19/09/2025
Lots of you have been looking for me under the name “poggett” since I advertised our house in France for sale on Ebay. So here goes......
A professional actor, nominally retired. [actors never retire!], real name Leslie Stern, I run a professional entertainment company “MURDER BY ARRANGEMENT”
THE SPECIALISTS IN MURDER MYSTERY ENTERTAINMENT
now in our 16th year [17th next month!]
I moved to France in 2013 where I am still 'hamming it up' as Poirot and other detectives and still performing murder mysteries.
What follows is about my entertainment company, and does have my contact details therein. Delighted to hear from you, whether about murder mystery entertainment - or our French house [still for sale at the time of writing].
For those who are wondering, no, we are not returning to the UK but want and need to move elsewhere in France. Get in touch - we'd love to hear from you...........
“MURDER BY ARRANGEMENT”
THE SPECIALISTS IN MURDER MYSTERY ENTERTAINMENT
Tel: 06 22 98 03 75 Email: [email protected]
Now in our sixteenth year Murder by Arrangement presents fun-filled murder mystery entertainment in English or Spanish throughout France, the UK and continental Europe.
Based Renaze 53800 in the Mayenne, France, we travel anywhere to perform!
WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS SAY
“I can thoroughly recommend ‘Murder by Arrangement’ after being surprised by them at my birthday celebrations this weekend. Everyone present had a great time and laughed a lot. Hercule Poirot in my own kitchen!”
“The actors in the murder mystery did a truly marvellous job. Their performance was exceptionally convincing, and their ability to maintain their character roles while being questioned and scrutinised by most of those present was remarkably professional.”
Find Murder By Arrangement on Facebook
AS SEEN ON CHANNEL 4'S “CHÂTEAU DIY”
A 'LOI 1901' not-for-profit ASSOCIATION
We performs for audiences of 10 to 150 in Châteaux, Hotels, Restaurants, Bars, the 'Salle' in your town or village for community-based events for clubs and societies, - and for private parties in private houses.
As well as private parties, we provide entertainment for charity fund-raising and can provide team-building events for corporate clients. We also entertain guests at English-style weddings between the post ceremony lunch for close family and friends until the evening event for a wider circle of friends.
Low costs make a Murder Mystery ideal for charity fund-raising!
Guests, guided by our own detective from popular fiction, endeavour to identify the murderer/s and the motive. A bottle of champagne prize and prize certificate is awarded to the best 'guest detective' who correctly solves the mystery.
Our detectives include Hercule Poirot [by far our most popular], Inspector Frost, Inspector Clouseau, Sherlock Holmes [of course assisted by Dr Watson], Chief Inspector Wexford, Nancy Drew, Jessica Fletcher and Miss Marple. Alternatively, we also offer a Police Inspector from Scotland Yard, from the Garda, from the Lancashire Police or from the French 'Police Judiciaire'.
We give a choice of period [the most popular is the 1930's], and the event can be related to calendar events such as Halloween, Christmas, Burns' Night, St Patrick's day, etc., to a television comedy series, to family or friends' celebration [birthday, anniversary], or without a specific theme.
Not presented on a stage, we perform among the audience and work round your catering arrangements. DO make every effort to maximise your capacity – we'll cope! We DO make sure everyone is able to hear and participate. Our clients provide the appropriate venue, catering, and guest accommodation where necessary.
COSTS OF A MURDER MYSTERY EVENT
'Murder by Arrangement' is a 'Loi 1901' not-for-profit Association under French law, thus removed from the French tax and social security regimes.
Our prices are therefore about merely covering our costs. We do what we do for the love of performing, but to fully professional standards.
You'll be agreeably surprised how little professional entertainment costs!
All our shows are at A FIXED PRICE, fixed when booking, with NO 'hidden extras', either not presented nearer than 100 km from you or not seen in your locality for at least 3 years, thus avoiding origination costs and ensuring no audience overlap.
All the materials for everyone to participate are included – answer sheets, photographs, documentary evidence [police reports, forensic reports, etc.], and a framed winner's certificate and bottle of champagne prize for best 'guest detective' who correctly identifies the murderer/s and the motive.
The only 'extra' we ask for [as shown on our booking form] is that you feed us and give us reasonable drinks on the night of the show, and provide [or pay for] overnight accommodation for 2 on the night of the show if too far for us to travel home to our base in Renaze 53800.
WHAT OUR AUDIENCES SAY
Some entirely genuine comments from our audiences from recent shows..........
Great fun night – well done!
Great atmosphere!
Good character acting by ‘M Poirot’ – and can ad-lib as well!
A very exciting and enjoyable evening!
Good audience inclusion – definitely a motivation for participation.
Very good acting and audience participation!
Very entertaining evening!
Was very enjoyable!
Great fun!
What a murder mystery night we had!
Great entertainment with Murder by Arrangement
A fabulous evening, looking forward to the next one!!
We loved it! Poirot was hilarious! A really different evening to the usual. Please do another one.
It was a good night, everyone had a good laugh.
Great fun. Glad we came! Merci beaucoup indeed!
Bl**dy brilliant!
Very well done – enjoyed it very much!
An excellent evening – loved the character names! Superb!
The murder mystery was just great and I loved the detective too
He did a great job!
He did sound just like a famous Belgian detective!
I'd come to France again just for this!
CONTACT US
For more information, or to discuss your choice of detective, the period and a possible theme or to make a booking, do get in touch!
Email us : [email protected]
Telephone us: 06 22 98 03 73
Write to us at : 4 Allée du Fresne, 53800 Renazé, France
We are delighted to personalize your special event with humorous references to named members of the audience.
WE'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!
PRESS
© Samantha David & The Connexion 2019. Reproduced by kind permission.
November 2019
“Murder, most entertaining!
Murder parties are also increasingly popular. Often based on the board game Cluedo or themed on detective novels, people spend anything from a hour to an entire weekend solving a murder mystery. The accent is definitely on fun.
Professional actor Leslie Stern and his wife Dale run a 1901 not-for-profit association ‘Murder By Arrangement’ simply because they love it. “We are only paid travel and expenses, but audiences love it as much as we do, which makes it all worthwhile.”
For events close to home (north-east of Nantes) he and Dale work with a small team of actors, but for events further away they co-opt members of the audience into playing various roles.
“We always know who is the murderer and their motive, but we don’t tell the people who agree to play characters in the murder mystery. They are as much in the dark as everyone else. It makes it more fun that way!”
He and Dale have a selection of storylines (think Hercule Poirot, Sherlock Holmes, Miss Marple, Inspector Clouseau and Lord Peter Wimsey) which can fit anything from an after-dinner entertainment to a whole weekend. “We can do murder parties in French or English, and with a bit of notice, even in Spanish!”
Once the murder has taken place (very often in the dark) or the unfortunate victim has been discovered, the ‘corpse’ is ceremoniously removed, and the detective summoned. The suspects are then interrogated by the detective and other players.
Every suspect has a motive for committing the crime. “Of course, we have a limited number of suspects and everyone knows that the murderer is among them, so around 10% of the audience will always guess the answer, but if more people guess right, we change the ending to something none of them have guessed,” said Leslie.”
Just a few photos of our detectives, victims and suspects are attached. We have many more!
![Reminder from 'MURDER BY ARRANGEMENT', [find us on Facebook], the specialists in murder mystery entertainment, a 'Loi 1...](https://img3.glartent.com/300/813/1579532953008135.jpg)
