Take away the labored references to the board game Clue and what do you have? A mediocre murder mystery. There are no solid clues. We have arguments with the victim and a student living a lie. None of these things really make for a motive. So when they're investigating they continually circle back to those same points and conclusions. And because it's written in multiple perspectives and we hear the perspective of all three suspected students, we the reader know that non of the suspects actually did it. There are a few obvious red herrings but the actual evidence and motive are revealed at the same moment as the confession.

This was such a fun, creative read! All the classic locations and characters from the game are featured (as students in an elite, remote boarding school) and as an epic snowstorm isolates the group, they discover a body- and that there may be a murderer among them. This has a cozy mystery style feel to it as the violence happens off the page (so no teen slasher type scenes here). Since there are so many character perspectives, readers don't necessarily get to know all the characters terribly well, but I think they were impressively unique and well developed for the number there were. They are all hiding secrets they don't want exposed, and there are some ripe opportunities to mine for future books.

When a storm hits Blackbrook Academy, an elite boarding school on the Maine coast, a small group of students are stranded in one of the school's dorms. The next morning their headmaster is found dead in the conservatory. With no idea when help will arrive, the students have to face the fact that they are most likely bunking down with a murderer.

In the Hall with the Knife by Diana Peterfreund is the first in a trilogy inspired by the classic board game, Clue. I really loved all the Clue references, from the character names, to the subtle nods to all the murder weapons, to all the aptly named rooms of Tudor House. Unfortunately, the book was a little slower than I wanted it to be. I think mostly because we follow so many different POVs. However, I do think the potential is there for a great series, and I think it's pretty likely that I'll read the sequels.

Okay, Peterfreund obviously has a deep and abiding love for the 1980s movie version of Clue with at least a dozen little easter eggs sprinkled into the text as homages to that amazing cult classic. Otherwise, this is a completely re-imagined version of a bunch of people with names (first, last, nick) that are related to colors who are at Blackbrook, an elite academy, over the winter break when a flood/snowstorm collide to make for a really uncomfortable time. Headmaster Boddy gathers all of the students, including at least three who had negative interactions with him recently, in the Tudor house with the woman in charge of the house, Mrs. White and one adult janitor, Rusty. However, one of the students, the one we follow most closely throughout the third person narration, Orchid, wakes up early on the first morning after they're gathered and finds the body of Boddy in the kitchen, stabbed. Almost all of the people gathered in the house have secrets they'd like to keep - Vaughn Green, the local boy there on scholarship; Phineas Plum, first among the science students and one of the students called in to talk to the Headmaster; Scarlet Mistry, Finn's humanities counterpart and partner in ensuring they both come in first in their respective fields; Beth "Peacock" PIcah who may have thrown a candlestick at Boddy after a loud argument followed by a thud; Orchid McKee who is hiding her true identity but someone has found her out; Samuel "Mustard" Maestro who has only been at Blackbrook for a month after getting booted out of military school mid-semester.
Though it took me quite awhile to get into this book, I have to admit that I*m looking forward to the other two books of this trilogy.

Four stars
This book came out October 8th
ARC kindly provided by Amulet Books and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

In the Hall with the Knife by Diana Peterfreund was one of my most anticipated October releases. I mean, it's based on my favorite board game and one of my favorite movies as well. While it's a decent read on it's own and has some fun moments and references, it never quite managed to live up to my love of the game and the movie. I did enjoy how Peterfreund translated it into a boarding school murder mystery where the cast has been isolated in a mansion-like dorm building during a bout of hostile weather. The characters weren't quite as memorable as I wish they were, and it was a bit difficult for me to keep track of everyone although most everyone has a color-coded name. Overall, though, it's a solid and fun mystery, but I think my own expectations were just a little too sky high to really find myself hooked by this new take on a classic. I do plan on reading the future novels in this series as well as more from this author in the future.

This was a fun YA mystery/thriller updating the classic Clue game premise to be about students and staff at a boarding school . It wrapped up the mystery in a satisfying way, but it does leave some character notes unfinished with space for a sequel. While the story handles characters of varying socioeconomic backgrounds well, I was disappointed that most other aspects of diversity weren't integrated very deeply into the characters or story. All in all a solid, suspenseful read for high schoolers.

