Cozy Mysteries discussion

One of the most famous detective board games is Clue/Cluedo made by Parker Brothers. This challenge will be based around the characters, weapons and rooms from the original game. The challenge will run for a year, until Oct 1, 2011. Books may only be used once for this challenge, so you'll be reading 17 to 22 books to complete the challenge.

Clue Characters:
Read a book where someone on the cover is wearing the same color clothes as the clue character. (ie a red dress, a green suit, etc. Outfit on cover does not have to be specifically a dress or suit, as long as the person on the cover is prodominately dressed in the color.) Read one book for each person.

Miss Scarlet (a red piece)
Colonel Mustard (a yellow piece)
Mrs. White (a white piece)
Mr. Green (a green piece)
Mrs. Peacock (a blue piece)
Professor Plum (a purple piece)

Weapons:
Read a book where either one of the following weapons is pictured on the cover, specifically named in the title, or was used to murder someone in the book. Read one book for each weapon.

Dagger/Knife
Candlestick
Revolver (any revolver or pistol)
Rope
Lead Pipe
Wrench/Spanner

Rooms:
Read a book with one the following rooms pictured on the cover, specifically named in the title, or featured prominately in the plot. The room doesn't have to be the main place the story takes place but if the characters just walk through the room once it isn't enough to count. If an entire scene takes place in the room, then it's enough to qualify. Choose 5 of the 10. (Some will be harder, so you don't have to find them all unless you want to.)

Kitchen
Ballroom
Conservatory
Dining Room
Billard Room
Library
Study
Hall
Lounge
Cellar/Stairs (where the envelope with the solution was kept)

BONUS #1: Read a book based on the actual game Clue. Example:

BONUS #2: Play the board game with family and/or friends.

BONUS #3: Watch the movie CLUE starring Tim Curry, Eileen Brennan, Lesley Ann Warren, Michael McKean, Christopher Lloyd, Madeline Kahn, and Martin Mull. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clue_(film)

NOTE: The books read for this challenge do not have to all be mysteries. It's your choice.

Guau, thanks! I'll try but... is it ok if it's a chocolate game? (No joke, I gave one of them as a present).

What a cool challenge. I have two versions of the Clue game downloaded on my computer. One is the same as the board game and the other is a hidden object version.

I love both the game and the movie!

Clue Characters:
Read a book where someone on the cover is wearing the same color clothes as the clue character. Read one book for each person.

Miss Scarlet (a red piece)
Colonel Mustard (a yellow piece)
Mrs. White (a white piece)
Mr. Green (a green piece)
Mrs. Peacock (a blue piece) 10/6
Professor Plum (a purple piece)

Weapons:
Read a book where either one of the following weapons is pictured on the cover, or was used to murder someone in the book. Read one book for each weapon.

Dagger/Knife
Candlestick
Revolver (any revolver or pistol) -
Rope
Lead Pipe
Wrench/Spanner

Rooms:
Read a book with one the following rooms pictured on the cover or featured prominately in the plot. The room doesn't have to be the main place the story takes place but if the characters just walk through the room once it isn't enough to count. If an entire scene takes place in the room, then it's enough to qualify. Choose 5 of the 10. (Some will be harder, so you don't have to find them all unless you want to.)

Kitchen
Ballroom
Conservatory
Dining Room
Billard Room
Library -
Study
Hall
Lounge
Cellar/Stairs (where the envelope with the solution was kept)

BONUS #1: Read a book based on the actual game Clue. Example: The Clue in the Shadows (Clue Books, No 8)

BONUS #2: Play the board game with family and/or friends.

BONUS #3: Watch the movie CLUE starring Tim Curry, Eileen Brennan, Lesley Ann Warren, Michael McKean, Christopher Lloyd, Madeline Kahn, and Martin Mull. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clue_(film)

This one could be fun! My niece used to love to play Clue. Wonder if I could interest her in a game at Thanksgiving?? Since she's 21 now she might be too sophisticated!

I have both the regular board game and the junior version. Junior one is strange. You have to find the crumbs to find out who ate the cake! lol

I love board games. I pick them up for $1 each from Goodwill and have a family game night once a week (usually sunday).

I thought 'Clue' would lend itself to a mystery reading challenge well. I think the characters and weapons shouldn't be too hard but the rooms may take some work. That's why I set the time frame to a year. You may not realize a book fits a room category until after you've read it.

Good luck everyone. Most of all - have fun! :)

Marisa wrote: "Guau, thanks! I'll try but... is it ok if it's a chocolate game? (No joke, I gave one of them as a present)."

