Northridge : Sleuths Sought for Library Fund-Raiser

Bookworms, beware: A killer is prowling among the shelves of Cal State Northridge’s Delmar T. Oviatt Library.

Well, not really. But it’s the premise of a unique fund-raiser the campus is sponsoring Saturday night: an interactive murder mystery with bodies, clues and red herrings up and down the library’s quiet corridors.

“It’s a dinner and a mystery,” Oviatt staff member Cindy Ventuleth explained. “The mystery will take place throughout the library.”

Funds collected at the event will help supplement the library’s budget and will be used for book purchases and programs at the facility, she said. More than 200 people are expected.

Guests are invited to solve the three-hour mystery, but Ventuleth stressed that they are also welcome to sit back and watch it unfold. “It’s up to you,” she said. “You can be just as involved as you want to be.”

The evening will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a pasta dinner. Soon after, a murder victim will appear--the first victim.

“Things are going to heat up,” Ventuleth said. “There’s going to be more than one victim.”

Members of a professional mystery troupe will portray the killer’s targets, but Ventuleth stressed that guests won’t know who they are until the bodies begin to fall. Participants with the best and funniest written solutions will win prizes, but Ventuleth wasn’t saying what they are.

“That’s a surprise--but it’s a good surprise,” she chuckled.

Tickets are $35 and may be purchased in Room 320 of the library. For more information, call (818) 885-2638. On Saturday, tickets will go on sale at the door at 6 p.m.