Book Review: Claire, Darling by Callie Kazumi

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Claire, Darling by Callie Kazumi  was published on March 11, 2025 by Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine / Bantam. It opens with Claire finding out that her fiancé, Noah, isn't working where he said he was and is now ghosting her. Claire must find out why. Book Review: Claire, Darling by Callie Kazumi Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine / Bantam for providing me with an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of Claire Darling by Callie Kazumi for free in exchange for my honest review. I was absolutely thrilled when my request for a copy was approved because the synopsis was so good. From the beginning, I absolutely loved the main character of Claire and her work friend named Sukhi. Throughout the novel, we learn about Claire's past and how terrible her mother was towards her. I kept hoping that somehow we would learn who Claire's father was and would eventually connect with him. It's really no wonder Claire had no self confidence as an ad...
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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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