Whodunnit Dinners podcast is a murder mystery book and food podcast where murder mystery dinner party game writers Helen Barbour and Katie McLaughlin discuss whodunnits...and food inspired by the fiction!
Whether you favour classic murder mysteries of the golden age, gritty detective reads, or left-field literary murder mysteries, the meandering conversation touches on everything from author biographies, quality of the writing, menopause brain and celebrity stand-ins. It's like book club, with food!
Halloween Special 2026: Utseku's Strange Houses and Fiona Leitch's Cornish Halloween Murder
Katie McLaughlin and Helen Barber swap Halloween book picks, one dark and one cosy. They also share spooky food ideas and a Halloween murder mystery game.
Not one reference to Jason Statham, but plenty of inaccuracy and amusement.
Timecodes
0:15 Welcome and the Halloween special
1:01 Helen's pick: three clues to guess the book
2:12 Meet Uketsu, the masked, anonymous Japanese author who started as a YouTuber
3:38 Strange Houses: the bold cover and the author's other books
4:19 The premise: floor plans with strange gaps
5:04 Reviews and first impressions
6:46 The story: the friend's house and the architect Kurihara
8:04 The four chapters and the hidden dark secret
9:26 Gore or supernatural? Horror meets architecture
10:36 Helen's verdict: a strong 4 out of 5 magnifying glasses
11:45 Katie's pick: The Cornish Halloween Murder Mystery by Fiona Leitch
12:48 The Jodie "Nosy Parker" series, now on book 11
13:50 Jodie, Pennstown and the recipes in the book
14:36 The chatty writing style
17:36 The plot: a convent redevelopment, creepy rag dolls, a witch museum and a murder
19:45 Cornish Halloween and bonfire night parades
22:02 Katie's take: "not for me", but cosy mystery fans will love it
24:26 Katie's rating: 4 out of 5 for cosy mystery fans
26:00 Katie's Halloween house and trick-or-treating plans
27:36 Easy Halloween treats: boo-nanas, deadly dentures, cobweb cupcakes and tasty bones
29:16 Our downloadable murder mystery game, Spectre at the Feast, in family and adult versions
29:47 Wrap-up and sign-off
Theme Tune: Dan McCullough
Whodunnit Dinners Game - Spectre at the Feast (https://www.whodunnitdinners.co.uk/collections/spectre-at-the-feast)
19 Oct 2026
Agatha Christie Finale: The Crooked House - Despicable Families, Delicious Turkish Dishes and Fainting Imams
Helen and Katie conclude the Agatha Christie series with a 5 star review, and promise of Halloween treats to come!
Theme tune: Dan McCullough
Whodunnit Diners Website (https://www.whodunnitdinners.co.uk)
Have Yourself A Merry Little Murder Whodunnit Dinners Game (https://www.whodunnitdinners.co.uk/products/have-yourself-a-merry-little-murder-6-player-downloadable)
Spectre At The Feast Whodunnit Dinners Game (https://www.whodunnitdinners.co.uk/collections/spectre-at-the-feast)
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to the Podcast and Theme Exploration
03:00 Diving into 'Crooked House' by Agatha Christie
05:56 Character Dynamics and Setting in 'Crooked House'
08:57 Themes of Morality and Family Dysfunction
11:59 The Psychological Depth of Characters
14:51 Insights on Murder and Human Nature
18:03 Conclusion and Reflections on the Book
21:14 Book Recommendations and Connections
23:10 Cultural Influences in Literature
24:54 Rating the Book: A Five Magnifying Glass Review
26:57 Reflections on the Series and Author's Evolution
27:57 Murder Mystery Dinner Party Games
29:53 Exploring Turkish Cuisine: Imam Bayaldi Recipe
37:19 Season Wrap-Up and Future Plans
5 Oct 2026
Agatha Christie: The Secret Adversary - Romps, Revolution and Romance with Tommy and Tuppence
Katie and Helen explore the historical context of Agatha Christie's first Tommy and Tuppence novel, 'The Secret Adversary,' set against the backdrop of post-World War I Britain and the Lusitania sinking. There are lots of confident assertions, plenty of nonsense , a great recipe for toffee apples and Roy Wood from Wizzard!
Theme tune: Dan McCullough
Whodunnit Dinners Game - The Spy Who Came In With A Cold (https://www.whodunnitdinners.co.uk/collections/the-spy-who-came-in-with-a-cold)
Whodunnit Dinners Game - My Deadly Valentine (https://www.whodunnitdinners.co.uk/collections/my-deadly-valentine)
Chapters00:24 – Setting the food challenge: 1920s American food
01:17 – Christie’s early novels and the 1920s setting
02:17 – Introducing The Secret Adversary and Tommy and Tuppence
03:11 – The novel’s love story and the Lusitania opening
03:41 – The Lusitania’s history and its First World War context
05:15 – The sinking and the mysterious packet of papers
06:38 – Tommy and Tuppence reunite in London
07:37 – Tommy’s postwar struggle to find work
08:01 – The difficulties of rebuilding after the war
08:57 – Agatha Christie’s nursing and pharmacy experience
10:09 – Tommy and Tuppence become the Young Adventurers
11:19 – Tuppence meets Whittington and gives the name Jane Finn
12:18 – The search for Jane Finn draws in MI5 and Julius Hersheimer
13:29 – Julius’s connection to Jane and the missing papers
14:42 – The secret treaty and fears of political upheaval
16:40 – The novel’s picture of poverty and unrest in the 1920s
18:28 – Christie’s political thriller becomes a fast-paced romp
18:58 – The mystery of Mr. Brown
20:09 – Comparing the novel’s shadowy villain to another mystery
20:51 – Rita Vandemeyer, red herrings, and Tuppence undercover
22:36 – A recurring Christie mystery trope
23:36 – The twists, Tommy and Tuppence, and Julius’s role
24:05 – Money, romance, and jealousy
25:08 – Comparing The Secret Adversary with The Seven Dials Mystery
25:51 – Why the early novel feels especially immediate
27:02 – Reader reactions and whether the book deserves more recognition
27:35 – Tommy and Tuppence adaptations
28:41 – Why the story’s postwar struggles may still resonate
30:11 – Faithful adaptations versus reimagining a story
30:43 – Katie’s rating: five magnifying glasses
32:29 – Tuppence as the energetic force in the partnership
32:59 – Choosing a murder mystery party game to pair with the book
34:09 – Helen unpacks the American food challenge
35:17 – Three food possibilities: Native American, Depression-era, or 1920s party fare
36:26 – How 1920s food culture differed from Depression-era cooking
37:19 – Coddies, fish cakes, and 1923 toffee apples
37:57 – Choosing homemade toffee apples
38:42 – The Bogey Books and their party-planning origins
39:57 – Halloween parties and the fashion of the 1920s
41:14 – Crepe-paper costumes and Katie’s Roy Wood story
42:55 – The Bogey Books as early consumer-focused party guides
43:17 – How the recipe connects to the book’s romance
45:04 – The 1923 brown-sugar toffee apple recipe
46:19 – Testing the syrup and coating the apples
47:13 – A seasonal treat for Halloween or winter evenings
47:26 – Guy Fawkes Night and the British tradition
48:14 – The history behind the celebration—and sugar-coated apples
48:51 – Looking up the Bogey Books for party inspiration
49:13 – Setting the next food challenge: Greek food also found in western Turkey
49:30 – A reminder to follow, like, and subscribe
51:15 – Closing thoughts and sign-off
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Spotify
4.8 / 5
6 ratings
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