunities for colleagues to contribute their strengths, appreciate different perspectives and connect.