The Christmas Clue
ISBN: 9780571395026
Description
The Pratts had planned for festive cheer, despite the wartime shortages: with Elva's map of the hotel and Anthony's prop weapons to use as clues, the guests in their parlour game would move through the rooms to figure out whodunnit. But when Anthony discovers the cook's sister Miss Silver beaten to death, they instead find themselves investigating a shockingly real crime. The hotel manager Mr Browning is trying to keep the peace but the guests are agitated, Colonel Colman is about to take over the hotel for the war effort - and the mysterious Mrs Threadgold hasn't been seen at all.
Reviewed on 16th November 2025
This is a fairly-cosy crime story set mostly during WW2 at a hotel in a Sussex village, and based on the creators of the board game Cluedo, and shows a fictionalised tale of them encountering a murder and inventing the game.
It's fairly short, but with substantial chapters. The plot moves quickly, introducing a lot of familiar concepts and references to the board game.
However there's some dark stuff comes up that for me rather took the fun out of it. It felt quite at odds with the "cosy" genre, and stopped my enjoyment of the final few chapters.