Thank you so much for booking to join us on one of my Original Murder Weekends, I hope that this will be a great plot, a fitting way to launch a very exciting 12 months, our 30th anniversary year, which will culminate with the 30th birthday celebrations on the 30th October 2011.

I was only 25 when I invented the concept of Murder Weekends, and in some ways it seems only a few years since I very nervously 'shot' my first victim at the Prince of Wales Hotel in Southport – doesn't time fly when you're having fun!! Since then I've committed murders all over the world and we're hoping to celebrate our Pearl anniversary with some very special events. Although my last hotel plot, Big High Bro was my 106th plot, I have written two more online plots which will be launched in October and December so I hope that my 109th – "The Retro Quarter" will be an immensely enjoyable plot that will entertain, confuse and amuse you.

Each new murder mystery that I write has a theme to it, a reason to explain why 70 or so strangers would meet in a hotel and for this particular theme I have created a department store called "The Retro Quarter". The Peterson family have owned the store for the last 100 years, but sadly five years ago they were in danger of going into liquidation because they could not compete with the large retail stores and parks that have sprung up all over the country. The youngest generation of the Peterson's decided they wouldn't go down without a fight and brought in a London image consultant and the decision was eventually made to turn the rather staid and dated store into a trendy and very chic shop called "The Retro Quarter".

The Petersons were ahead of their time, as virtually everywhere you look nowadays whether it be fashion, furniture, kitchen appliances, home and leisure, there are designer, retro products, copying, replicating and modernising products from the 50's, 60's, 70's and '80s. This year's fashion for maxi dresses comes straight from the 70's; kitchen toasters and kettles have gone back to the 50's as have a lot of designer furniture. With the modern invasion of technology, we seem to crave the comfort of old-fashioned products around us.

I thought it would be fun to hold a fictional 5th birthday party for the store and you, our valued Murder Weekend guests, should pretend that you are "The Retro Quarter's" very best customers. You could be a rich landowner in Cheshire who has been coming to the Peterson's Department Store in Wilmslow for 50 years and are attending the party weekend, as you feel is your right, but completely disapprove of the family's poor decision to become 'on trend' and move away from the traditional and are very unhappy about it. You could have come to protest saying that from now on you will only shop at John Lewis!

You could be a wag, with a rich footballer husband from Man United or Liverpool, who has so much money to burn they spend a fortune every week on personal and home accessories (and will no doubt be bored by this time next month and will return to completely accessorize all over again!!) You could be a Lottery winner who has bought your dream home and completely re-furbished it entirely from The Retro Quarter. The store is doing so well that the board are very pleased with their brave decision and wants to thank you, their very valued customers the store's success.

As usual, throughout the weekend, there will be themed games and quizzes - but they are not complicated just a light-hearted way to get you chatting to your fellow guests to break the ice and to alleviate the stress on your brains from trying to make sense of the dastardly deeds – after all if we were only sitting around talking about murder, it could get quite boring and depressing! Nothing is compulsory on Murder Weekends, so if you'd rather sit out a game, go for a snooze or visit the Incident Room to study the evidence then that's absolutely fine, we want everyone to enjoy themselves however suits them best.

The theme is almost incidental, it is just the hook on which to hang the weekend, provide the plot characters and explain why a group of total strangers would meet at a hotel but, once the murders start, it quickly fades into the background as you turn sleuth to deduce the reasons and motives for a series of untimely deaths. We hope you will enjoy playing along with the main characters.

On Friday we usually have a colour code, and I thought as a colour theme that never dates it would be nice to have a black and white night – always a theme that looks fantastic. So please wear something in those colours. You could just wear a dinner jacket and black tie, or you could wear your tennis whites. You could wear black jeans and white top or black and white spotty pyjamas; you may even be able to come in some retro clothes that you have in your wardrobe, to be even more in keeping with the theme. You may have a maxi dress in black or have a John Travolta type white suit and could arrive looking like you've just stepped out of 'Saturday Night Fever'! It is totally up to you and we just want you to wear whatever you'd feel comfortable in.

On Saturday night we always have a themed party (stiff upper lip and all that, carry on regardless despite there having been at least two murders already!) and for this new plot we would like everyone to enter in to the spirit of a 'Back in Time' themed night where you dress as anything you like as long as it represents an event, film, TV or book from one of the four decades you would find replicated at The Retro Quarter. You could stick some photos of pigs and some bay leaves on a T shirt and come as 'The Bay of Pigs'; you and two female friends could wear black afro wigs, sparkly dresses and come as Diana Ross and The Supremes;

You could wear and carry several pairs of shoes and come as Imelda Marcos; you could dress all in orange and carry a clock and come as Stanley Kubrick's very strange film "Clockwork Orange". Of all the fancy dresses I've ever themed over 30 years, I think this will be the easiest. There are thousands to choose from if you just google those decades you'll be spoilt for choice.
Over the years we've found that the simplest ideas are often the best and many of our guests say that half the fun is creating their costume before the Weekend to get them in the mood. If you're stuck for an idea then please get in touch with Geri at our office and she'll do her best to give you inspiration, but please don't hire anything, we'd hate you to spend money unnecessarily, particular as the home-made creations always win the wine for the best costumes. Whether your costume is totally minimal or completely over the top, the fun is joining in.

The main reason for the theme is so we can all role-play and get involved, which adds to the realism of the characters and consequently the plot - so please pretend you are guests of "The Retro Quarter" weekend. Don't mention the words 'Murder Weekend' or 'murder'. We'll only look at you as though you are completely daft and deny all knowledge of any such thing.

The Murder plot lasts for the entire weekend and the actors will be in character from the welcome reception on Friday night until the end of the summing up on Sunday. Over the course of the weekend there will be at least three murders in the complex plot, and so that no-one misses anything they are usually when everyone is together but Saturday morning is free and you won't miss anything by going out shopping or visiting the local places of interest.

We know you'll have a lot of fun, no matter how you decide to play the game, but for those of you who are keen sleuths and want to solve the crime, I have enclosed some tips to help. It is also a good idea to bring along a small notepad and pen to jot down conversations you overhear or evidence you think is important.

If there's anything that you're unsure of, please do not hesitate to ring us at the Murder Weekend office.

We very much look forward to meeting you on Friday at the Welcome Reception at 8.00 pm, before dinner at 8.30 pm. We hope you have a marvellous time and manage to crack the crime, which will be solved when the Detective makes an arrest at 12 noon on Sunday.

* PLEASE NOTE: Could you let us know your full name and the names of any other guests in your party, as we need them for seating plans and to ensure that you are all sitting together.