Growing up I loved playing the board game Clue and watching the cult classic movie from the 80s. Now Diana Peterfreund has reimagined the classic story with her first book in a new Young Adult series based on the game. Blackbrook Academy is an elite prep. school located in a remote wooded area in Maine. After a storm, students with colorful names you may recognize, such as “Mustard” and “Peacock,” are left stranded on campus with their headmaster. When he winds up, as you may have guessed, dead in the hall, the students work together to figure out who murdered him. “In the Hall With the Knife” is a delightful YA read and anyone who is a fan of the game or movie will appreciate the mood of the book and get a kick out of the many references sprinkled throughout it.

"A murderer could be around every corner in this thrilling YA trilogy based on the board game CLUE!

When a storm strikes at Blackbrook Academy, an elite prep school nestled in the woods of Maine, a motley crew of students—including Beth “Peacock” Picach, Orchid McKee, Vaughn Green, Sam “Mustard” Maestor, Finn Plum, and Scarlet Mistry—are left stranded on campus with their headmaster. Hours later, his body is found in the conservatory and it’s very clear his death was no accident. With this group of students who are all hiding something, nothing is as it seems, and everyone has a motive for murder. Fans of the CLUE board game and cult classic film will delight in Diana Peterfreund’s modern reimagining of the brand, its characters, and the dark, magnificent old mansion with secrets hidden within its walls."

What was my favorite board game as a kid? CLUE! What was my favorite movie? CLUE! So what's my new favorite book?

A bit disappointing. It took too long to get the ball rolling. The murder didn't happen until practically midway through the book. If I were a teen I would have lost interest well before that point. The stakes just didn't feel high enough. All the teens were pretty blase about a murder happening in their house. The writing always felt kind of hazy? Is that a thing? I mean, I understand not wanting to reveal too much about the mystery, but the world never felt solid. However, I am a huge Clue fan and stuck with it.

On the plus side, there were diverse characters and some pretty good twists and turns.

Mystery and Clue fans will pick this one up no problem.

Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the ARC.

In the Hall with the Knife is a Clue mystery fans will love filled with thrilling dialogue and intrigue. This first book is loaded with Easter eggs from the original movie and game and multiple mysteries outside of a murder. This book is not just about solving a murder: it’s also about determining who everyone can trust when everyone has something to hide.

I thought Peterfreund did a great job staying true to the movie and boardgame while also adding her own personal twists to the story. You get the original characters but here’s a twist: they’re teenagers at an elite boarding school who have to solve a murder with no real murder solving skills. But that easily proves difficult when all of them start to suspect one another. Orchid has a potentially deadly past she’s trying to keep buried. Peacock has a secret that could ruin her life and career. Vaughn is living a double life – and no one suspects that he is. Mustard just transferred to this boarding school with a reason he’s not quite ready to reveal. Plum is the golden boy, but being the golden boy comes at a cost. And Scarlet will do anything to succeed at this school – even go to drastic means to come out on top. And then someone turns up dead – someone that each of them has a motive for murdering. But the question is – who really murdered someone?

One of my favorite aspects about this book is how Peterfreund revealed something about each character in each of their chapters. Each chapter is a different perspective, and every time something is revealed about that specific character. Some of the secrets I guessed but some I did not see coming. But I thought it was brilliant to reveal a secret in each chapter (and not all of them were outright revealed, some you had to read between the lines or put two and two together). It’s like tiny puzzle pieces fitting together over the length of this novel to create an almost complete puzzle. And with how the story ends, I’m suspecting even more character secrets will be revealed in the next book.

There are multiple point of views, as each of the main Clue characters has a voice, but I thought the chapters and voices really flowed well together. Though there isn’t quite a ton of romance, this first book sets the stage for potential romances between some characters in the next two books (and I’m rooting for two in particular!). It was great to see the characters start to rely on one another and trust their instincts and also develop some key life skills that they wouldn’t be able to learn in a classroom.

