A DIY Murder Mystery for Libraries

In 2025, the Friends of the Key West Library were very fortunate to host one of my favorite authors, Ann Cleeves, at our fundraising gala. We decided to make use of her presence another way, by producing a murder mystery she had written for libraries. The setting was an afternoon tea in Shetland. I recruited four actors, played the moderator myself, and then had huge assistance from the library staff for setting up the room, setting the murder scene, and producing amazing graphics for advertising. The event was a huge success!
We decided to build on that by presenting a second murder mystery in 2026, this one set in Key West and written by who else but Lucy Burdette. As Ann has done with her do it yourself mysteries, I am delighted to offer this for the use of any libraries who would find the project fun.

What you will need:
*The support of your fabulous head librarian and staff!
*Five cast members including four suspects and one moderator. We had one rehearsal to read through, and costumes were do-it-yourself. We did not expect the cast members to memorize their parts, just be familiar with them.
*A program such as the one below. This would include cast member bios, thank you to sponsors, and a description of the play. In Key West, we were very fortunate to have a major assist by our talented library staff.
*Refreshments to be served during the intermission. In Key West, these were provided by members of the Key West Woman’s Club and the Friends of the Key West library.
*Set up a station for the murder scene with Key Lime Pie and clues.
*Glass containers for choosing winners, and prizes. (For this play, we gave out five copies of Lucy Burdette’s The Key Lime Crime. For the Ann Cleeves mystery, we gave out copies of her books.)

*Arrange to have the suspect arrested. In Key West, we were fortunate to have a Sheriff’s Department deputy right on the premises who did the job.
The Friends of the Big Pine Library also presented this event at their Big Pine Library to the great delight of their members.
I was delighted that they made slight adjustments to the script for their murder mystery—I’d be happy to consult with you!
Contact Lucy
Download THE KEY LIME MYSTERY (PDF)
Photos courtesy of Nick Doll Photography