People are standing together in a dark room. A shot rings out, somebody screams, a detective arrives and it's time to answer the age-old question. Whodunit?

You are a guest character in a mystery dinner-theater and the excitement, suspense and suspicion has begun.

A mystery dinner is an intellectually stimulating way for guests enjoying a nice dinner to get involved with real actors as they pursue clues. And like the saying goes, "Everyone's a suspect."

Mercer Area Chamber of Congress will host its fourth annual mystery dinner-theater from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Placed in a 1940s pre-war setting, guests will be eyewitnesses led from a variety of locations on a path for truth. The show begins with hors d'oeuvres at John Orr Guest House on West Butler Street in Mercer. Then it will be on to Magoffin Inn for dinner and historic Helen Black Miller Chapel for dessert and the mysterious finalé.

Several directors have managed the show in the past. This year Heather Wiederstein from Walnut Street Lodge in Sharpsville is dinner director.

For dinner, guests can choose from a menu of boneless stuffed chicken or pork loin. Guests are welcome to dress in '40s garb, but are not required to do so.

Debi Plant of the chamber of commerce said dinners in the past have attracted about 30 to 40 people per show.

Ms. Plant said she has attended past mystery dinners and said they are exhilarating.

"It has a mystery flair and it's really quite nice," she said.

The clue is to keep a watchful eye. The evidence could be hard to crack when it's time to solve the mystery.

Ms. Plant said she could tell the plot, but she'd hate to ruin the surprise.

"I won't give it away," she said, "but it's a good mystery."

Tickets are $50 per person; reservations are required. Proceeds will support the local community. For more information, call (724) 662-4185 between 8 a.m. and noon through Friday.

You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Larissa Theodore at ltheodore@sharonherald.com