Elementary, My Dear Watson

Participatory mystery theater originated in the 1970s when a group of New York mystery writers started staging solve-it-yourself crimes for their own amusement. In 1981, two members of the group, husband
and wife Bill and Karen Palmer opened a New York City restaurant that served make-believe mysteries with each entree. The restaurant eventually morphed into Bogie's Mystery Tours, which produces mystery events.

Through this venture, the Palmers found a new market for mystery events among businesses. "We've done jobs for AT&T, Ford Modeling, Cunard Line, J.P. Morgan and The New Yorker," Karen says. The events have included crime mysteries and scavenger hunts. Held in restaurants, hotels and even on cruise ships, some events last as long as an entire weekend.

Today, dozens of companies nationwide offer similar events to business clients. Charles Granade was a University of South Alabama sophomore when he scripted his first mystery for a college function. The event's success led him to found Grenade Entertainment Inc., an Austin, Texas, company that, since 1995, has staged dozens of mystery events for clients. "There's a great future for this," says Granade. "To bring drama and acting into the workplace is really something new."

This article was originally published in the March 1999 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Elementary, My Dear Watson.