Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

“They planned a party game – not a murder.”

I honestly had no idea what to expect with this one, but woooooah! I was completely sucked in from the start and read half of it in one go (rarely happens in my world!) But then again, t’was the night before the Christmas Book Party and I had a whole evening by myself in a hotel room 😂 The book is based on Anthony and Elva Pratt, the creators of the board game, Cluedo, and if that wasn’t enough to pique your interest, the plot is pure perfection, even for a shorter read. Just you wait! So happy to be sharing my review for The Christmas Clue!

About the book

Christmas Eve, 1943. Anthony and Elva Pratt arrive in a snowy English village to run a murder mystery game – and instead discover a real murder.

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.

In games, there’s only one victim – but this is real life. Can the Pratts puzzle out this Christmas mystery before it’s too late?

The beginning

Anthony and Elva Pratt are about to spend three glorious days together over Christmas, and take a little detour so Elva can collect a last minute gift for Anthony. But this little pit stop would change so much. They’re quickly dragged into a shocking and unexpected murder case which was so beautifully executed, with subtle but brilliant nods to the Cluedo game, and I couldn’t get enough of it. I remember reading this in a hotel bed and completely losing track of time as I immersed myself in the lives of these characters, in this time. As the pair arrive at an old country house to run their own murder mystery game, I could really visualise this place. The description was stunning and really brought this location to life. The writing was colourful and witty and just pretty damn perfect for a book like this. Due to certain circumstances, the pair had to make some adjustments to the running of their planned event, and when that eureka moment hit, it felt great. They’d pretty much created what would later become Cluedo! But things were about to take an even darker turn first…

The middle

There are some strange goings on in this place. There are secrets, shady characters, including one woman in the room next to theirs who doesn’t seem to want to be seen. And then, another murder, as if one wasn’t enough for them to deal with. There was a high possibility that these murders were linked, and if it wasn’t already weird, the deceased was someone Anthony and Elva planned to question. It was almost as if someone didn’t want them to find out the truth… Guests at the hotel are agitated, staff are desperately trying to restore peace, and the way in which this whole puzzle was woven together had me hooked. The layers were perfectly built and I was already trying to work out whodunnit. When that excellent twist hit, I was super surprised and so impressed with where this was going! It was much deeper and darker than I’d first expected it to be, and even a little emotional in parts. My only gripe was that the story seemed so fast-paced. The book is on the shorter side, but I so wished I could spend more time with these characters and an even deeper mystery to get my teeth into!

The end

There is an epic confrontation which had my eyes glued to the pages as well as speed reading through such a brilliantly written finale. There’s shocking truths, a juicy unfolding drama and such powerful character dialogue which made me want to stand up and applaud certain people for their bravery and such a well thought out revenge plot! Anthony and Elva’s input in all this was so bloody good and made for such an unforgettable murder mystery. To say they couldn’t go ahead with their original event, the guests got a pretty realistic scenario after all which probably put them off for life! From beginning to end, it’s so clear the book is such a dear love letter to the game that has been a part of so many of our lives for so long. And aside from Cluedo, even if you have never played it or know absolutely nothing about it, this book is still a fantastic murder mystery for fans of the genre. I am very excited to read more from this author and can’t wait to see what come next for her! I definitely recommend this as a shorter read (at any time of the year, not just Christmas!) or if you’re a big fan of mysteries in general. Brilliant!

Overall thoughts

The Christmas Clue is a fantastic murder mystery and a cracking Christmas read. To be fair, I’d probably have enjoyed this at any time of the year! The main characters are Anthony and Elva Pratt, the creators of the board game, Cluedo, and even though I was uncertain about fiction featuring real life people, I actually loved it and how they were portrayed. Their plan is to arrive at a country house to run one of their murder mystery games, but instead, they discover a real murder… and it just continues to spiral in the best way. The book is layered with mystery, secrets and drama, and there are subtle nods to the Cluedo game which I loved. The writing is fantastic and the twists were punchy and satisfying, even in such a short read. Seeing as it’s classed as a historical mystery, the WW2 setting just gave it that little bit more charm. A special read for sure and a must for your TBRs!

Huge thank you to the author, Nicola Upson, and the brilliant team at Faber for my proof! You can grab your own copy of The Christmas Clue right now on Amazon or wherever you buy your books. Make sure you’re following the author over on Instagram and X for more updates!

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