In the Hall with the Knife

NOW AVAILABLE!!!<br><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1560351249ra/27657675.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>clue is my favorite movie of all time. <br><br>y’all can keep your highly esteemed oscar-winning period pieces and your obscure arthouse fillums—i’ll be over here watching this movie where the chick from the go-go’s and the dude from fear both get murrrrderrrred. in a house. with a weapon. &lt;-— no spoilers here! <br><br>when i first heard about this book, it was as though the heavens opened up and rained down jellybeans: a book based(ish) on my favorite movie, written by the lady who brought killer unicorns into our lives? yes and please. and THEN, when i walked into the ABA galley room at BEA to find A GIANT STACK of these just sitting there for meeeee (and, i suppose, other ABA members, but mostly just ME), oh how those jellybeans POURED.<br><br>much like the storm that stranded the characters in this book! <br><br><img src="https://superpoweredfancastdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/clue-house.gif?resize=541%2C315" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>this is an all-new story, not a retelling of the movie, but all your favorite characters are here—in name, anyway, muppet-baby-style: <br><br>headmaster boddy, <br><br><img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1560354966i/27657884._SY540_.jpg" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>beth “peacock” picach, <br><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1560353423ra/27657776.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>vaughn green, <br><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1560353482ra/27657782.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>sam “mustard” maestor, <br><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1560354437ra/27657853.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>finn plum, <br><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1560354715ra/27657872.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>scarlet mistry, <br><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1560355131ra/27657894.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>mrs. white, <br><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1560353297ra/27657768.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>and… orchid mckee. <br><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1560355182ra/27657897.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>i do not know why peterfreund decided to separate mrs. white from the others by making her an adult character and filling her role with some non canon gal, but i’m sure she had her reasons. (p.s. please tell me your reasons)<br><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1560354913ra/27657882.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>the plot here is no surprise—it is the plot of the movie and the point of the board game: there is murder! who has done it? and although the murder weapon is never in doubt (HINT: it is part of the title of the book!), other clue-weapons do pop up in the darndest places.<br><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1560352841ra/27657736.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>here are plenty of winky-nods to the movie, and there are secret passages <br><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1560352295ra/27657714.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>and secret agendas <br><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1560354407ra/27657852.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>and secret letters <br><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1560352937ra/27657750.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>and…secrets. <br><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1560352818ra/27657735.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>IS this the best locked-room mystery i have ever read? no. but DOES it explicitly reference the most iconic scene from the best movie of all time?<br><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1560350452ra/27657622.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>yes. <br><br>three and a half stars, rounded up and i will continue happily with the rest of the series.<br><br>**********************************************<br><br><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1450819093ra/17472254.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>i am very excited for this.<br><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1557700792ra/27496753.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1557700792ra/27496754.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1560352242ra/27657710.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br><i>very</i> excited.<br><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1557700868ra/27496755.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br><img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1528725630i/25720315.png" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><a href="http://bloggycomelately.com/" rel="nofollow noopener">come to my blog!</a>

<b>**3.5-stars rounded up**</b><br><br><i>In the Hall with the Knife</i> was an absolute delight to read. It channeled the exact vibe I was hoping for.<br><br>This story brought all of the silly, over-the-top drama of the <i>Clue</i> movie and I was living for it!<br><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1604163775ra/30315410.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>I decided to pick this up over Halloween week. Going in, I had no idea how perfect that choice would end up being.<br><br>Set at a posh boarding school, <i>Blackbrook Academy</i>, on the coast of Maine, this story follows multiple perspectives, including Peacock, Green, Mustard, Scarlet and Mrs. White.<br><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1604271904ra/30321235.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>When a winter storm hits, the Academy's access to the mainland gets cut off, stranding a handful of students, the headmaster and a couple of other school employees.<br><br>They corral everyone into Tudor House, which seems to be a geographic highpoint and therefore has managed to escaped major flooding.<br><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1604271904ra/30321236.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>The manse generally acts as a girls boarding house, with Mrs. White at its head, but they manage to find room for everyone.<br><br>The house includes all of the stately charm you would anticipate with hardwoods, stained glass, and rooms such as the lounge, billiard room and conservatory. Oh, and secret passageways, don't forget the secret passageways.<br><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1604271904ra/30321237.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>When on the first night, the headmaster ends up dead, our intrepid characters are left to figure out what happened.<br><br>Some suggest an accident, other suggest suicide, but very quickly it is clear that it was murder.<br><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1515525239ra/24863278.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>I had a ton of fun reading this. It was campy, it was ridiculous and I thought it was a blast.<br><br>I think if you go into it with the right mindset, you will have fun with it too. It is definitely not a story to take too seriously.<br><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1561834344ra/27743863.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>I'm actually really excited to pick up the next installment. This one left off at an interesting and sinister spot.<br><br>I want more!!!<br><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1584372536ra/29115114.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy">

