The Christmas Clue

Nicola Upson

IF there’s one cosy crime you shouldn’t miss this Christmas, it’s this pretty much perfect festive treat from Nicola Upson whose elegant, sophisticated and beautifully written Josephine Tey crime novels have won her an army of fans.

In this unmissable Christmas cracker, Upson (pictured below) harnesses the real-life couple who invented Cluedo – alongside all the much-loved vibes of the season – for an atmospheric, snowed-in country house mystery which thrills, chills and entertains in equal measure.

On Christmas Eve in 1943, Anthony and Elva Pratt arrive in a snowy English village to run a murder mystery game at Tudor Close in Sussex… 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 whodunit.

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?

Upson is a master of her craft and this ingenious whodunit offers all the fun, intrigue, nostalgia and clue-solving that has made Cluedo one of the world’s most popular games. Expect a candlestick, a lead pipe, a rope and a grisly murder, of course… and enjoy every minute of your reading time with the strange inhabitants of Tudor Close!
(Faber & Faber, hardback, £10)