Death in Paradigm, deconstructing the trope

 Initial notes:

Death in Paradise has averaged 8 episodes a season over 15 seasons, officially making it a classic Long-runner.  With 5 Christmas Specials, that makes 125 individual episodes, mostly centered on Locked-room mysteries or impossible crimes.

With that mighty list of stories, certain types of stories begin to recur.  Here we are exploring what these mysteries have in common.

1.  The Plantation murder:  A wealthy head of a company is involved in a murder under his corporate roof.  The big man is usually surrounded by his entourage: personal assistant, accountant, shop foreman, etc and he usually has some family members in the foreground as well.  Typically this includes a wife, a disappointing or rebellious child (son or daughter), and a mistress.  Bonus point if the mistress is also one of his business associates.  There is likely an inheritance involve, and it is common for there to be a hidden inheritor involved as well.  The young woman who recently joined the company but seems extremely loyal turns out to be the boss's daughter from his younger philandering days. Usually involves a great mansion as the setting, along with a company warehouse, growing fields, plantation processing barn, etc.

2.  The weekend retreat.  There is a small company that hosts a small group of people for an isolated adventure.  During this adventure, one of the party is murdered, but during a time when everyone else is together and so all have alibi's.  Typical members are 1. the expedition leader with money troubles, 2.  The faithful assistant who suffers from ambition and broken promises, 3. The immensely wealthy/ famous party member who travels the world looking for the next experience, 4. The quiet secretary who wanted to go on an adventure.

3.  The sports murder.  Someone is murdered while participating in a sporting event.  The story follows the team, interpersonal feuds among team mates, inter-team rivalries, failed coaches or ones with foiled ambitions.  Parent-child relationships between team manager and star player, where the coach is especially hard on the child, or favors an untalented child player to the detriment of a more talented team mate.  Bicycle racing, beach volleyball, boating, soccer  

4.  Small Corporate.  A small company of just a few employees, often in an isolated location experiences a murder.  Unlike the Boss murder, the outfit is usually small and struggling, so the dynamic is more egalitarian.  Isolated locations might include a mid-sized boat, a jungle outpost.  Cast members include the leader with a dream, a specialist or two, a hopeful assistant who's untrained but willing to learn.

5. The famous production.  Some team visits the island that is involved in a television show, shooting a movie, a news broadcaster, a radio disc jockey, a popular Reggae band, a book writer is here for a book signing, a famous artist for the same reason.  Often surrounded by the same cast of characters:  personal assistant, manager, financial person, devoted sycophant, technical person involved with the production.  This is usually noted for having extensive recordings of the people involved, and often the murder event itself is recorded.  How could the murder have been committed when everyone was watching/listening?   Typically one or more of the "recordings" has been altered in some way.