In the Hall With the Knife by Diana Peterfreund

In the Hall With the Knife Book Review

Rating: 3/5

This book immediately caught my eye when I saw it in the library. I love to read murder mysteries, and this book's cover screamed murder mystery, especially since it is based on the mystery game, Clue. If you don't know what Clue is, it is a board game. You and other players try to find the murderer, where it took place, and the weapon used. Each player is given a name based on colors, like Colonel Mustard, and there is a file that has the information about the murder, but no players can look at it. Based on clues, hence the name, the players work together to solve the mystery. 

From the start, the book was keen on showing that it was based on Clue. All the book characters were named after the game characters, and it took place in the same setting as the game, Tudor Mansion, or in this book's case, Tudor House. The six main characters, Peacock, Orchid, Scarlett, Plum, Mustard, and Green/Vaughn, are all students that attend Blackbrook Academy. Trapped with them are a couple school employees, other students who were insignificant to the plot, and the headmaster.

This book was okay, and while I am aware that it is a part of a 3 book series, I plan not to continue reading. The ending was pretty predictable, and at some parts of the book, it felt like there were some unnecessary moments that were just filler. There were extra students who were also trapped in Tudor House that had little to no purpose, and they often just made the story a little confusing. The main characters all felt like stereotypes rather than actual people, ranging from the quiet, intelligent girl to the tough, military boy. I think this book would have been better as a movie because it was a little cheesy and may be better portrayed through images. I watched the 1985 Clue movie, which was also pretty cheesy, but that was the designated style, and I really enjoyed it.

When there is a dangerous winter storm, a group of students, the headmaster, and a few school employees get trapped in Tudor House, a dorm building for Blackbrook Academy. As they wait out the storm, suddenly, the headmaster is found dead in the hall, stabbed to death. At first, they conclude that it was a suicide, but quickly the theory switches the murder. As the students learn more about the people they are trapped with, they realize that almost everyone has a motive to murder the headmaster. The students are forced to figure out who murdered the headmaster before the murderer strikes again. 

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