'In the Hall with the Knife' is the first of a projected trilogy of books based on the classic board game. At a remote boarding school in Maine a winter storm hits a day early and strands Headmaster Boddy, students and some staff without power or any contact with the outside world. Naturally, Boddy's not going to make the night. Who was the culprit? Told in alternating perspectives from Green, Plum, Peacock, Scarlet, Mustard and Orchid, Peterfreund skillfully layers a lot of questions that will entice readers to pick up books 2 and 3.

'Clue' has inspired some of the best media tie-ins. of course, there's the phenomenal movie starring Tim Curry and Madeline Kahn and a host of other amazing people. That movie is still perfect. My favorite growing up was the series of Encyclopedia Brown-esque mystery stories by 'A.E. Parker' such as 'Who Killed Mr. Boddy?'. The stories would mostly be about petty theft and scheming amongst the house guests, but poor Mr. Boddy would be knocked off in the last story and revived for the next book.

I don't think that's going to happen this time, but there were a lot of interesting nods to the brand's history, for example, Mrs. White oversees the historic mansion/dorm to which everyone flees. Peterfreund makes the characters her own and the story is mostly all the better for it. There's humor and a fun knot of character relationships that will keep you guessing for most of the book - Mustard was transferred from his military academy for unknown reasons, Scarlet and Plum will do anything to keep their academic honors intact, Orchid's hiding everything, Green is the local scholarship boy with maybe a chip on his shoulders and why was Peacock seen threatening Boddy with the candlestick in his office the other day?

I did wonder why the author made Orchid white, but there you go.

The Clue Mysteries

Next: '?'

Scarlet. Mustard. Green. Peacock. Plum. Orchid.

One storm will change their lives forever…if they survive the night.

When a killer storm strikes at Blackbrook Academy, an elite prep school nestled in the woods of Maine, a motley crew of students are left stranded at the aristocratic mansion on campus. House later, his lifeless body is discovered in a pool of blood.

Based on the classic board game CLUE, IN THE HALL WITH THE KNIFE kicks off a trilogy of young adult mysteries in which nothing is what it seems, and everyone has a motive for murder.

The Game is On. No One is Safe.

I am going to hazard a guess and bet that a whole load of readers of this will pick it up out of nostalgia for either the cult classic 1985 film 'Clue' or because they enjoyed the Hasbro board game of the same name that the excellent movie was based on.

Or both, which is why I had to read it!

This is a modern reimagining of the board game 'Clue' (and when it's brought 'to life' in this way, it takes on the story form like the movie); set in an elite prep school in the woods of Maine called Blackbrook Academy. The characters are all there: Scarlet, Mustard, White, Green, Plum, Peacock, Orchid, and yes, Mr. Boddy. They all become stuck in this grand mansion of a school out on the tip of a rocky peninsula in the middle of what seems to be the storm of the decade, with no power, no way in or out, and then there's a murder.

The characters all have secrets, and a lot of them neatly fit stereotypes (rather like the original movie, I suppose, which may grate on some nerves and irritate some readers, but is actually wonderfully campy in the film). If you don't have the movie to constantly compare to (even with the board game as background), the book actually simply works well as a YA fun murder-mystery read: everyone is a suspect, they all seem to have a motive, but it doesn't get too heavy or scary. This is actually much like the vibe of the film; mystery LITE. 

I would be interested in hearing what people think who have only played the board game, and from those who have not played the game but seen the film; I may have seen the film so many times that I constantly had images of Tim Curry scurrying around a mansion in a butler outfit (he was just SO PERFECT). I do think that Diana Peterfreund has paid great homage to the general 'Clue' board game franchise, and it will bring back some warm fuzzy feelings for fans (unless you expect the characters to be carbon copies of the movie versions, as well as the storyline). 

It took a little while for me to get fully invested in the story, and much like the film, the 'big event' happens quite the way into the book. The chapters are named after the different characters as they reveal more about each one and follow them through the story. That took a while to get used to (it is used SO much) but I found it useful in separating their story arcs.

It's always a huge gamble to write a movie based on a book, so is it just as much of a gamble to write a book based on a movie? I'm not sure. This may be removed enough from the original film (or game) that it will find a different audience anyway. And maybe people will go out and play the board game again??! Who knows.

This will be released 10.8.19 on Amulet Books (Abrams) and there are plans for a series of Clue mysteries (at least 2 more books).

You can find all the links to GET A COPY HERE!

*I gratefully received this ARC as part of Miss Print’s ARC Adoption Program. Thank you!

Using this book to guess Lydia Bennet as a victim

Author's first name begins with D, oh and there is a character who repeatedly touches things without knowing what they do... not too bright.

Some secrets are small -- the size of a battery, or a button, or a scrap of paper. Other secrets are so big they can bury a man alive, or tear apart a family ... or even destroy the world. Omega City was both.

 

Gillian's dad is a historian who specializes in Cold War conspiracies and wrote a book about Aloysius Underberg, a brilliant Cold War engineer. But Dr. Underberg is missing and Gillian's dad has been discredited. When Gillian is faced with an opportunity to solve Underberg's greatest mystery and prove her dad right, she can't resist. She enlists the help of her brother Eric, best friend Savannah, a NASA obsessed boy from school (Howard), and Howard's brother Nate. Others are searching for Underberg's secrets too, and they will stop at nothing to get them first.

This is an adventurous mystery with a strong female protagonist. Gillian's team faces life-threatening situations, including nerve gas in an elevator, goons with guns, and scuba diving in unknown waters. I think middle-grade readers will enjoy this thrilling adventure. (for fans of Luck Uglies or City of Ember). Grades 5-8

I am using this book to play a guess for Red Game victim: Lydia Bennet