In the Study with the Wrench - the second Clue mystery

Last time, it was Mrs. White in the hall with the knife.  Mr. Boddy was dead, and the police had taken away his killer, Mrs. White.  All the terror at Blackbrook Academy was over.  Or was it?  Just like with the board game, once one murder is solved, it's time to shuffle those cards and start all over with a brand new murder and a brand new killer!  And author Diana Peterfreund has done just that with the second book in her "Clue Mystery" series for young adults based on the characters, weapons, and rooms from the ever-popular board game of the same name.  The first book was a fantastic read, so I went into this second book with very high hopes - and was not let down in the least!

In The Study With The Wrench brings the survivors of the first book back together at Blackbrook Academy in the small New England town of Rocky Point, Maine.  Orchid McKee, Vaughn Green, Scarlett Mistry, Beth "Peacock" Picach, Finn Plum, and Sam "Mustard" Maestor have returned to school after the horrific events of the last book, but there are definite changes - not just in the school itself (which is still in a state of disaster after the flood did so much damage), but in the relationships of these group of students that have been labeled as the "Murder Crew."  Scarlett and Plum are on the outs.  Peacock has turned over a new leaf and with the help of a life coach is trying to be a better person.  Orchid and Green are growing closer, despite Green's strange behavior.  And Mustard is hoping he can do the one thing that will help the person to whom he is attracted.

The SATs are coming up, and everyone at the school is nervous, studying as much as they can.  For the girls in Tudor house, as well as the boys outside of it, that gloom of the murders that happened not so long ago are still hanging over their head.  And when Scarlet and Plum unwittingly find the school's maintenance man, Rusty Naylor, dead down in the tunnels below Tudor House, the nightmare begins again.  New headmaster Dr. Brown is not going to have any of the shenanigans that took place previously, so she is keeping a tight watch on the Murder Crew.  And the new counselor, Perry Winkle, is reaching out to each of the Crew, wanting to help them find ways to cope with the last murder.  And new student, Rosa Navarro, seems to think she can force everyone to adhere to the rules.  But remember - the last murder brought to light a number of secrets ... Orchid's real identity ... Plum's secret project ... and Green's hidden agenda.  Now, with a new murder, it's inevitable that even more secrets are about to come to light!

Peterfreund writes a nicely twisted tale of secrets, drama, intrigue, and murder that keeps the readers engaged and guessing up until the very end.  I love the characters, the setting, and the mystery!  And with Peterfreund, you can't be sure of anything.  This time around, Orchid discovers that Scarlet is no longer the only one who knows her secret.  Plum discovers that someone else knows about his secret project.  Green discovers that he has no choice but to go along with his twin brother's plan in order to protect the girl he loves.  Peacock finds that even a life coach can't help her overcome the fear that Blackbrook Academy instills.  And Mustard?  Well, Mustard finds that the reason he was kicked out of military school may result in him finding someone that actually likes him for who he is.  But the question on all of their minds is - who killed Rusty?  Vaughn Green thinks his brother Oliver may have done it.  Plum things Vaughn Green may have done it.  Orchid wonders if her stalker has somehow found her.  Scarlet wants to know more about this mysterious new student, Rosa.  Peacock just wants to get through all of this and score well on her SAT.  And Mustard ... he knows some things that happened that night, but does what he know endanger them all?

I give it to Peterfreund - the killer did not turn out to be who I was expecting it to be.  She threw a nice little twist into the story that, once revealed, actually made sense. And that final battle - well, there's no doubt where the title of this book comes from, that's for sure! At the same time, she dropped a number of subplot elements that will, without a doubt, see resolution in future tales.  Like, how did the counselor, Winkle, know that Orchid was in Hollywood before?  What lengths will Oliver Green go to in order to take back his grandmother's legacy?  Can Mustard accept his true feelings?  And who was in the car that went over the ravine at the end of the book ...?

Next time, we'll be finding out who gets struck with the candlestick in the ballroom!

RATING:  10 sharpened No.2 pencils out of 10 for showing readers just how much fun a mystery board game can be if it were real characters!