cover image In the Hall with the Knife (A Clue Mystery #1)

In the Hall with the Knife (A Clue Mystery #1)

Diana Peterfreund. Amulet, $17.99 (304p) ISBN 978-1-4197-3834-0

In Rocky Point, Maine, mystery and murder descend on elite Blackbrook Academy along with a raging winter storm. Peterfreund (the Omega City series) opens a smart new series, introducing readers to the boarding school’s inhabitants and their secrets, beginning with fanatically private Orchid McKee, local scholarship student Vaughn Green, athletic Beth “Peacock” Picach, military-minded Samuel “Mustard” Maestor, and the school’s power couple, Scarlet Mistry and Finn Plum. When nasty weather cuts the school off from the outside world and forces those remaining to gather in old, majestic Tudor House, the varied personalities are forced to coexist in some measure of peace. But after Mr. Boddy, their headmaster and one of the two chaperones, mysteriously turns up dead, the students need to maximize their diverse skill sets in order to stay alive. Told alternatingly from the students’ viewpoints, the plot capitalizes on the popularity of the game upon which it’s based, incorporating clever wordplay with tantalizingly distributed tidbits of information. The many remaining questions will help ramp up anticipation for the next installment. Ages 12–up. [em](Oct.) [/em]