Book Review: The Writer by James Patterson and J.D. Barker

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The Writer by James Patterson and J.D. Barker  was published on March 17, 2025. It opens with Detective Declan Shaw at a closed subway station trying to work up the nerve to commit suicide when he receives a call from his partner about a break in and homicide at the home of a true crime author. Shaw makes his way to the crime scene to work the case, and in a turn of events, Declan comes under scrutiny in another case loosely connected to this new case. I received an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of The Writer  from NetGalley and Little , Brown, and Company for free in exchange for my honest review. I'm appreciative that my request for this book was approved. With this story opening with the main character trying to commit suicide, I almost didn't go any further with the book. However, I am glad I stuck with it as it took me on a fantastic ride and had my emotions all over the place. There were so many twists and turns that just when I thought I had it all figured out, there was ...
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Book Review: In the Hall with the Knife (Clue Mystery, #1) by Diana Peterfreund

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book review in the hall with the knife diana peterfreund

In the Hall with the Knife (Clue Mystery, #1) by Diana Peterfreund is a novel in the Young Adult genre based on the famous board game and movie Clue. Several students, their headmaster, a janitor, and a proctor are stranded at Blackbrook Academy in Maine when a winter storm comes early. The next morning, Headmaster Boddy is found dead with a knife in his chest. Did one of the students murder him, or was it a looter?

When I received an email recommendation from BookBub.com for In the Hall with the Knife (Clue Mystery, #1) by Diana Peterfreund, I knew I had to purchase the book as the board game Clue is one of my all time favorite board games. I knew absolutely nothing about the book other than it was based on the board game, and I was pleasantly surprised with the storyline.

The story is told from the different students stranded at the school . . . Orchid McKee, Scarlet Mistry, Beth "Peacock" Picach, Finn Plum, Samuel "Mustard" Maestor, and Vaughn Green. I love this set up because you see the story and perspective from the different characters. The only complaint I have about the set up is that some of the transitions were a bit clunky and could have been executed a bit better because there were a couple of times I had to reread a page.

As far as the motive of wanting Mr. Boddy dead, I didn't see that coming, which was a nice surprise because it helped with disguising who the murderer was. Even with all the red herrings, I thought I knew who did it, but I was only partially right. There is a twist at the end of the book that leaves you hanging a bit. Even with the small cliffhanger, you don't have to read the next book in the trilogy because the author did a nice job of wrapping every thing up. With that being said, I will read the next two books:  In the Study with the Wrench (Clue Mystery, #2) and In the Ballroom with the Candlestick (Clue Mystery, #3).

I gave In the Hall with the Knife (Clue Mystery, #1) by Diana Peterfreund was a fun read and perfect to read with Halloween just around the corner. I gave this book three out of five stars because there were some parts that could've been executed a little better, and there are other books in this genre that I like better. If you enjoyed this book, I recommend Trick or Treat by Richie Tankersly Cusick.

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