Any version of the game works for the bonus as long as you play a game. :)

I love Clue! What a great challenge.

I'm glad you're all enjoying the new challenge. I had fun making it up. :) Now... to find books to fit! hehe

Oh how fun and clever!!!! Count me in.


Miss Scarlet (Red Piece): Elvis and the Dearly Departed
Mrs. Peacock (Blue Piece): Scoop to Kill (2/16/11)
Professor Plum (Purple Piece): Dirty Rotten Tendrils (12/31/10)
Knife: Wreath of Deception (2/25/11)
Revolver: Devil's Food Cake Murder 10/23
Kitchen: Eggsecutive Orders (1/20/11)
Study: Grace Under Pressure
Watched the movie Clue (12-13-10)

I can't wait to find books for this challenge. I love this game and the movie! And this is perfect timing because I just won the game at work. :)

Clue was always such great fun! I've already started compiling my lists. Luckily quite a few of my TBR books fit the bill for covers and my partner just told me that he has 6 more books to bring home that came in today. Will have lots of fun planning and searching out for this challenge!

Your welcome Sabrina. There are more books to read for this challenge and some categories like the rooms will take a bit more looking to find. The idea is to have fun reading for the challenge, not to rush it and try to get it done quickly.

I am willing to give it a try. It might be interesting just to find the books. Does it have to have a person on the cover or just the color on the cover. Thanks

Well, I've found the Colonel Mustard at the bathroom with a dagger :D

Linda wrote: "I am willing to give it a try. It might be interesting just to find the books. Does it have to have a person on the cover or just the color on the cover. Thanks"

It's a person wearing that color, since it's based on the characters.

What a clever challenge! I can't wait to start it. These challenges have made me focus more on cover art than before. I never really paid attention until now how intricate some covers are.

This sounds like fun. Count me in.

One question: cozy mystery or mystery? In some cases we can find something that's not really cozy (anyway, for purple, the color purple list can be useful LOL)

Marisa wrote: "One question: cozy mystery or mystery? In some cases we can find something that's not really cozy (anyway, for purple, the color purple list can be useful LOL)"

Actually Marisa, any book will do. Doesn't have to be a mystery but of course, most of us will try to use only mysteries, or only cozies.

Sabrina, the movie actually has 3 different endings. :)

Count me in...now off to find some books!

I love Clue ... this looks like fun!!

Yes, the movie came to it's normal conclusion (first ending), then did two more "but it could have happened this way"... (for two more).

Does a den count as a study?

I think it would depend on the den. A den with a tv and pool table or poker table is not the study you think of in Clue. The Study in Clue makes me think of a fireplace, a seating area, a desk, a tray of drinks or something with liquor bottles. A room the men retired to, to smoke cigars after dinner and have a drink. That kinda thing. In more modern books, that might be called a den. So it's a bit open to interpretation depending on the description in the book.

What a great challenge idea. Really cool, although some of these are going to be hard to find. I'm so in. :)

Glad you like it Diane. I figured the hardest ones would be the rooms, which is why you only have to find half of them. It's also why I gave you a year to complete the challenge.

Does a basement count as a cellar? The rooms are a bit of a challenge. Also, does anyone have any suggestions for a yellow(Mustard) cover? Can't seem to find one of those:(

For yellow: . For cellar I don't know.

For cellar I've found this: Under the Beetle's Cellar (cozy indeed LOL ) I don't know if it will be OK. I think qualifies too.

Thank you sooo much!

What a great idea for a challenge!

12/22 DONE; UPDATED 9.17.11

CLUE CHARACTERS:
Miss Scarlet (red)
May the Best Man Die by Deborah Donnelly
(9.10.11)

Colonel Mustard (yellow):
Die Laughing by Carola Dunn

Mrs. White (white)
French Pressed by Cleo Coyle
(6.5.11)

Mr. Green (green)
Identity Revealed (Identity Trilogy, #3) by Carolyn Keene
(9.16.11)

Mrs. Peacock (blue)
The Queen's Jewels by Jessica Fletcher
(7.22.11)

Professor Plum (purple)
Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen
(9.13.11)


WEAPONS:
Dagger/Knife
Naked Heat by Richard Castle (victim Cassidy Towne stabbed with knife)
(5.3.11)

Candlestick
The Murder at the Murder at the Mimosa Inn by Joan E. Hess

Revolver
Glazed Murder by Jessica Beck (victim Patrick Blaine was shot)
(5.9.11)

