I was immediately drawn to the reading The Christmas Clue by Nicola Upson by the artwork on the cover, I loved the book design which was both festive and nicely referenced the period that the book is set. I was also drawn to the tag line, which I thought really sets the tone for the book: They planned a party game - not a murder.

This is a Christmas festive murder mystery and work of fiction but centres on two real-life characters Elva and Antony Pratt, who created the board-game Cluedo, which for me really added an element of fun to this ingenious book.

Anthony Pratt, musician and factory worker, and his wife Elva have left Birmingham and have driven down to the South Coast to deliver a murder mystery game over the Christmas period at the Tudor Close Hotel near Rottingdean. It’s an annual stop for them and they are known by the staff and locals in the village.

Murder mystery games at country houses and hotels were popular during the 1930s and 1940s. I found it interesting that the book is set in 1943, and despite the war, a Christmas murder mystery game is to take place at the hotel. The backdrop of World Ward II is seen in the book with the menu subjected to more plain food due to rationing and there’s also the presence of the Canadian Army stationed close by.

Antony Pratt and his wife Elva are really likeable characters and feel very authentic and of the period. I found myself likening them to Agatha Christie’s Tommy & Tuppence characters with their have-ago spirit in taking on the role of detectives. They stumble across a body in a sweet shop and so they start to investigate whilst also performing their duties at Tudor Close Hotel of organising a murder mystery game and Antony also playing the piano for the hotel guests. The story romps along as does the bodycount.

To me, it really felt like this was the particular festive weekend away for the Pratts was the kernel that grew into Cluedo. Over the course of the Christmas period, they cross paths with Miss Silver, Reverend Teal and Colonel Colman! The leap to the more recognisable Cluedo character’s name is not too much of a leap!

The notes at the end of the book are fascinating on how the real-life Pratts created and developed the game of Cluedo, how different editions have slightly different names to reflect cultural difference, and how the Pratts sold their rights to the game.

I wasn’t familiar with Nicola Upson as an author, but having read this book I shall definitely seek out her books.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Faber and Faber, for making this e-ARC available to me in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The author’s note that accompanied the download introduces the reader to the original creators of Cluedo, the world famous whodunnit board game, Anthony and Elva Pratt. They become the centre of this tale as it maps out a true murder mystery alongside the clever beginnings of the board game.
Set in WWII, Anthony and Elva are happily married, awaiting the end of the war. They are invited to a hotel for Christmas to spread some cheer in the way of Anthony’s piano playing and their ability to create mysteries for guests to partake in.
However, their drive to the hotel is interrupted by a murder which has them and the staff at the hotel shaken. Over the course of the Christmas period, the couple discover long hidden secrets and a plot for revenge. All of which begins to fall into place as the puzzle of whodunnit is revealed.
As a real couple, it is an ingenious plot to bring them and the creation of their game to life in the realest sense.
I enjoyed their relationship and their interactions with the other characters and their idea for a board game was brilliant.
At just under 200 pages, this is a quick and thoroughly enjoyable cosy crime!