01
Start Here
The first file you open. A map of every folder, what's inside it, and where to begin. Spoilers get a folder of their own, so you can play in the dark with everyone else.
Poolside Au Naturel
Hold Your Breath
A Gay Resort Murder Mystery Party Kit
The clothing-optional resort closes Monday. Three guests won't make it that far.
- 8–20 players
- All-male cast
- 3 hours
- 18+
- Instant download. In your inbox the moment you check out. No shipping, no waiting.
- Prints at home. US Letter or A4 at 100%. Black and white prints fine.
- One three-hour night. Opening to confession, and the host plays too.
- Help while you plan. Questions about your kit? Email me.
The story
The setup
Thirty-seven years of sin. One last weekend. Fewer men at checkout than at check-in.
The Deep End, Palm Springs' filthiest clothing-optional resort, has been sold. Monday morning the papers get signed, and the new owner turns it into a wellness spa. Sound baths. Cucumber water. A meditation lawn where the cabanas used to be.
So the old guard throws one final weekend. The founders are saying goodbye. The resident drag legend is giving her last show. The buyer is measuring the pool. And a box of very dirty letters from 1999 just turned up in storage, which is bad news for somebody.
Everybody here has fucked somebody here, and at least two of them are lying about it. A married couple broke their one rule on Thursday. A benefactor has never paid for anything in his life. Nobody's hands are clean. Nobody's wearing much.
Eight to twenty guests. All men. Clothing optional.
Print it, pour something blue, and lock the gate. Somebody's leaving this weekend horizontal, and not for the usual reason.
Twenty roles
Meet the suspects
Everybody's got history here. Some of it's in writing.
All twenty roles are written for men, and the story depends on it. An all-male cast, by design.
The core eight
Cast these first. They carry the mystery.
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Angel Duke
the last houseboy
The last houseboy ever hired, collecting every guest's filthiest Deep End memory for his scrapbook.
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Julian Rivers
the returned lover
Ten years, same room, same week, adored by everyone, and gone by morning every time.
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Teddy Bloom
the founder
The founder who remembers every birthday, every name, and exactly what size every man takes.
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Lawrence Vane
the founder
Silk robe, straight back, and pure contempt for the man buying his life's monument Monday.
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Manny Ortega
the general manager
He holds every key and knows who did what to whom in which cabana.
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Miss Chlorine Fate
the resident legend
Thirty-seven years in residence, one final show, and she's personally rated half the men here.
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Roman Sterling
the benefactor who never paid
Forty years of legendary nights, and he has never once paid for a thing.
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Kip Kessler
the buyer
He has enormous respect for this community, and says so constantly while measuring their pool.
Twelve optional suspects
Add them as the guest list grows. A cancellation never breaks the night.
Percy Prim
the regular
Ten summers of almost, and the regulars are betting on whether his robe comes off.
Rex Everard
the legend
Four hundred and eleven men, not one complaint on record, references available on request.
Tanner Lines
the content boy
A travel creator on a digital detox, the video room's most devoted front-row patron.
Milo Cherry
the first-timer
Out at fifty-eight, and he's working through a twenty-two-item list, tender and depraved interleaved.
Aaron Harmon
the husband
Half of the most decorated double act on the circuit: Dominic opens, and he closes.
Dominic Harmon
the husband
The opener of the famous Harmon Handoff, and nobody, in twenty years, has declined twice.
Maurice Sharke
the rival
He runs the darker club four minutes away, and came to mourn and gloat, badly.
Quentin Slate
the critic
He wrote the six words on the plaque, and nothing has scored above a nine.
Diego Fuentes
the alumnus
A houseboy made good, back in state-visit splendor, over-tipping everyone, here strictly as a guest.
Rock Canyon
the legend
Not a resident, darling: twenty-six years into a two-week stay, and the comeback is imminent.
Fabian Trade
the circuit queen
Just Fabian: every legendary pairing on the circuit routes through him, and names cost extra.
Jordan Wells
the assistant
Kip's assistant, fluent in prospectus, and his sympathies defecting to the resort by the hour.
The twist
One of these suspects is a killer. And even they don't know it.
Which means nobody can give it away: no shifty eyes, no bad poker face, no host stuck on the sidelines holding the answer. Everyone plays, you included. The host starts the reveal, then hands the script to the killer, who reads out the rest and confesses to everything in front of everyone who voted wrong.
Take a peek
What lands in your inbox
Real pages from the file. Designed, written and ready to print. You bring the guests and the drinks.
02
Character Guides
Sent to each guest before the party, one file each, so nobody reads anyone else's secrets. Spill This, Bury This: everyone walks in knowing what to say and what to hide.
03
Action Cards
Dealt out through the night, so nobody's ever standing around with a drink and nothing to do.
04
Name Tags
Print, cut, stick. By the second drink nobody's answering to their real name.
05
Ghost Cards
Getting murdered doesn't end your night. The dead keep playing, and they've got opinions.
