By Diana Peterfreund. Pub Date 10/8/19
4 Stars. Best enjoyed wrapped in a blanket with cocoa and a lead pipe. Just in Case.
When a disastrous winter storm hits the remote Blackbrook prep school on the coast of Maine, most of the students and faculty are able to leave. However, eleven people find themselves stranded at the historic Tudor House, the only building on campus that doesn’t immediately flood in the ensuring storm surge, which also eliminates all paths to the main land. Of course, wet clothes and what little belongings they could grab aren’t the only baggage they brought with them. When the Headmaster is found in the conservatory the next morning with a knife through his chest, the students and faculty that are left in the dark, cold mansion start to suspect that someone amongst them might have secrets they would would kill to protect.
In the Hall with the Knife is told from the revolving perspectives of five of the seven students left in the house, Orchid McKee, Finn Plum, Scarlet Mistry, Samuel “Mustard” Maestor, and Beth “Peacock” Picach. Each of them have secrets that they would protect at any cost, but would they resort to murder to keep them under wraps?
That very question is what kept me reading late into the night. Usually I don’t enjoy changing perspectives because there is always at least one character I don’t care for or want to hear about. This wasn’t an exception to the latter, there were two characters I found myself rolling my eyes at because they were just insufferable, but regardless, I still desperately wanted to know what their secrets were and if they may have had something to do with the murder. There was also the atmosphere of the post-disaster campus, which was described so well that I found myself shivering with cold at the mention of the ice surroundings and frigid pools of water that frequently popped up. Tudor House was also enticing with its rumored hidden passages, marble staircase, and parquet floors from the 1890s. I could picture the fire-lit rooms, dusty book shelves, and worm furniture so perfectly. Peterfreund really stayed true to the mood that so often defines other media based on Clue, which keeps fans like me super happy–that’s why I love the movies, books, and games that base their premise on the classic board game.
The best part is that this is the first book in an upcoming series, and I am super here for it! So many little questions left unanswered and enticing secrets yet to be revealed, like tendrils left trailing to tickle your curiousity. I can’t wait for the next!
Thanks to NetGalley and Amulet Books for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. As always, the opinions written here are fully my own!
Always Lost in Words 