Shot in the Dark Mysteries - The Halloween Party Murder Mystery

Shot in the Dark Mysteries

New Mysteries

The Halloween Party Murder Mystery

It’s the night of Ben and Aria T ate’s annual Halloween party and they go all out to impress their guests. Then, the arrival of a video, which shows the gruesome slaying of one of the party guests, turns this innocent Halloween party into a murder investigation! Who killed Jules Parker? Why? What motive did they have to video the murder and address it to one of the party guests? The killer is among them, it’s up to the guests to find the murderer and uncover his or her psychopathic motives!

♡♡ Aria Tate – Hostess of the annual Halloween party, Aria is a Halloween enthusiast. The parties she throws with her husband, Ben, are legendary among their tight-knit group of friends, and Aria has gained a reputation not just for her Halloween party, but also among those in the neighborhood for her realistic Halloween yard “haunts.” Of course, the neighborhood kids love her because she hands out the most “good” candy. Aria insists everyone attend her parties in costume, whatever the costume may be.

♡♡ Nicole Wolf – Sister of Kieran Wolf, Nicole is fun-loving and outgoing, and these traits often get her into trouble. A thrill-seeker to the core, Nicole is a ball of energy, rarely sitting down for long enough. This fire-cracker of a woman wakes up at dawn, goes to bed late and is usually too busy climbing rock faces or racing motorcycles to answer her phone. Regardless of her adventures though, she never misses her weekly lunch date with her best friend, Africa Meadows.

♡♡ Africa Meadows – Born to eccentric parents, Africa’s name sounds far more glamorous than this down-to-earth woman feels she deserves. The kind woman of the group, she’s considered the “peace-keeper” and is quick to resolve any differences between members of this group of friends. Grounded and peaceful, Africa knows nothing but diplomacy and tact, and laughs when her friends tell her that she’s a saint. Africa is not a huge fan of Halloween, but is never one to pass up a chance to hang out with her friends.

♡♡ Leona Moonstar – A new face in the group, most have not met Leona before tonight, and her reasons for attending the party are a bit of a mystery in themselves. A soft-spoken woman, Leona has not revealed much about herself to the others, and has generally kept to herself instead of mingling. When others have spoken with her, she is polite but not forthcoming about herself or who else she knows at the party.

♡♡ Kayla Kingsley – Wife of Trevor Kingsley, Kayla is a new face for the group – most haven’t met her until the Halloween party. Still, Kayla is friendly and outgoing, and clearly loves having a good time. With a loud, infectious laugh and a smile that could knock someone off their feet, Kayla is new, but has quickly become a favorite to the other guests at the Halloween party.

♡♡ Nora Stone – A new face in this tight-knit group of friends, Nora is a bit of a mystery. Spirited and independent, Nora’s mere presence commands attention. This stranger’s class and style is apparent even as she is dressed in a classic costume, and while she doesn’t give much about herself away, she is quick to question others, and easily draws information out of anyone with whom she speaks. Nor is strong yet elegant, and clearly sticks out from the rest of the laid-back Halloween party guests.

♡♡ Gloria Rodriguez – Wife of Will Rodriguez, Gloria is a stranger to this group of friends, and is not very forthcoming about herself or her reasons for wanting to attend the Halloween party. A skittish woman with shifty eyes, she stays close by Will’s side and does not seem keen to make many friends at the Halloween party tonight. Regardless, she is a keen sleuth and quick to ask many questions of the others at the party, regardless of whether they are considered proper and polite or not.

♡♡ Maddy McBride – Maddy is attending the party alongside Dylan Webber. Fun-loving and lively, this young-at-heart woman still lives her life as though she’s a college student, partying every night and waking up at noon. Ben and Aria’s Halloween party is a detour from her usual evening out (and Dylan a detour from her usual date). Maddy has a tendency to gossip about others, and has been told on more than one occasion that she needs a “filter.”

♡♡ Paula Gleeson – Wife of Oscar Gleeson, Paula lives next door to party hosts Ben and Aria Tate. She is calm, patient and soft-spoken – and she ahs to be, living with Oscar as she does! While her husband is aggressive towards neighbors about following the rules, Paula likes to “kill them with kindness”, so to speak. Paula often stops over at the Tate’s with a casserole she has baked, and can always be relied on for a cup of sugar, whenever a neighbor is in need.

