Mystery Themed Ice Cube Trays

Kerry Hammond is here today with some gift ideas for the mystery lover in your life.

Before we know it, spring will be here and it will be time for cocktails by the poolside. You'll need some ice cubes to put in your drink, so I wanted to share with you some great ice cube trays for mystery lovers.

This first tray is sold at Bas Bleu, a catalog with great gift ideas for book lovers in general. It contains a gun, knife, poison bottle, and candlestick.

You can't go wrong with skull and crossbones ice cubes from Amazon.

These giant skulls work well for drinks that you don't want watered down, like a Manhattan or Old Fashioned. Because they're so large, they melt slowly.

Mr. Bones is my favorite. I love Fred products and this guy is great because you can freeze him in pieces or as a whole skeleton, just by using or not using the plastic insert piece.

Happy Shopping.

Masterpiece Mystery! Motive for Murder Board Game

Kerry Hammond is here today to show us another way to enjoy Masterpiece Mystery! with a wonderful game inspired by the series and the Edward Gorey opening. 

I am a big fan of PBS’s Masterpiece Mystery! and all of its shows, such as Granchester, Sherlock and Father Brown. It’s one of the only programs where I won’t fast forward through the intro because I like to watch the animated Edward Gorey art with all of his creepy characters. I recently found out that there was a Masterpiece Mystery! board game and I just had to have it. It’s called Motive for Murder, and here’s how it works.

"In 30-90 minutes

1-5 sleuths find

The motive for murder."

- Creator Bruce Glassco

As with most mysteries, it starts with a body. One of the 22 suspect tiles is randomly chosen and placed in the center of the board. This is the body that has been found. Players then interrogate all of the suspects to determine who might have had a motive to commit the murder.

There are 5 games and they get more involved and harder as you move from 1 to 5. Each higher game level introduces a new element, such as a second dead body, motive cards, detectives and second interviews. Points are earned for interviews and the player with the highest score is the winner.

Since there are five versions of the game, you have the choice of starting with the easiest, No. 1, or jumping ahead to a more difficult, full game version. In each, players use interview cubes to interrogate suspects and score motive points.

The cards all have beautifully drawn pictures by Edward Gorey and creative character profiles.

One of the coolest things about this game is that there is a solitaire version for players who want to play alone. Whether you’re trying to stimulate your little grey cells or practicing to better defeat future opponents, this is another great way to enjoy the game.

Holiday Guide: Mystery Games

When choosing the perfect gift for the mystery lover on your list, consider a mystery-themed game. Kerry Hammond shows us her four favorites.

As everyone prepares their holiday gift lists, I thought I would remind our Mystery Playground readers of a few games that would make great gifts for any mystery lover. I've reviewed more than 20 games, but I’ve picked my four top choices in case you are looking for a mystery gift for the holidays. 

1) Whodunit, Mystery Detective Game - This game is similar to Clue. Players move about a mansion that was once owned by Lord Edward Peter Percival Pembrook, the second Earl of Strathwyke. In addition to determining the culprit, weapon, and location of the crime, players must also search through the alibis supplied by the players and determine a motive.

2) Spy Alley is another favorite. It even has a dice game version that's perfect to take on a trip. A throwback to the cold war, this game revolves around outwitting each spy by collecting passwords, disguises, code books and keys from different countries across the globe. The game allows players to create a strategy to outwit their opponents.

3) Simply Suspects is a game of survival. Each player travels the board trying to determine the identity of the other players while attempting to keep their own identity a secret. This game works best in a group of four or more players, so it a perfect choice for a family game night.

4) Master Criminals is primarily a card game, so also a great choice for travel. Each player questions the others to determine the Who, Why, How and Where of the crime—all the while taking notes on their Investigation Pad. The first player to guess all four aspects of the crime correctly is the winner.

Mystery Lunchboxes

Kerry Hammond is here today to talk about and show us where to buy Literary Lunchboxes. They’re not just for kids.

I recently purchased an Edgar Allen Poe Lunchbox. It’s the old fashioned metal kind, so I don’t think I’ll use it for lunches. I will, however, use it in my crafts closet, to hold different craft related supplies. Maybe my collection of crime scene tape?

I decided to check online to see what other lunchboxes I could find. One of my favorites is a flashback to my youth. The Hardy Boys lunchbox is something I would have used back in the day.

Nancy Drew is always a favorite, and like the Hardy Boys, this lunchbox is truly retro.

For a more modern appeal, with a lot of function, you can go with Sherlock Holmes. This is soft-sided and insulated.

Lastly, I thought I would show you the lunch bag I actually use. I love my Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine soft-sided lunch container, and I use it whenever I take lunch to my office.

Stocking Stuffers for Cozy Lovers

Kerry Hammond joins us today with lots of cozy mystery recommendations for mystery-loving stocking stuffers. Cozy novels are mysteries where the murder takes place off stage so you don't see the gore of a murder. Traditionally sex is implied not described in detail and there is no swearing. Agatha Christie novels were the model for these mysteries. 

If you have any cozy readers on your Christmas list, books make great stocking stuffers. Paperbacks are a great price, and let’s face it, they fit so nicely in a Christmas stocking. There are so many great authors out there that to name them all would take me forever. I have, however, managed to narrow it down to a list of a few authors that I can recommend. Each writes at least one great series, many write two or more. Any of these books would make that special someone happy, and cozy, for the holidays.

Jane K. Cleland’s Josie Prescott Antique Mysteries. Josie is an antique appraiser who left her life in NY City to move to a small town in New Hampshire. Unfortunately, this small town seems to have more murders than the big apple, and Josie finds herself mixed up in all sorts of trouble. The antiques and art that play a part in these books is really interesting. There are 9 books in the series. 

Laura Childs writes the Tea Shop Mystery Series featuring Theodosia Browning, the owner of the Indigo Tea Shop in Charleston. If you think tea shops are quaint little places where not much of anything happens, you are sadly mistaken. Theo has appeared in 14 books so far and never seems to run out of murder and mayhem. Laura also writes Scrapbook Mysteries and Cackleberry Club Mysteries.

Kate Carlisle’s Bibliophile Mysteries. What book lover wouldn’t enjoy reading a mystery about a bookshop? Brooklyn Wainwright is a bookbinder in San Francisco who finds out that owning a rare edition of a book can sometimes lead to murder. There are 8 books and an E-novella in the series. Kate also writes a Fixer-Upper Mystery series. 

Kate Collins writes the Flower Shop Mystery series featuring Abby Knight. Abbey is a law school dropout who owns a flower shop in her small hometown. You would think that owning a flower shop would be much safer than being a lawyer, but you would be wrong. Abbey gets involved in quite a few dicey situations in the 15 books that make up the series.

Victoria Laurie’s Psychic Eye Mystery series features Abby Cooper, a psychic intuitive. For those who like a little woo-woo in their reading, you can’t beat this series. Abby is a fun character and I love to follow her as she tries, and sometimes fails, to see what’s coming before it happens. There are 11 books in the series. Victoria also writes a Ghost Hunter series.

Blaize and John Clement’s Dixie Hemingway Mystery series take place in Siesta Key, Florida. Dixie lost her husband and child in a tragic car accident and gave up her job as a deputy with the Sarasota County Sheriff’s office to become a pet sitter. None of the pets are harmed in the books, but I can’t say the same for some of the pet owners. There are 9 books in this series. 

Happy shopping!