Overall, I thought this was a great book perfect for mystery genre fans and teens that are looking for a way to experience a classic board game in a new way. The killer was slightly easy to guess, but I still thought this was a fun and thrilling mystery read and I cannot wait to read the sequel. In the Hall with the Knife comes out next Tuesday, but you can preorder this fun book now!

A super solid boarding school murder book combined with "snowed in in a remote location" murder mystery trope, so if either/both are your jam, In the Hall with a Knife is a satisfying read. And, yes, it's a Clue tie-in novel: there are plenty of winks and nods to the movie, but that wasn't my favorite aspect honestly. The book is strong on it's own for the Blackbrook school and the assembly of characters, who are named after Clue characters (as they should be) but standalone as their own characters. Diana Peterfreund has crafted an all-around well-drawn "spoiled rich kids with secrets" boarding school setting + cast.

To that end, my favorite aspect of the book was all the worldbuilding and set-up in the first half or so. The atmosphere/tone of the storm, getting to know all the characters with hints of their backstories and secrets... I loved being drawn into the world. Then, despite being a massive fan of the movie, the movie references didn't do much for me--the tone of this book is COMPLETELY different than the film, and that is to the book's credit. It works as it's own thing, and thus for me I didn't need the verbatim lines from the movie/character combos because much of the book stands on its own.

But then there were a few twists/secret reveals that didn't quite land for me? There's one "reveal" in a specific character's POV that felt rather anemic to me. It was meant to build tension and work as a red herring for the "whodunit," but something about the execution confused me rather than titillated. I spent half a chapter confused and feeling like a missed something until it became clear what the "twist" was. However, another "secret twist" aspect of a major character I really loved--the whole build up with Orchid was great and I look forward to more on her in the sequels. I was satisfied with the conclusion though the big "bad guy" confrontation scene definitely got a little soapy and the murderer almost felt OOC.

I do want to include one very important trigger warning for ED sufferers or survivors. Or really anyone who struggles with disordered eating. My LEAST favorite thing in the book was Peacock's "POV" chapters--she doesn't get direct in-POV chapters but rather her "chapters" are excerpts from her diary, wherein she meticulously tracks everything she eats, how much she exercises, and then brief notes on how she's feeling. I skimmed every single line of food with calories and tallies of exercise. I found it too upsetting. I don't consider myself a special snowflake, but I have suffered from disordered eating in the past, and I find calorie tracking triggering. Anyone who is an ED sufferer/survivor needs to skip this book.

A note on the diversity in the book, which is welcome but there was one thing I found slightly disappointing. Among the cast is Scarlet, who is South Asian, and Mustard who is ambiguously referred to as a "fellow person of color" by Scarlet (I thought he was Black b/c it never says in the book and just looked up the Kirkus review that says he has tan skin? I cannot recall AT ALL where in the book it said that--I think it would have been way less coy to just SAY, personally--ambiguous diversity doesn't help anyone?). Mustard is also gay. I was so excited about this! And there were early vibes that maybe Finn (Plum) was queer as well and a potential love interest for Mustard. I was lining up for the shipping! See, Finn and Scarlet are in a "platonic power partnership," which automatically set off queer alarms--made me wonder if one or both of them was ace? But then we find out Finn used to be Peacock's secret boyfriend and I was disappointed. Vaughn (Green) is into Orchid, which leaves no love interest for Mustard in the cast. Give Mustard a boyfriend in the sequel, please! And I'm holding out hope that Scarlet might be queer as well--ace would be great!

The mystery of this book wraps up completely (so it can standalone), but it's clear at the end that more is coming. I believe this is planned as a trilogy? I'm here for it. These are solid, accessible mystery YA books that I think would be suitable for younger readers--a good choice for a tween who loved The Westing Game but is looking for the next level. The characters and setting are fun, and I look forward to the series gaining it's own footing beyond the movie/boardgame.

TL;DR – The mystery itself wasn’t super compelling and in the end it came out feeling half-baked.

