At This Hotel, Murder Is Romantic

For this mystery novelist, there is nothing more romantic than heading upstate to witness—and hopefully solve—a murder.

My therapist once told me to stop reading murder mysteries on romantic getaways. I should find something lighter, she suggested, such as a book about an octopus or that memoir by a woman raising a falcon. I nodded at this sage advice and then, for my 25th wedding anniversary, I booked a murder mystery weekend instead.

In my defense, my husband, Tip, knew what he signed up for from the start. Our first trip together was to a haunted hot springs hotel, where I was researching a novel about the Nez Perce; the museum we drove two days to reach was closed for the winter. Tip has helped me structure every one of my twelve novels (lucky thirteen comes out in June) and there’s nothing more interesting to me than walking beside him and hearing about his wild and brilliant trains of scientific thought.

It’s long been my dream to attend the storied Murder Mystery Weekend at the Mohonk Mountain House, following in the footsteps of Edward Gorey, Isaac Asimov, Stephen King, and Mary Higgins Clark. Over the course of the weekend, guests are treated to a four-act play. In the hours between performances, there’s hiking, skiing, ice skating, a spa, reading nooks, and one culinary masterpiece after another, some even themed to go along with the murder plot. Decomposed Steak Tartare with brioche and black truffle, anyone?

In this crazy world of seemingly unresolvable confusion, I was drawn to the comfort of a murder mystery. A question would be posed. Suspects gathered, clues parsed. Then, by Sunday, we would know exactly what happened and who was to blame. For just one weekend, I yearned for a question that could be answered.

Mohonk Mountain House sits perched above a glacial lake in New York’s Hudson Valley, a Victorian castle of red-gabled turrets, whimsical towers, and more than 135 fireplaces that together produce a very convincing impression that you have stepped into an Agatha Christie novel. The glorious stone-and-timber structure has been welcoming guests since 1869, and in 1977, it pioneered the first murder mystery getaway.

This year marked the 50th anniversary of Mohonk Mystery Weekends, which were dreamt up to lure guests during the resort’s low post-holiday, winter season. Edward Gorey created the art for the first event, titled “The Dead of Winter,” featuring a bat wheeling ominously above two bundled figures.

We arrived on a Friday afternoon, driving through the snowy Shawangunk Mountains to find Mohonk Lake frozen solid under a bright blue February sky. Our bags were whisked away, and we were handed a black envelope sealed in crimson wax and stamped with a Gothic “M.” Inside, we found an invitation on aged parchment, summoning us to the residence of Kent and Miriam Ladue for an evening in the company of the most esteemed mystery authors of our age.

Thrilled, we headed to our room, down corridors lined with intricately patterned carpets in jewel tones. Kids in snowpants exited the elevator, followed by a stylish couple carrying ice skates. We marveled at the dark wood paneling, over 2,000 pieces of art, and deep-seated Victorian furniture that was already being filled by guests reading, sipping hot chocolate, or both. Our room had a private balcony and a wood-burning fireplace that my husband immediately started fussing with. Looking out at the snowy mountains, from the romantic vantage point of our room, I thought what a perfect place to kill someone.

The resort has 262 guest rooms and suites, ranging from cozy Victorian Rooms with private balconies to the sprawling Grove Lodge, a 7,000-square-foot, two-story retreat with six rooms and stone fireplaces—ideal for a family gathering or group of friends with shared criminal interests. Mohonk’s calendar runs year-round with a devoted lineup of specialty weekends: a Hiker’s Holiday in fall foliage season; Disco Getaway; Wine Weekends with tastings and cellar tours; Wellness Weeks built around yoga, meditation, and spa immersion; a Crossword Puzzle Weekend (with puzzles designed by Will Shortz, Puzzle Editor at the New York Times!); and the beloved Hudson Valley Gingerbread Competition.

