In the Study with the Wrench

July 31, 2020

Gr 8 Up-Maine's Blackbrook Academy is in disarray after Headmaster Boddy was murdered in Tudor House, and a flood damaged most buildings in Book 1, In the Hall with a Knife. The few returning students include the "Murder Crew," who were involved in the tragedy: Finn Plum, Beth "Peacock" Picach, Orchid McKee, and Vaughn Green, all white, Sam "Mustard" Maestor, who is Latino, and Scarlett Mistry, who is Indian American. All have things to hide, and reasons to access the forbidden secret passages under Tudor House, where the girls now live. Another body will soon be found in those passages. This sequel can get confusing, as it follows multiple storylines, and adding in the backstory tends to slow the pace. On the plus side, the characters are distinctive, and (mildly) diverse in ethnicity and sexual orientation. Readers of the previous volume will be interested in how their stories and relationships develop, though new readers will feel less invested. Missing entirely is the tongue-in-cheek humor implicit in the Game of Clue, which makes for a disconnect between the improbable names, improbable house, and serious storylines. Still, there is a market for classic murder mysteries in the YA field, so hand this to fans of the first book. The ending hints at a third book to come. VERDICT Additional purchase. This second entry in a Game of Clue-inspired murder mystery series, set at a boarding school and full of students with things to hide, will appeal mostly to fans of book one.-Rebecca Moore, The Overlake Sch., Redmond, WA

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2020
With the headmaster's killer behind bars, college prep is top priority at Blackbrook Academy--until another body makes an unwelcome appearance. Plum is dismayed that Headmaster Boddy's temporary replacement, a school board member from a pharmaceutical company with long-standing ties to Blackbrook, has boarded up the secret passages in Tudor House, preventing him from recovering his highly extracurricular project. Evading Rosa, a sharp-eyed new student, Plum solicits Scarlett's help. But after school custodian Rusty Nayler's body falls on them, their illicit activities are exposed. Already anxious about her practice-test scores, Scarlett learns that her escapades will carry consequences. Future tennis pro Peacock, also anxious, relies on a new life coach whose diet and meditation instructions are proffered in soothing messages. Ethnically diverse, the students are wealthy with the exception of scholarship student and townie Vaughn, who's kept his connection to Blackbrook secret. Orchid's mostly relieved that Vaughn knows her secret; despite his strange moods, their mutual attraction grows. For Mustard, conflicted, and Plum, perplexingly free of doubt, romance is more complicated. An attempt on a student's life heightens the tension. The six narrators--hobbled by missteps and self-inflicted mistakes--find themselves sharing long-held secrets; even master manipulators Scarlett and Plum must trust one another. These flawed but occasionally endearing characters grow on readers. As the sly plot untwists, questions are answered and new ones posed until the cliffhanger ending. Witty, wicked fun. (Mystery. 14-18)

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