In the Study with the Wrench is the second installment of the Clue YA mystery novels. It starts up where the first one left off but adds a new murder and so many twists and turns along the way. There were many aspects of this book that I really enjoyed but some of it just felt slow and I’m not quite sure why. I don’t think this book was quite as good as the first one but a little better than your typical second in the series story. So maybe I’m just frustrated at the crazy cliffhanger at the end and I’m just pouting that I have to wait to read the next one. 3.5 rounds up to 4 for me on this book.

I was provided with an electronic ARC through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

First let's pause in appreciation of some of the epic pun names in this series. Rusty Naylor? Yes, please, and thank you. OK anyways... Somewhere between a 3.5 and 4 star for this one-- as a follow up to the first book in the trilogy, I was happy to see that the story seemed to move into its own direction, with new conflicts as well as continuing to build on the ones established in the first book. I will say that the pacing was a bit slow for my liking with a lot of action clustered at the end but... that ending has me so excited for the finale! Overall, I'm very happy with how much care has gone into this series & I'd recommend it to folks who enjoyed the Truly Devious series

It took me a few chapters to completely remember the first book, but once I got the details straight, I enjoyed this one more. I still love the characters and the whole take on "Clue". I thought this book was better than the first one. I thought the characters were funnier and seemed to accept their fate of the "Murder Crew". The ending left some questions, so I look forward to the next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the E-arc copy of In the Study with the Wrench. Young adults will enjoy the series aspect of these novels and the mysteries are quick reads.

I was very excited to read this book after the first one. While it was a good read, I did not like it as much as the first book. It started off immediately with a murder, so I was expecting it to be fast-paced, but it didn’t really move very fast at all. The same characters returned in this story, and we do learn more about them. It ended with a clear setup for another book, but I was left wanting it to be a little more.

This was a little disappointing. I really enjoyed the first book but this one fell flat. I still liked the Clue aspect of the book but this one seemed to be a bit predictable.

Lots more mystery, several more deaths, and a giant cliffhanger - pun intended. Looking forward to book 3.

A second installation of Diana Peterfreund's Clue Mystery series, In the Study with the Wrench is a solid, satisfying follow-up from In the Hall with the Knife. No longer isolated by a storm, the cast of characters has expanded beyond the "Murder Crew," as the series' protagonists are popularly called. Still, Peterfreund finds logical and compelling ways to keep a reader's focus on Orchid, Scarlett, Mustard, Green, and the rest of the characters.

This book's strengths are similar to the strengths of In the Hall with the Knife. The plot is gripping, focused on the murder of the groundskeeper Rusty. More importantly, the characters--flawed as they are--are endearing and the reader gets to see them grow more so than in the first book of the series. Each character's humanity shines through in this book and instead of simply wondering who the murderer is, you worry about their more human trials, such as struggling with how others perceive them, finding love, and acing exams.

While I do not think that the strengths of this book merit including them formally in a curriculum, I have seen just how wide its appeal is, drawing in boys and girls ages 10-16. It is certainly a text I would imagine recommending to a wide variety of students.

I am a lifelong Clue fan. When I was litttle, I loved to play the game and read the mini mystery books. When I was older, I watched the Tim Curry flick at least 1,000 times. (Loved the “It’s you!” nod, btw) I was ecstatic to find In the Hall with the Knife at the library in January, and even more excited to see Diana Peterfreund’s name on the cover. That book didn’t disappoint, and neither does this sequel.

As a veteran of many, many mystery novels, I am pretty good at figuring out where things are headed, but these books absolutely keep me guessing. It’s not that I didn’t suspect the bad guy. It’s that I suspected EVERYONE! I still have so many questions!!! I love these characters, and I am impressed that in such a large cast, they all have distinct voices.

Vaughn is, of course, my fave, although I feel quite frustrated with the trope of “If I just told my girlfriend this one secret I’m keeping, my whole life would be easier.” I wanted the genie from Aladdin to appear and yell “Tell. Her. The. TRUTH!” Just tell her about Oliver! But on the other hand, is there an Oliver? I’m beginning to worry he isn’t real! What have you done to me, Diana?

This book, by virtue of not being contained in Tudor house, felt a bit less cohesive, but I loved that the “Murder Crew” stuck together. I especially enjoyed Finn and Mustard finally sticking together (swoon)!

If you liked the first in this series, you won’t be able to put this down. Give me more, and give it soon, please!!!

This is the second book in the series (the first book was :"In the Hall with the Knife"). and they are based on the board game, Clue. Again, we find the same students from the first book, now known as the Murder Crew: Scarlet, Plum, Green, Peacock, Mustard, and Orchid. Chapters are told from each of their points of view, which helps to move this story along, but it dragged for ages and ages. Let me say this without it being a spoiler: no one is murdered in the study with the wrench until maybe the last 15-20 pages. By then, I was just hoping someone would die soon. Not as fast-paced as the first book, this one DID end with a cliff-hanger, which sets us up for a third book. I just hope the third time is the charm. A good read for mystery fans, be prepared for a LONG wait for something to happen in this one.