Murder Mystery Weekend programming is structured around the acts of the play, which unfold across three days in the resort’s historic Parlor, decorated with crimson velvet drapes, an ornate fireplace, Persian rugs, and a grandfather clock. Between performances, guests hunt for clues, mingle with characters, and work an original puzzle hunt designed by Greg Pliska. There’s also a tabletop escape room, live music, and a closing ceremony on Sunday that delivers exactly what it promises: a clean (and often surprising) resolution to the weekend’s mystery.

Before the evening’s first act, we enjoyed freshly baked cookies and seasonal teas in the historic Lake Lounge, where enormous windows framed a sunset over snow-covered pines. Guests gathered at the East Side Fire Pits for campfires and s’mores, buzzing with excitement. Costumes are encouraged, and I spotted full Victorian mourning dresses, top hats, capes, and feathered black fascinators the size of small birds. Tip wore a tweed vest and carried his Moleskine notebook, which was not a costume, just the way my professor dresses on a winter day. I wore my favorite velvet sleepwear, having convinced myself that if your pajamas are velvet, you can wear them out to dinner.

The Parlor was packed. The 50th anniversary show was called “Murder by the Book,” produced by Murder Café and written by Frank Marquette. Before the lights dimmed, I saw fellow mystery-lovers jotting down notes about the set, a lavish living room and library. As Act I was performed—featuring copious clues and props that included a fire poker, menacing cocktails, and a gun on the mantlepiece—the audience was rapt, even gasping when the plot twisted.

We scrawled in our notebooks with the focused intensity of graduate students, enjoying fervent discussions and epic meals in-between. The dining at Mohonk is included in your stay—all meals, non-alcoholic drinks, and gratuities—and the kitchen leaned fully into the theme. Our first dinner arrived with a special “Murder on the Menu” insert stamped with a fingerprint, offering Shadows in the Forest: a roasted wild mushroom and black garlic soup; Midnight Hunt: juniper and rosemary crusted lamb loin with blackberry gastrique; and, for dessert, the appropriately named ‘Death by Chocolate.’

On Saturday morning, Act II escalated magnificently—a blackout, an explosion, a dead man, a woman possessed. During Act III, my husband pressed his notebook into my hands so I could study his diagram of alibi conflicts. “Look,” he whispered. “The timeline doesn’t work.”

He was right. We later compared theories in the mineral pool hot tub, steam rising around us into the cold mountain air, and with the excuse of “mulling over the clues,” I savored a Glass Skin Ritual facial with the gifted Tiffany Herrera—a Korean skincare treatment that sculpts, soothes, and saturates in nutrient-rich luxury.

We hiked along the frozen lakeshore, debating red herrings. Tip was certain the killer was the flamboyant grand dame. I had my money on the jealous protégé. It was deeply pleasurable to be engrossed in a story that didn’t have to do with the fate of our nation. Each time we settled in the Parlor, pencils poised, we grinned at each other and at former strangers. At night, DJ Steve spun Hudson Valley dance music in the Lake Lounge—and we danced the suspense away.

When the killer was finally unmasked in Act IV on Sunday morning, my jaw dropped. Tip said, “of course!” in the slightly aggrieved tone of a man robbed of a correct guess by one crucial piece of misdirection. We had both been spectacularly wrong. On the drive home, winding back down through the Shawangunk Mountains with the valley spread below us, we rehashed every clue we’d missed and agreed that the lamb loin was the finest thing either of us had eaten in recent memory. As we reached the highway, Tip reached over and took my hand.

“Same time next year?” he said.

I was already looking up dates. In a world full of questions, I’ll take every mystery I can find that promises an answer.

If You Go

Mohonk Mountain House’s Mystery Weekend is held annually in late February or early March. Costumes are encouraged but not required. The weekend sells out quickly.

All-inclusive nightly rates start at $1,245 and include all meals, nonalcoholic beverages, and gratuities. The 30,000-square-foot spa offers treatments including the Glass Skin Ritual Collagen Sculpting Facial. Mohonk Mountain House is not part of any points-based loyalty program, but offers packages and deals at mohonk.com. The resort is located at 1000 Mountain Rest Road, New Paltz, New York, approximately 90 miles north of Manhattan.