<b>ARGH</b>. On the one hand, this provided so much of what I was looking for in regards to movie references and cheesy nostalgia, yet I still feel torn due to the difficulty in keeping the characters straight and some of the changes that were made. The reveal felt a little off to me, and heads up, there is a cliffhanger leading out for the second book in the series. Overall, this was a fun, breezy read, and I'll likely continue on with the trilogy. More thoughts to come closer to publication date. <br><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1515525239ra/24863278.gif" width="" height="" alt="description" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br><i>*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy via NetGalley.</i>

<b>We all know the story: The mansion. The colorful guests. The murder. The secret passageways. The weapons.</b> <br /><br />Mr. Boddy was murdered in the lounge with the candlestick. Or was it the wrench? Or maybe the revolver?<br /><br />(In the case of <i>In the Hall with the Knife</i>, I bet you can guess.) <br /><br />I honestly didn't know what to expect when this ARC arrived at my doorstep. I was in love with <i>Clue</i> as a kid (the movie AND the game) and I knew that I'd like it, at the very least. I didn't expect to love it and read it in one sitting.<br /><br /><i>In the Hall with the Knife</i> is <b>the perfect read for a casual fall evening</b>. It's fast-paced, the spooky coastal Maine academy was the perfect setting, and the teenage characters were all fun to read in individual POVs. <b>There are some changes to the main script: we have an added POV in Orchid McKee, and Mrs. White was an adult, but I didn't mind these changes</b>—and in a weird way, I really enjoyed Orchid's entrance. <br /><br />In terms of POV switching, I thought the author did a really good job at conveying each character's individual narrative voice. <b>Even if you'd removed the names in the chapter, I would have known who was narrating—that's impressive, given the large cast list.</b> However, hands down, I loved Peacock's entries the best. Everyone else has traditional chapters with third person narration...and then there's Peacock, who is obsessed with fitness and has her POV done within the context of a 1 page workout journal entry with a "notes" field that spills matter-of-fact details about the actual plot. Loved it.<br /><br />Now, definitely keep in mind that this novel doesn't take itself seriously. Heck, the <i>Clue</i> movie didn't take itself seriously! <b>The ending isn't a surprise to a discerning reader, but that's not why I loved it.</b> I loved it for the cheese, the camp, and the modern twists to the old nods. It's a fun ride, and even more fun when you realize that it's actually a trilogy. <br /><br /><b>We haven't heard the last of this group, and so far there's only been one dead body...</b><br /><br />(claps hands in excitement)<br /><br /><i>Thank you so much to Amulet Books for an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.</i>

this had so much potential but the book was so boring and every character just felt like a stereotypes instead of having actual personalities

In the Hall with the Knife by Diana Peterfreund is the first book in the new young adult Clue Mystery series. The story in this new young adult mystery/thriller is based on the board game of Clue. As a kid I loved playing and who know over the years that game would end up with so much attention. Seeing that the books were based on the board game I took a closer look and what the author has done is set this in a boarding school which also has always been a draw for me so of course i had to check the series out.<br /><br />The story is set at Blackbrook Academy which is located in the woods of Maine and takes place during a big storm. The students of the academy, Beth “Peacock” Picach, Orchid McKee, Vaughn Green, Sam “Mustard” Maestor, Finn Plum, and Scarlet Mistry are stranded at the academy along with Mrs White and a handful of other school employees. Already what seems like an endless night becomes even more unbearable when the headmaster is found dead of what seems to be a murder.<br /><br />In the Hall with the Knife was told from multiple points of view along the way but was easy enough to follow, especially when you are reading about people with the oh so familiar names of the board game. It was perhaps a little campy and silly but it did bring a smile to my face while reading. While this first book came in at three and a half stars for me I had hope that the next in the trilogy will be even better as I will know the characters and what to expect of the style in book two.<br /><br />I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.<br /><br />For more reviews please visit <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://carriesbookreviews.com/">https://carriesbookreviews.com/</a>

3.5 stars -- I thought this was a really fun adaptation of a beloved property that delivered an effective, albeit pretty straightforward, isolated closed circle mystery

Letty was murdered in the bedroom with boredom by the author.

I loved Clue as a kid (the game and the movie) so when I received a copy of this book I was excited. I do wish the characters had been a little better developed, but the stereotypical characters do fit the heart of the game so I can accept it. I did like that you get the story in pieces from all of the main characters’ perspectives. The mystery was interesting even if you got most of the clues from the title. This was cute and I will probably read the other two in the trilogy when they come out. I gave it 3.5 stars rounded up for the rating.

Whoever came up with this was a frickin' genius! If you're going to make a novelization of a board game, Clue is absolutely the way to go. It already IS a murder mystery, after all! Now you just have to take the characters, flesh them out, and give them a motive for murder! Setting at an elite boarding school, amongst teenagers, was perfect, and gives the story great appeal. There's even a new character, Orchid McKee, with secrets of her own.