Thank you for sending me this book! The series is still super fun and I can't wait to read the finale!

*Thank you to Netgalley for the e-arc*

This is so so rare, but I liked this book more than the first in the series! We had some relationship shifts, big reveals, and even more mystery. There are six POVs in both books one and two which is pretty ambitious for an author to do - have six unique voices. I think that has a lot to do with why I enjoyed book two more because I was more familiar with the characters and used to each of their defining qualities whereas in book one I didn't get enough of them individually. Some aspects of the mystery I figured out in the beginning, but I didn't mind at all because I loved everything else that was happening.

I am definitely not okay after that ending, but I also have refused to believe what Peterfreund presented to the reader. I am in full denial.

I can't wait for book three.

Ugh! I did not want to write this review because I enjoyed In the Hall with the Knife so much.
I love the board game, I love the movie, and I love the first book in the Clue Mystery series so I wanted to love In the Study with the Wrench by Diane Peterfreund. It was fine and if you enjoyed the first book in the trilogy you should read this one, but I didn’t feel as if it advanced the story much and it actually had me become uninterested in some of the characters. Even with that said and with what else I’ll write in the review, I know I’m still going to read book three because I want to find out how the story ends.

In the Study with the Wrench kept rehashing what happened in the first book. And I don’t mean it quickly caught up the people who didn’t read the first one. It kept repeating the same events over and over. And those nods to the movie that were in the first book just weren’t there in this one… and that’s one of the things that I really enjoyed and had me feeling like Peterfreund was a huge fangirl. I wasn’t feeling any fangirl love in this book.

As far as the characters go, many of them didn’t have the same chutzpah as they did in the previous book. I enjoy strong female characters as Scarlett and Peacock had been, but in this book Scarlett was a neurotic mess and Peacock was so naive. This was the complete opposite as to what they were before. And I know characters grow but I felt that they were regressing. And Plum who seemed intelligent was now just bumbling around trying to find his experiment and not using his wits. I did enjoy the way his new relationship is going though. We do learn more about Mustard which is appreciated, and Green, well, it’s just more of the same.

Peterfreund leaves us with a cliffhanger and we still need to find out the truth behind the glue and a couple of other things so here’s hoping book three redeems the series!

I enjoy this series. It’s fun with a great mix campy and creepy moments that keeps you on your toes. Like the first book the second is full of interesting twists and secrets but even faster paced. The setting of the book is excellent and it was fun learning more secrets of the campus. The new characters that were introduced were interesting and well integrated into the story.

I appreciated that the author showed the effects the events of the first book had on the murder crew; it was a stressful and traumatic time. Unfortunately, at times this character development took away from my enjoyment of the book. I enjoyed Peacocks journey of self discovery overall, but it was shocking to see how naïve she was at times when she was shown to be so intelligent in the first book. For the most part I think the character development between the books was well done. However, there were a few moments that seemed at odds with what was established about the characters in the first book that were really jarring and did make me enjoy this book a little less than the first. That said I still had a fun time and will certainly read more from this series.

Just as good as the first book In The Study With The Wrench has you hooked from the start. I love a great mystery/thriller and this book checked all my boxes. If you're a fam of clue or knives out then this series is definitely for you. But, if you haven't read the 1st book make sure to buy it you won't be sorry.

Based on the board game Clue, In the Study with the Wrench is the second book in thrilling series. The Murder Crew is back, at least that’s what the returning students at Blackbrook Academy name those who were involved In the events in the headmaster’s murder. With twists and turns, the mystery deepens and Orchid, Scarlett, Mustard, Peacock, Vaughn, and Plum once again find danger, with a cliffhanger that will leave the reader waiting for the final book in the trilogy.

This one was even better than the first! I absolutely loved this book full of mystery and excitement and was so happy to have the answers to some of the questions from book one! Great series!

This book gave me everything I wanted from it, and I just feel immensely happy. All of the characters and everything, the plot. I'm super excited to get my hands on book three. Seriously, pick up this series. I know they're Clue books, but they're just so great.

This sequel was still fun but not AS fun for me as the first book. The students are barely back at school before another death brings "The Murder Crew" back together. Part of the problem for me is that I wasn't especially invested in the characters, all of whom seemed to diverge from who I thought they were in the first installment. Scarlet, for instance, became somewhat needy and unsure of herself in the face of standardized testing and a new headmaster. I wanted to see her as the self-assured manipulator from book one along with her partner Finn, who also lost my interest as he basically just worried about protecting his invention without taking any devious steps to get it back. Things became convoluted partway through, largely due to the different POVs - how could the killer have harmed Rosa the day before there were any problems? Who saw what down in the tunnels, again? - until the murderer was finally revealed and the action took over. I also get tired of the miscommunication and misunderstandings in literary romantic relationships that keep couples apart, but that's a trope in every book/movie/TV show, not just this one.