The Grosvenor House was designed by Elijah E. Myers, who also designed the Michigan State Capitol. Austin Gergens | Collegian

Twelve strangers arrive at a manor house for dinner. Soon, their host will be dead, and one of them is the killer — and everyone has a motive. 

While this might sound like the set-up to an Agatha Christie novel, it’s what guests can expect at the Murder Mystery Dinner at the Grosvenor House Museum on Nov. 7 and 8 in Jonesville, Michigan.

“Everyone has a good time,” said Ann Johnson, co-president of the museum. “It’s wonderful that they’re all laughing and having a great time, because a lot of people don’t know each other — they’re all strangers.”

The museum hosted its first dinner in March 2025 and another in August.

Participants receive a booklet with information about their characters, and the event staff guide them through the evening. The booklets contain clues and motives, but attendees improvise their way through the story. Each dinner involves the same set of characters, but the murderer changes. Participants are also encouraged to dress up for the 1936 theme.

Johnson said the historic house, built in the 1870s, is an ideal place to host a murder mystery dinner. Designed in High Victorian Italianate style, the house features 32 rooms and 12-foot ceilings. The museum is open for private tours by appointment only, according to its website.

“It’s a beautiful home,” Johnson said.

The staff also add to the atmosphere of an English country manor.

“The butler opens the door and greets everyone as they come in, and he has an English accent and the handmaid has an Irish accent,” Johnson said.

While the food is probably the best part of the evening, Johnson said, past participants also enjoyed solving the mystery.

“Everyone raved that the food was wonderful, but also the fun of trying to figure out who the murderer is,” Johnson said.

In past events, Johnson said, guests have accused a variety of suspects without ever solving the mystery, or they have discovered the real killer. 

“Coming up with the ending of the murder mystery was fun for them,” Johnson said.

Hillsdale College alumna Nickaylah Healy ’25 attended the August dinner.

“It was immediately like role-play acting,” Healy said. “The butler was in full acting attire and put on his best British accent. It encouraged the rest of us to play along. At first it felt awkward, but we quickly got used to it and then it became fun.”

Healy said the event lasted about three hours.

“We had a fun time trying to piece together the puzzles to the mystery,” Healy said. “The food was delicious, and we had a good time getting to know the other people playing with us.”

Hillsdale College senior Anna Teply said she enjoys mysteries and would be interested in trying the dinner in the future.

“It sounds like a really great evening,” Teply said. “The experience seems really comprehensive — the fact that it takes place in a historical house makes it feel like a special event.”

Spots are currently sold out for the November weekend, but Johnson said the museum will hold the dinners again in February or March 2026.

“Come just for the fun of being able to sit around this huge dining room table with a fireplace and a huge chandelier, for the atmosphere,” Johnson said. “And have a good time.”