French Murder Mystery

6 Players

A Vintage Murder

The year is 1937. You have been invited to dine in the sumptuous hall of Chateau de Reims in the lush wine country of France. But the promise of a sparkling evening is shattered when you discover that your host, St. John Sedgwick-Smythe, has been murdered. All of the guests, including you, were capable of masterminding his death. You all wished for his untimely demise. Which one of you fermented the plot for his murder? It's up to you to solve this crime before its time.

The suspects are:

Desiree de Bouze - Beautiful, elegant, self-possessed chatelaine of Chateau de Reims, you coped admirably with the loss of your mother in your teenage years and have successfully rejuvenated the once-ailing family wine business. You are universally popular with the estate staff. You were deeply devoted to your late father, and were grief-stricken on his death in 1930. You sought solace in the arms of the dashing St. John Sedgwick-Smythe, who had recently arrived in Paris from South Africa. You married him and combined your expertise to consolidate the success of the family vineyard.
Costume Suggestion - Sophisticated, with a dramatic flair for adding a splash of colour or otherwise conventional two piece suits.

Yves Le Concoction - A child prodigy, more interested in scientific studies than in the family wine business, you were happy to let your younger sister Desiree run Chateau de Reims. Accepted at the Sorbonne, you took top honours in biochemistry, before taking a prestigious top-secret government research job just outside of Paris. You are shy and slightly awkward in company, but you are extremely handsome and much sought after as a prospective husband. Preoccupied with work, all your reticence in romance gives your an air of mystery.
Costume Suggestion - Not interested in convention or fashion, you usually dismay Desiree with your attire.

Henri L'Able - immensely capable and dependable, you were first engaged to work on the Chateau de Reims estate as a young man by Desiree's father. You rose swiftly through the ranks of staff and are now the estate manager. Tanned and muscular, you are envied for your success with the local women. Generally well liked by your subordinated, you are rumoured to have ideas above your station, though you are admired for your fierce loyalty to the estate, whose success you have helped engineer.
Costume Suggestion - Combines sex appeal with smartness, you never wear a tie with your shirt and blazer.

Rose Chintsey-Curten - Cherished only daughter of an Army Colonel, you spent your childhood in a variety of genteel English bordering schools. Your holidays were spent visiting your wealthy parents in South Africa. At 16, you started interior design business in Johannesburg. Your services were soon much sought after by the fashionable set. You moved to Paris in 1934 and set up a chic office. Now you are past the first bloom of youth but still stunningly attractive and, surprisingly, unattached.
Costume Suggestion - You prefer clothes that have elegant flowing movements, usual in soft colours.

Seymour Hunter-Cover - Mature and distinguished, with a slight limp caused by war wounds, you are an archetypal English gentleman and much-decorated war hero. A wine merchant based in Henley-on-Thames, you are an ex-Cambridge man. In 1930 you decided to set up your own wine business. You first met Sedgwick-Smythe in Paris in 1933 and have been doing steady business ever since. This is your first trip back to Paris since 1933.
Costume Suggestion - If not wearing your favourite tweed jacket, you will probably wear a dinner jacket and be impeccably dressed.

Lotte Brenzenbraun - Physically striking, with a cool Teutonic beauty, you have a natural air of command. Formerly a Civil Service secretary in Berlin, you won the respect of your peers by your fortitude in starting up a wine business after your two brothers were killed in the First World War. You have established a strong business relationship with Sedgwick-Smythe, with whom you first dealt with by mail when he based in Johannesburg. It is generally understood that the reason you remained unmarried is that you have not yet found a man strong enough to handle you.
Costume Suggestion - Prepared to shock with your clothing, always show off your legs and wear low-cut blouses.