I requested this book for two reasons: 1) I like Clue and 2) I’ve really enjoyed some of Diana Peterfreund’s other books (the Jane Austen retellings). Unfortunately, this book fell extremely flat for me. First of all, I couldn’t figure out what this collection of students was doing on campus? Why wasn’t anyone else there? This may have been explained and I just missed it, but that question was hanging over the entire book for me.

Another problem was that I didn’t feel a connection to any of the characters. They all had these backstories, but none of them got enough screen time to get fleshed out. Instead, tragedies were hinted at (repeatedly) but never explained. This just ended up making me annoyed with all of the characters for not explaining themselves. There were also two random characters that were completely unnecessary? I guess this is supposed to be the first book in a series, so maybe they’ll come into play in later books. But honestly, this book does not make me want to pick up the rest of the series. If I had to pick a favorite character I guess I would say Orchid? She was the least annoying.

And then we come to the “mystery”. It felt extremely light. A murder occurred IN THE HOUSE that all of these students were sleeping in and I felt like there should’ve been a more…horrific tone to the book perhaps? But that just wasn’t there. I didn’t find the mystery compelling at all and wasn’t super invested in figuring out who the killer was. Too many of the characters were like, “Well, I know it’s not ME”. With the actual game of Clue it very well COULD be you, so that may have been something interesting to play with (sleepwalking? bad reaction to sleeping pills?). Unfortunately, what we actually get is an unsatisfying, half-baked solution tacked on at the end.

Overall, I felt like this just wasn’t a great book. I didn’t feel like it was written very clearly. I thought it did fairly well as a Clue tribute, but it even had some room to lean into that a little more too. In the end, I think they should have more firmly chosen what direction to take this book in (Clue tribute or murder mystery) without trying to do both. That may seem contradictory…but that’s how I feel.

Overall Rating: 2
Language: None
Violence: Moderate
Smoking/Drinking: None
Sexual Content: None

Note: I received a copy of this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Super cute concept and I think the execution of the story is in line with the tone of Clue, for sure. I think the movie was a little wackier, but IN THE HALL WITH THE KNIFE was definitely playing to that. A tip of the hat for all the character names, because what would Clue be without a Mrs White or a Colonel Mustard? Not Clue, that's for sure.

The story itself took a while to get going. The first third of the book was all exposition, with the murder happening around the 100 page mark. That's a pretty slow-moving murder mystery. I expected a murder almost immediately because, you know. That's the catalyst of Clue. But I had to wait. And wait.

And the situation with Vaughn's brother being a twin, either I completely missed that tidbit when that relationship was first introduced at the beginning of the book or it was truly first mentioned like two-thirds of the way in and it really threw me for a loop. If the former, my bad for missing it. If the latter then my discombobulation was warranted and it was a total shoe-horned element of the story. That doesn't quite feel right to me because that feels like a really big thing to just drop closer to the end of the story without any foreshadowing, but without being able to go back and read through the book I can't confirm.

Other than those things, though, I thought IN THE HALL WITH THE KNIFE was a fun read. Like I said before, tone is spot on and the characters are quirky, some to the point of cartoonish, which I think is the point, and it makes for a fun, exciting whodunnit. There were some pieces left dangling at the end, but since this is the first in a series I imagine it's not the last we'll be hearing from any of these characters. I'm not in love with the book, but I certainly liked it enough. I don't think I'll seek out the next book in the series, but if I come across it naturally, somehow, I'd be willing to read it.

3.5

I am a huge Clue fan (game and movie) and I loved this book. It was so creative and a must read for Clue fans of any age!

That was a really solid, entertaining mystery that definitely leaves you guessing for a long while. Plus, there's the fun of seeing these names from the game (and, let's face it, the movie): Scarlet, Plum, Mustard, etc. Quite enjoyable.

ARGH. 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.

