Product Description

It is September 1928 in Chicago. The return of notorious gangster Harold "Hal" Coppone is expected to trigger a wave of violence. Instead, Coppone has disappeared, mystifying police and the criminal underworld. To the small group gathered in a speakeasy near Coppone's headquarters, the crimelord's whereabouts become only part of the mystery when murder is discovered. There's no shortage of suspects, motives, speakeasy glamour or gorgeous flappers in this crime tale.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3645 in Toys & Games
• Brand: Decipher
• Model: 102118
• Dimensions: 10.50" h x 3.00" w x 8.50" l, 2.00 pounds

Features

• 8 players
• CD
• Menu suggestion
• Costume suggestion

Amazon.com
Know people with a taste for murder mysteries? Even if they're not fans of Agatha Christie, they'll have a wonderful evening with The Chicago Caper. Like all of the theme parties in the How to Host a Murder series, this boxed set provides everything you need to plan and host a four- to five-hour dinner party. The game, designed for eight players, each of whom takes on a role in the drama, begins with a cassette complete with 1920s jazz and a sultry-voiced barkeep who provides the first set of clues. Hal Coppone is dead, she announces. One of the guests is the murderer. From there, each player must reveal what he or she knows--and conceal the character's dark secrets--all with the guidance of a personalized game book. While the fun is certain to revolve around the rich cast of characters (including Molly M. Awbsterr, Ernie G. Ambler, and Eddie "Socks" R. Gyle), the Host Guide provides a number of suggestions to enrich the evening, including delicious recipes designed to fit with the theme. In addition to the Host Guide, eight player's books, and the tape, the package contains a map of the crime scene, secret clues, guest invitations, and nametags. --Patrick O'Kelley

Customer Reviews

The Fun's On You Hal Cappone
This was my first murder mystery game and my guests and I had the time of our lives. I changed the menu so that I would not have to be cooking during the course of the evening. Everything was prepared before the game began. I prepared individual salads and had them in the refridgerator. Spaghetti with meat sauce was prepared ahead of time and placed in the oven on 200 degrees to keep it warm. Garlic bread was prepared ahead of time and only needed warmed for 1 minute in the microwave before serving. individual pieces of carrot cake with a strawberry laid beside it was desert. It was also held in the refridgerator until it was time for it to be served.

Everyone came in costumes which we either made ourselves or rented from a costume shop. The costumes were not complicated and were very fun.

For atmosphere my patio was tranformed into a 1928 speakeasy with candles and jazz playing in the background. We set up a bar and my husband acted as bartender/waiter.

All of my guests including myself got very involved with their character and 2 of the participants guessed the murderer correctly!

This is an adult game and I do not recommend it for children.

For the time of your life, this is the game for you!

We laughed all night long! It was a total blast!
I had always wanted to host a murder mystery party so a few weeks ago I bit the bullet and took the plunge. I chose The Chicago Caper for my first attempt at this. Well, we had a blast! I never laughed so hard at anything! I recommend doing the whole shebang including the sit-down dinner party because it adds a certain ambience. The recipe included was easy to make and yummy too! Decorating hints provided some simple guidelines to give my home the appearance of a 1928 circa speakeasy. Lots of candles, drapes and some old blues and jazz on the stereo lent atmosphere and everyone stayed in character the whole night! Even though none of us even came close to guessing whodunnit (we were too busy laughing) we had a great time. I will do another one of these parties soon.

Great, but could be better
I've done a few mystery parties, and this one is the least entertaining. I mean, you can't go wrong with a mystery party, and this is by no means not fun, but the subplots aren't intriguing at all, there are so many characters involved with each other that saying anything almost requires a conference with the whole rest of the group, and the nature of the game inspires even the least talented actors to attempt lousy Chicago accents that can be incredibly irritating. I don't think it's possible not to have fun with this game, but I think you would do better choosing any of the other episodes in the series.