The Christmas Clue

A perfect Christmas crime story. Elly Griffiths

A Christmas murder mystery featuring the real-life couple who invented Cluedo

An ingenious plot ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
A great read for Christmas . . . nostalgic and thoroughly entertaining. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Unexpectedly emotive, engaging and sweet. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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 Elvas map of the hotel and Anthonys 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 cooks 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 hasnt been seen at all.

In games, theres only one victim - but this is real life. Can the Pratts puzzle out this Christmas mystery before its too late?

A true Christmas cracker! Andrew Taylor
What fun! Lynne Truss

Praise for Nicola Upson:
Always a delight.Sunday Times
Upson [. . .] gives new life to a classic murder setting.Spectator
Wonderful writing. Ian Moore
A talented author of historical crime.Scotsman