Ooo, this was quite fun. Obviously, this is a retelling of Clue, but set in a boarding school in Maine during a horrific storm. There's murder, of course, and all the classic clue characters are teenagers. There's Scarlet, a straight A student who might not deserve to be at the top of her class, Finn Plum, an aspiring science student working on a secret project, Beth Peacock, an aggressive tennis player, Vaughn Green, the scholarship kid with family issues, Orchid, who is hiding a secret identity, Mrs. White, the housekeeper who has been at the school for ages, and Headmaster Boddy (see what Peterfreund did there?) who unfortunately finds himself murdered. Told through different character's perspectives, this is a story you have to pay attention to when you read because everyone has secrets, and everyone is a suspect. There's lots of easter eggs throughout the book for both the game and movie, and it looks like this will be a series. Looking forward to the next book!

Best enjoyed wrapped in a blanket with cocoa and a lead pipe. Just in Case.

When a disastrous winter storm hits the remote Blackbrook prep school on the coast of Maine, most of the students and faculty are able to leave. However, eleven people find themselves stranded at the historic Tudor House, the only building on campus that doesn’t immediately flood in the ensuring storm surge, which also eliminates all paths to the main land. Of course, wet clothes and what little belongings they could grab aren’t the only baggage they brought with them. When the Headmaster is found in the conservatory the next morning with a knife through his chest, the students and faculty that are left in the dark, cold mansion start to suspect that someone amongst them might have secrets they would would kill to protect.

In the Hall with the Knife is told from the revolving perspectives of five of the seven students left in the house, Orchid McKee, Finn Plum, Scarlet Mistry, Samuel “Mustard” Maestor, and Beth “Peacock” Picach. Each of them have secrets that they would protect at any cost, but would they resort to murder to keep them under wraps?

That very question is what kept me reading late into the night. Usually I don’t enjoy changing perspectives because there is always at least one character I don’t care for or want to hear about. This wasn’t an exception to the latter, there were two characters I found myself rolling my eyes at because they were just insufferable, but regardless, I still desperately wanted to know what their secrets were and if they may have had something to do with the murder. There was also the atmosphere of the post-disaster campus, which was described so well that I found myself shivering with cold at the mention of the ice surroundings and frigid pools of water that frequently popped up. Tudor House was also enticing with its rumored hidden passages, marble staircase, and parquet floors from the 1890s. I could picture the fire-lit rooms, dusty book shelves, and worm furniture so perfectly. Peterfreund really stayed true to the mood that so often defines other media based on Clue, which keeps fans like me super happy–that’s why I love the movies, books, and games that base their premise on the classic board game.

The best part is that this is the first book in an upcoming series, and I am super here for it! So many little questions left unanswered and enticing secrets yet to be revealed, like tendrils left trailing to keep you curious. I can’t wait for the next!

Thanks to NetGalley and Amulet Books for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. As always, the opinions written here are fully my own!

In the Hall with the Knife is a fast-paced, entertaining story that fully utilized the Clue mythology to its advantage. In many cases, this was a fun and clever way to tie the book to the game and movie. In some instances, though, it felt like quite a stretch. So much so, in fact, that even the characters commented on it (for example, everyone thinks the nickname “Mustard” is absurd).

Most of the characters are insufferable rich kids who definitely don’t have their priorities in line. That made it difficult to empathize with them. There were a few good surprises that did help me like a couple of the characters by the end, though.

Speaking of surprises, one twist near the end was quite well done. However, the identity of the killer wasn’t surprising at all. I’d actually been leaning toward the character in question throughout most of the book because of something they’d said early on.

Overall, this was a fun, quick read. I’ll probably read the next book in the series. This one gets 3.5 stars.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

As a lifelong fan of the Clue movie, and someone who enjoys the board game, I was really excited to hear that a more modern telling of this timeless whodunnit would be hitting bookshelves. I don't think there was a thing about this book that I didn't like. I thought the mystery was well-paced, the characters fairly well fleshed out (though I'd like more of Mustard's story - maybe that will be addressed in Clue #2?), and those last few pages were reminiscent of the multiple possibility endings of the movie. I liked that every little part of this book was a mystery - what's Finn's deal? Why does Scarlet have all that expensive equipment in her room? What has Orchid so scared? I'm very excited to see some of these mysteries revealed as we get more books set in this universe. This was a light, fun, mysterious read, excellent for a rainy day.

(You don't have to have seen the movie to understand the book, but being able to spot the references will make it a little more fun.)