Hamptons Whodunit Offers Full Schedule of True Crime & Mystery

​Now back for what is bound to be a successful third year in 2025, the annual Hamptons Whodunit mystery and true crime festival is taking place from April 10–13 in East Hampton. The four-day event will be full of exciting activities and personalities, including bestselling authors, forensic investigators and legal eagles taking part in a variety of panels, discussions and more.

Hamptons Whodunit Mystery & Crime Festival Lineup

The weekend kicks off on Thursday, April 10 with a VIP Preview at 5 p.m. followed by  a cocktail party at the exclusive Maidstone Club from 6–8 p.m. Attendees will get a chance to mix and mingle with fellow crime and mystery fans, as well as honored guests, panelists, authors and experts — all overlooking the Maidstone ocean beach and golf course. Guests can attend the cocktail party without going to the preview, which costs extra and includes a meet and greet and Black River Caviar tasting.

Things really begin on Friday, April 11 with a full slate of events. Between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m., most time slots during the day offer a choice of fiction or true crime activities. However, the day starts at Clinton Academy with one option from 8-8:50 a.m.: Coffee & Crime with Author Joe Giacalone — the festival’s true crime consultant, a retired NYPD Sergeant SDS, and law enforcement expert. Other events on Friday include talks on the Gabby Petito case, the Boston Strangler, Scott Peterson, Luigi Mangione and more, along with multiple fiction and mystery writing workshops with top authors in the genre. A historic graveyard tour sets off from 5–5:45 p.m. with East Hampton Town Crier Hugh King, and a “Murder at the Manor” escape room runs from 5–9 p.m., but all spots have filled up for that. From 7–9 p.m. at the firehouse, a “Wine & Crime” event will offer interactive experiences where participants help experts with solving real cold cases.

Saturday, April 12 begins again with Coffee & Crime before another full day of true crime and fiction focused activities. Panels include a session on writing young adult thrillers, conversations with bestselling authors such as Tess Gerritsen and Lucy Foley, among many others, as well as a talk on podcasting, law enforcement and expert talks on FBI interrogation, jury selection, and much more. The graveyard tour is also available on Saturday evening. There will be book signings throughout the day, and a trivia night at St. Luke’s Church’s Hoie Hall from 7–9 p.m.

Sunday, April 13 offers a shorter schedule, starting with a fiction drop-in book signing and coffee hour at BookHampton from 9–11 a.m. Concurrently, East Hampton Library will host a celebration of local Hamptons authors and crime experts, and Village Mayor and festival cofounder Jerry Larson is talking about crimes of the Hamptons from 10–10:50 a.m. There will also be a talk on escaping Alcatraz, a discussion about family influence on crime writing, and a book signing before the day, and the festival, concludes at 2 p.m.

Prices for events and activities vary from free to $600 for an all activities pass. But Hamptons Whodunit CEO and cofounder, and successful mystery author Carrie Doyle says the festival was meant to be something accessible for local people — though it has also done an excellent job of attracting attendees from all over, which brings business to town during a traditionally slow time of year.

“This really started as an event for our residents and just continued to grow. We’ll have activities throughout the Village of East Hampton,” Doyle told Dan’s Papers in a recent interview. ““The whole weekend is a great time to come with friends or a date and enjoy exploring East Hampton and indulging in your passion,” she continued, noting that there’s something for people of all ages.

Visit hamptonswhodunit.org to learn more, including a complete schedule and breakdown of events and prices.