CAPE MAY - There has been a murder, and Cape May has sprung a crop of malevolent scarecrows who are designed to frighten something more dangerous than hungry birds out to steal some corn. What does it all mean?

That's what teams of guest detectives will be trying to discover when they visit mystery sites and search the area south of the Cape May Canal in their quest for clues when Shadow Stalkers brings “Deadly Harvest: The Creature Walks Among Us” to three Cape May inns Oct. 19 and 20.

Designed as a nerve-jangling adventure with no time-outs and no safe places, “Deadly Harvest” is more than dinner theater; it is a hands-on think-on-your-feet affair that begins the moment guests check into their rooms and continues around the clock until promotions are awarded to the Cape May Detective Agency the final night.

Shadow Stalkers invites guests to investigate the murder of a bookish professor with a peculiar collection of insects and an odd hobby – he was fascinated by the original strains of corn grown by the Indians of the Delaware Valley.

The killers will be playing, too; the record is 13 guests murdered in a single night – and the detectives will have access to poison, blackmail and bribery in their search for a solution.

The emphasis is on fun, and guest initiative and imagination. Advance problems and clues will be mailed out in advance, making anticipation and planning a part of the game. Guests will also have the option of conducting their investigation as any detective or villain from film or literature; so it's not unusual to meet Columbo, Charlie Chan or Hannibal Lecter at a Shadow Stalkers event.

Shadow Stalkers shows are built on 20 years of experience exploring the dark corners of the human mind. Ciphers, torn maps, poison and invisible ink are commonplace, and guests are encouraged to bring props and false clues of their own.

For prices and reservations call the Carroll Villa Hotel at 609-884-9619, the Bedford Inn at 609-884-4158 or the Victorian Lace Inn at 609-884-1772.

For information about the mystery see www.shadowstalkers.net  or call 419-663-4103 or see www.shadowstalkers.net.