The Dinner Detective - Review

An Interactive Murder Mystery

The flashlight blinds me as Detective Merlot shouts into my ear "It was you, wasn't it?!"

I put on my best, innocent "Who me?" face as all eyes turn in my direction.

Maybe I did do it. I am not at all sure if I might turn out to be guilty of murdering three actors at a dinner show. Suspicion has certainly been thrown in many different directions throughout the course of the evening.

My friend Lisa and I are attending The Dinner Detective show at Cucina Paradiso in Culver City.

The friendly fellow that I had chatted with during the pre-dinner reception wound up bloody on the floor during the salad course. Detectives Schnapps and Merlot were soon on the case, interviewing witnesses and suspects.

Unsuspecting dinner guests found themselves woven into the storyline. How did that photo of FiFi get into the dead man's pocket? How could a package arrive addressed to someone's fake name chosen just for the evening? Some pre-show conspiring by friends and family will do the trick.

Seated at tables of eight to ten, we have plenty of time during dinner to be suspicious of our dining companions. Are they innocent guests or actors pretending to be ordinary diners? Trust no one!

The clues keep coming…a poem, an email, a bank statement, a newspaper clipping… What do they all mean? We pass them around and brainstorm possibilities while we enjoyed our entrees (I would go back to Cucina Paradiso just for the pumpkin ravioli, yum!). That couple across the table don't seem to be paying a lot of attention to the clues, could they be the murderers? The rest of us speculate among ourselves.

Between courses the detectives return to grill more suspects and present more clues.

Suddenly that couple at my table get into a fight, and with a big commotion there are two more murders to solve, so I guess they aren't the murderers.

So now it's back to this light shining in my face. Did I do it? Did I have means, motive and opportunity? Well I can't tell you that, now can I? But I did have a darn good time!

The ticket includes dinner and the show. For an extra fee you can surprise someone in your party by making them part of the show. The Dinner Detective has three locations which rotate shows, so if you're going for a repeat visit, call to see which show is playing. For tickets and information visit www.thedinnerdetective.com.

Show Locations:

Cucina Paradiso
3387 Motor Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90034

The Grand Romance (Riverboat Dinner Cruise)
200 Aquarium Way, Dock #4
Long Beach, CA 90803

The Atrium Hotel
18700 MacArthur Blvd.
Irvine, CA 92612

This information was accurate at the time of publication. Please check with venue for the most current information.

As is common in the travel industry, the writer was provided with complimentary(accommodation, meals, flight, cruise, car rental) for the purpose of reviewing those services. While it has not influenced this review, About.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see our ethics policy.