A dinner party underway at the Prince Regent Hotel is rudely interrupted by the unexpected arrival of a screaming hotel cleaner. Before she faints, she manages to inform the gathering that she has discovered the body of a dead man in her broom cupboard.

Thus begins the clues for “The Pink Diamond Murder Mystery,” which will be among the mind-twisters offered up at this year’s Key West Mystery Fest, May 10-13.

Substitute Key West’s The Gardens Hotel for the Prince Regent written in the original British mystery play. But, the clues are just as artful and the cast will include some surprises.

As it turns out the body discovered is none other than Peter Gordon, the husband of one of the guests. During the course of the evening, the cleaner is herself murdered, and when the detective sent to investigate checks the cleaner’s pockets, the famous jewel the “The Pink Lace Diamond” is discovered on her person.

“However, the jewel is a fake, and so too is the original crime scene – so why, where, when and how was Peter Gordon killed? And who killed the cleaner?”

For answers, you’ll have to be part of the “Pink Diamond Murder Mystery” at The Gardens Hotel, where the catered mystery party gets underway at 7 p.m. The Gardens Hotel is located at 526 Angela St., Key West.

The Waterfront Playhouse presents the centerpiece of this year’s Mystery Fest, with “Deathtrap,” which explores just how far a writer of Broadway mysteries will go to overcome a dry spell.

“Deathtrap” opens at 8 p.m. each Thursday through Saturday through May 18, with special Mystery Festival performances scheduled May 10-11.

In addition, Tropic Cinema will roll out a classic mystery movie on Monday, May 13. Visit tropiccinema.com for details.

Suspense fans also can attend a reading of the spine-tingling finalist entries in the Key West Citizen’s Mystery Short Story Contest. The reading takes place during an island breakfast Sunday, May 12, at the Westin Key West Resort and Marina, 245 Front St. The festival concludes May 13 with a backstage tour of the Waterfront Playhouse’s “Deathtrap” set, led by the play’s artistic director and technical director. For more information, along with ticket prices, visit www.keywestmysteryfest.com.