♡♡ Ben Tate – Husband of Aria Tate, Ben is co-host of the annual Halloween party, and his technical knowledge of machinery has translated perfectly to creating realistic front yard Halloween “haunts” that grow more and more elaborate each year. A Halloween enthusiast, Ben begins planning and building elements of the Tate’s yard display in March each year, and his creations have been featured on the news and in the newspaper for the past three years running. Ben wears an elaborate Halloween costume, and prides himself on having the best costume at the party.

♡♡ Kieran Wolf – The “player” of the group, Kieran is a serial dater – at least, he was until recently, when he met a woman named Jules Parker and swore off his playboy ways. Arguably the glue that holds this tight-knit group of friends together, it’s ultimately Kieran’s approval (or lack thereof) that decides the fate of “outsiders’ – whether they end up being accepted by the others. Good-looking, charismatic and aware of how much even strangers adore him, Kieran is also the brother of another guest, Nicole Wolf.

♡♡ Brett McKnight – Genuine nice guy Brett McKnight was the best friend of the victim, Jules Parker, and joined the group when Kieran Wolf began dating Jules Parker. While not much is known about him, he is generally kind, unassuming and usually the butt of most of the group’s jokes, owing to the fact that he was in the “friend zone” with the victim. Brett is unlucky in love, and come to mention it, career and life in general as well. Brett enjoys having fun, and Halloween is his favorite holiday.

♡♡ Blaine Higgins – Best friend of Kieran Wolf, Blaine prides himself on being a man about town. Single and loving it, Blaine spends his weekends picking up women in bars and drinking with his friends. Blaine is very opinionated, and loves to “explain the world” to those he believes are less intelligent then he is. He loves watching sports, UFC and playing X-Box, and brags about how, without a woman around, never has to fight over the remote.

♡♡ Trevor Kingsley – Husband of Kayla Kingsley, Trevor is a new face to the group, as most have never met him before the Halloween party. He keeps his wife and everyone else in the area, laughing with hilarious stories and jokes, and has even helped with keeping the guests drinks full. Trevor is not only a guest, but could be considered the life of the party.

♡♡ Chris Long – Long-time friends of Kieran Wolf, Chris makes up the trio of best friends. He is generally quiet when he does speak, it’s usually to tease his friends or crack jokes. With a sharp mind for statistics, Chris runs the groups sports pools each year, and has organized an on-going inter-group betting system, giving odds on when certain things will happen within this tight-knit group of friends (the announcement of Ben and Aria’s engagement won a few in the group a good chunk of money!) Chris goes with the flow of the social events, preferring to just show up and enjoy rather than be an organizing force. Easy-going and amiable, Chris’s presence is all that is needed to make any social event complete.

♡♡ Will Rodriguez – Husband of Gloria Rodriguez, Will is a friendly, yet serious man. Unknown to most at the party, he was invited by Aria personally, and is an old friend of hers. While they haven’t seen each other in years, Will was excited to attend the Halloween party, even if that meant he had to dress up. Will is a great conversationalist, and has quickly earned new friends tonight at the Halloween party.

♡♡ Dylan Webber – Dylan has been an acquaintance of Kieran’s for years – however while they played together in sports leagues (or, sometimes, on opposite teams), they have a love-hate friendship, and are very competitive with each other – not that it’s much of a competition, because Kieran has always beat Dylan in everything from sports to careers and even relationships; Dylan’s girlfriends have a tendency of leaving him for Kieran. Dylan has not been around the group lately, and many are surprised to see him at the party tonight.

♡♡ Oscar Gleeson – Gruff and abrasive, Oscar Gleeson is hard man who commands respect, even with those who don’t know him – and at this party, that’s much everyone. Neighbor of the hosts, the Tates, and self-proclaimed “Neighborhood Watch”, Oscar always has an eye on what is happening in the houses around his, and considers it his duty to ensure that everyone on the street is behaving, as well as living up to their duties in keeping the neighborhood safe, clean and attractive – for the sake of neighborhood property values, he insists.