Rope
Deadly Notions by Elizabeth Lynn Casey(victim Ashley Lawson strangled with rope) (5.5.11)

Lead Pipe
Fatal Fixer-Upper by Jennie Bentley / Jenna Bennett

Wrench/Spanner
Repair to Her Grave by Sarah Graves
(9.8.11)


ROOMS:(my choice of at least 5):
Kitchen
Buffalo West Wing by Julie Hyzy

Library
Homicide In Hardcover by Kate Carlisle

Lounge
The Cruel Ever After by Ellen Hart

Stairs
The House of Seven Mabels (victim at bottom of stairs) by Jill Churchill
(8.20.11)

Dining Room
The Body in the Moonlight (dining room scene(s)) by Katherine Hall Page
(11.8.10)

Billard Room
Grace Interrupted by Julie Hyzy

Bonus #1:
Read The Case of the Invisible Cat by A.E. Parker

(10.25.10)

I think I'll do this too. I've got a few chosen:

Scarlet -
Mustard -
White - Royal Blood (Rhys Bowen)
Green - Matched (Ally Condie)
Peacock - From Dead to Worse (Charlaine Harris)
Plum - Soulless



Dagger
Candlestick
Revolver
Rope
Lead Pipe
Wrench

Kitchen - Hail to the chef
Ballroom - Frankly My Dear, I'm Dead
Conservatory
Dining Room
Billiard Room
Library
Study
Hall
Lounge
Cellar/stairs

Erin wrote: "I think I'll do this too. I've got a few chosen:

Scarlet - Frankly my Dear, I'm Dead"

Erin, you might want to apply this book to the "ballroom," as at least half the action takes place there.

Ahhh, very clever. Thanks :)

Most welcome! I figure the ballroom will be harder to find than the color red.

Well, thanks, perhaps then I'm able to read it *sigh*

Heather L wrote: "Most welcome! I figure the ballroom will be harder to find than the color red."

Definitely. I had a few options for red so I'll just find one of the other options or something new that comes out in the next year.

Heather L wrote: "Most welcome! I figure the ballroom will be harder to find than the color red."

I figure the rooms will be the toughest part of this challenge, and some you may not realize qualify for a particular room until after you've read it.

If you're looking for a "conservatory" - try reading . I just finished it and really enjoyed it. There's even a reference to the game Clue and a "Miss Scarlet" is one of the characters (although that's what the butler calls her - her name is really Scarlett Sandowsky). It's really funny.

This is an awesome challenge! I am really looking forward to it! I have a whole bunch of Clue books from when I was younger and I am pretty sure I have the entire movie memorized!!!!

For clarification, are we allowed to use some of these books for other challenges? Could I read the same book for this as for the AUTUMN challenge?

Yes Caitlin, you can cross challenge books. In other words, you can only use a book once for say this challenge, to fill only one category, but you can use the same book for as many challenges as you can get it to fit into (Autumn, Read around the USA, etc.).

If you find your old Clue books, please post a list of the titles to help others. I'd love to see if my library had any of them.

6/17 Done



Miss Scarlet Frankly My Dear, I'm Dead
Colonel Mustard Murder 101 12/30
Mrs. White Dying in Style 2/28/11
Mr. Green Million Dollar Baby
Mrs. Peacock Scoop to Kill 2/6/11
Professor Plum A Cast-Off Coven

Dagger/Knife The Long Quiche Good-bye
Candlestick If Walls Could Talk
Revolver Goody Goody Gunshots
Rope Unleashed
Lead Pipe Spackled and Spooked
Wrench/Spanner Lead-Pipe Cinch 1/7/11

Kitchen State of the Onion
Ballroom To Love and To Perish
Library Charmed to Death 5/28/11
Study Murder Can Spook Your Cat
Cellar/Stairs Death Threads 4/7/11

Anybody have any ideas for lead pipe?

does playing The Simpeson Clue game count as a bonus and I love Tim Curry he plays a good bad guy

Oh yeah I'm in and I will get my list together

For lead pipe, look at , it's due on December (it was at my TBB).

This sound good count me in.

❥☪LIZZ☪❥ wrote: "does playing The Simpeson Clue game count as a bonus and I love Tim Curry he plays a good bad guy

Oh yeah I'm in and I will get my list together"

Any version of the Clue board game counts.

I have the Scooby Doo version!! Hope someone in my family will play it with me.

Marisa wrote: "For lead pipe, look at , it's due on December (it was at my TBB)."

Thanks Marisa, I've been waiting for this book to come out.