"In the Hall with the Knife"

“In the Hall with the Knife”

Written by Diana Peterfreund

Reviewed by Diana Iozzia

In a reimagining of the ultra-popular mystery board game, “Clue”, Diana Peterfreund has created “In the Hall with the Knife”. In this mystery who-dun-it, the cast of characters includes: Orchid McKee, Finn Plum, Beth “Peacock” Picach, Vaughn Green, Sam “Mustard” Maestor, and Scarlet Mistry, all trapped in a boarding school house during a major flood. And, naturally, Headmaster Boddy’s body has been found, stabbed to death.

In this hilariously fun retelling of “Clue”, the story twists in a thousand directions, causing the reader to jump on a wild ride. In the style of “Clue”, the story unfolds in many of the familiar game locations, like the ballroom, the hall, the lounge, the conservatory, the lounge, the kitchen, and the library. The characters all seem suspicious, causing those reading to desperately continue and try to find the solution.

In the end, the conclusion was not unpredictable, if the reader is familiar with the game of “Clue”. However, this was a deliciously entertaining story to read and play along with. I absolutely enjoyed this. Additionally, the story reminded me of “Pretty Little Liars”, “The Breakfast Club”, “One of Us is Lying”, and “The House on Haunted Hill”. I cannot wait to see if Peterfreund continues to write more mysteries along with Hasbro, hopefully creating a series with “Clue” mysteries. The story ends on a fun cliffhanger, hopefully teasing additional sequels.

This was cheesy and great. Please give it a try.

I received a complimentary advance edition in exchange for reading and reviewing purposes. Thank you to Amulet Books at Abrams Kids.