06
The Awards
Saved for after the confession. Mr. Right goes to whoever names both the killer and the motive. Everyone else gets to argue about it.
From invite to confession
Here's exactly what happens
Four steps. The kit knows every one of them, so you don't have to.
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Before the party
Cast it
Open Start Here, then read the Host Guide. It walks you through all of it: who to cast first and which Character Guide goes to which guest. Send them out early, so everyone has time to learn the part and pull together a look. Then let the group chat spiral.
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On the day
Print it
The evidence, the action cards, the ghost cards and the awards, plus the name tags. Print, cut, set the table, chill the wine.
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On the night
Play it
You read the opening and the murders. After every body drops, new evidence hits the table. Action cards keep everyone scheming, and ghost cards keep the dead in the game.
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The finale
Solve it
Everyone votes on the killer and the motive. You tally the votes and start the reveal, then pass the script to the killer, who reads the rest: the reveal, the confession, and why. Then the awards, and the arguments about the awards.
Your part
Set the mood
The kit runs the night. You set the scene.
Soundtrack
The playlist
Press play when the first guest knocks, and let it run until the confession.
Dress code
Resort wear, barely.
Swim trunks, a linen shirt left open, a robe tied loose. It's a clothing-optional resort — how optional is between you and your host.
Every Character Guide comes with a look to steal. Nobody shows up guessing.
Signature cocktail
The Deep End
Gin, blue curaçao, lime and soda over a lot of ice. The colour of a pool you shouldn't be in after midnight.
The recipe · makes one
- 2 ozGin
- ½ ozBlue curaçao
- ¾ ozFresh lime juice
- TopSoda water
- 1Lime wheel
Fill a tall glass with more ice than seems reasonable. Build the gin, curaçao and lime, top with soda, one stir. Lime wheel on the rim.
Before you accuse anyone
Asking for a friend
The things hosts ask before they invite anyone.
Not on the list? Email me and I'll answer it myself.
Questions answered? The body's waiting.
Can anyone play any character?
Hold Your Breath is written for an all-male cast, because the story demands it. No swapping or adapting — every role was written for exactly who's playing it.
Can we play with fewer than 8, or more than 20?
No. Eight to twenty, exactly. The eight core characters carry the mystery, so every one of them needs a player. The twelve optional suspects take you up to twenty, and after that there's nobody left to cast.
What if someone cancels?
Nothing breaks. If one of the twelve optional suspects drops out, the night carries on without them. If one of the eight core characters cancels, move an optional player into the role, or invite a new friend to take it. The Character Guide does the rest.
Do I have to write or improvise anything?
Nothing to write and no lines to memorise, just a character to get to know. The few scripted moments are read aloud. You read the opening and the murders and start the reveal, then the killer takes the script and reads the rest: the reveal, the confession and the motive. Everyone else arrives with secrets, grudges and drama to start, and plays them however they like. It's not a script. It's a stage, fully set. The performance is yours.
Does the host know who the killer is?
Only if you want to. The spoilers live in their own folder, so you can play in the dark with everyone else, and that's the best way to do it. Rather run the night knowing? Open it early. Your party, your call.
How dirty is it?
It's rude. It's filthy. That's the point. Every kit runs at the same heat — filthy innuendo delivered deadpan, and pretty explicit when it counts. Strictly 18+. The host pages stay clean and functional. The filth lives in the Character Guides, where it belongs.
How much prep, and what do I need?
Less than you'd think. One read of the Host Guide does most of it. Beyond the kit you need a printer, your guest list and drinks. The kit always knows what happens next; you get the glory.
How does the download work?
Everything comes as PDFs, in your inbox the moment you check out. Nothing ships, nothing to wait for. Send each guest their Character Guide before the party: they can read it on their phone or print it. Printing a spare set yourself is smart, for whoever forgets theirs. Everything prints at home on US Letter or A4 at 100%, and black and white prints fine.
Can we play over video chat?
No. It's built for one room: evidence on the table, accusations across it, and a confession to your face. Get everyone over.
Refunds?
Because it's an instant digital download, all sales are final — but if something's broken, missing, or won't open, email me at murdershebettadont@gmail.com and I'll help sort it out. Replies can take a little time, so open your files when they arrive, not the night of the party.
Book the next one
Another night, another body
Same rules, new body. Every kit plays the same way, so a group that's solved one already knows how to play the next.
Lifetime Achievement Gala
Icons Never Die
- 8–20 players
- Open cast · any gender
Every era of her career is in the room. Not all of them leave.
$49.69 CAD
See what's inside
A Twink Death
Over My Dead Body
- 8–20 players
- All-male cast
The Deceased turns thirty tonight. Three mourners won't make it to the reading of the will.
$49.69 CAD
See what's insideNext murder in development
You'll hear it from me first
One email when the next murder drops. That's it. Unsubscribe whenever.