Derby Neck Head Librarian Krissy Warrenger playing the role of "Beatrice Newman," library director and boss lady for the murder mystery.
DERBY – There’s a killer on the loose at Derby Neck Library and the staff needs your help to find him (or her)!
The library at 307 Hawthorne Ave. is set to host its first-ever “Murder in the Library” dinner Friday, Oct. 18 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
It is open to people 18 years old and up. Space is limited to 40 people. Tickets are $35. They can be purchased at the library or online.
Proceeds from the event will benefit library programs, according to Derby Neck Library Head Librarian Krissy Warrenger.
Food for the event is being provided by Mattei’s Deli of Derby.
The production – from the script to the actors to video footage the audience will see – are all homegrown from Derby Neck Library.
The story takes place in a local library in October 1989. Guests are encouraged to wear their best 1980s “business casual” attire.
The audience will be playing themselves – guests at a dinner party at a library.
A video from the library’s film club will introduce the audience to a colorful cast of characters, ranging from a hot-tempered children’s librarian to a library director desperate for new sources of funding.
After the stage-setting video, one of the characters will interrupt the party with a murder! It’s up to the audience to track the clues and figure out “who done it.”
The story and planning of the event was developed by Derby Neck’s adult services librarian Kate Hellman, and library assistant Kevin Bisaccia, who wrote the script.
Derby Neck Adult Services Librarian Kate Hellman playing the role of "Diane Yardley," Newman's overworked assistant.
“I’m a huge fan of cozy mysteries and amateur sleuth characters, so the settings, the plot and the characters of this event are all my personal love letter to the genre,” Hellman told The Valley Indy via an email.
Hellman said “cozy mysteries” is a subgenre that often focuses on an amateur sleuth, such as the “Murder She Wrote” series.
Warrenger said the murder mystery is a chance for the staff to strengthen the library community while flexing their creative muscles.
“The “Murder in the Library” event is an opportunity for anyone who believes in our mission to join in and contribute to the library’s future, all while seeing the creative side of the staff, eating a delicious meal, and solving a horrible crime with their friends and neighbors,” she said in an email.
Warrenger said the murder mystery theme ties in with Halloween, and to the popularity of the Derby Neck ‘Morbid Curiosity Book Club,’ a group that reads true crime and paranormal titles.
The 80s-era setting is just because it’s cool.
“We picked the 80s as a setting because we want attendees to feel comfortable stepping into the shoes of their favorite amateur detectives, like Jessica Fletcher from the landmark 80s show, “Murder, She Wrote,” she said.
Derby Neck Library was home to about 600 programs last year that more than 6,000 people attended, according to the organization’s annual report.
For more information about the murder mystery event, call the library at 203 – 734-1492 and ask for Kate.
