The Secret Secret Passage

Clue #2

by A.E. Parker (Creator)

Who challenged Mr. Green to a duel?
-Was it Colonel Mustard in the Ball Room with the Candlestick?
-Was it Mrs. White in the Library with the Wrench?
-Was it Mrs. Peacock in the Study with the Lead Pipe?

Mr. Boddy has invited his six best friends to be guests at his mansion for the weekend. When this weird and wacky crew get together, anything can happen. Follow along with their antics as you match up characters and crimes. Exciting mind-bending mini-mysteries to test your ability as a sleuth!

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Childrens, Middle Grade, Short Stories, Young Adult, School

97 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1992

Reviews

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just a grab book that I had laying around....

The Secret Secret Passage is based off of the Parkers Brother game by the same name with the easy explanation that the original Mr. Boddy wasn't actually murdered but instead just knocked out thus allowing for these various scenarios to be played out with him. Just like the original game, the reader is encouraged to follow the same rules although in some cases instead of trying to find out all three categories of suspect, murder weapon and room the reader may just need to figure out one or two of those same categories or if all three are needed some provided at least two of the criteria. Furthermore the book also follows the same suspects to some degree although I must say I enjoy the 1996 game character portrayals a lot better than what the characters are shown on this book cover while the personalities seem to be off.

Anyway the book is set up to have nine different chapters that don't necessarily have to be read in order thus allowing the reader(s) to either read the whole book through or pick-and-choose as they wish. The first half of the story reads like a fictional book geared towards younger children or families with younger children while the last few pages of the story then set the reader up for trying to solve the puzzle.

There is included in the book a map of the game house and also the clue list at the end of each chapter, which is a bit upsetting since in some cases the list is right across from the solution, which although it may be upside down can still be read by those trying to solve the problem. I found it much easier to bring up a notepad on my phone or even a notepad to write it down as I went. There is one or two problems in which not all the facts are provided so it was a bit of a jump to get the solutions for those ones but otherwise doable.

The book also goes rather tongue-in-cheek by ensuring that none of the characters are killed even with all these crazy murder attempts thus being a rather toxic book in retrospect and Mr Boddy himself really doesn't count as a character in the long run so can be easily dismissed.

Although written with a much younger audience in mind, I found the book to actually be a nice distraction, somewhat funny and a nice game alternative to the actual game since I somehow convinced my husband to participate with me for a impromptu game night although he did fall asleep during two of the stories so it isn't fail-proof. Even so I would recommend this book for young readers who may enjoy the game or puzzle aspect to help them learn deductive reasoning and also for a bit more relaxed family game night atmosphere when you just don't want to drag out a board with the millions of small pieces since of time constraints or space.

[Will Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Completely new format I've never encountered - each chapter is its own stand-alone, word-based logic puzzle! Get out a pencil and paper and look for the clues in the book to figure out whodunit in a process of elimination exercise a-la the board game. The characters are paper cutouts of humans that all follow their own tropes religiously, which makes for writing that is both cringy and delightful. There's about a dozen of these books and they all appear to be interchangeable. Fun way to kill some time on a plane!

[Hannah Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this series back in the 1990s. I loved it then. When I saw this in a used bookstore, I picked it up on a whim.
It held up. It's a fun logic test book. It's best suited for standard deductive games- all the clues are given, you just need to figure it out. It's packed with puns and snappy one-liners. Fast read that left me amused and content.

[Genna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good time, reading! I had a lot of fun reading the whitty puns and figuring out the mysteries. I got all but the last one only because I didn't read carefully enough! Otherwise they make you think but not impossible to solve. Looking forward to reading others and I hope to read them with my son when he gets old enough!

[Hannah Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

1: who was your favorite character? Professor plum he was a genius
2: what surprised you most? that Plum pulled a book off the shelf and all the sudden the shelf spun around
3: would you change the ending why? no because it included all 6 players

[Melissa Namba · Rating 3 out of 5]

kids who like the game will enjoy the book. a little less engaging than Encyclopedia Brown, but in the same vein.

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some were very easy. A few tricky ones. Still enjoyable read with kids.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

I solved all the mysteries without peeking at the answer, so watch out evildoers!

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favorite line "You're about as funny as a funeral."

Favorite Mini Mysteries are "The Joke Contest", "A Show Of Talent", "Trick Or Treat", and "Mr. Boddy's Pyramid"

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I still love this series even as an adult, and this one was so much fun.

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute. I remember reading this as a child and loved it then; I still enjoyed it now! A fun, very quick (and lightweight!) read for on the plane.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Silly and fun, but some of the mysteries were incredibly easy. Read to the class and they enjoyed it.

[Jordan Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Characters: 4⭐️
Setting: 5⭐️
Plot: 4⭐️
Themes: 3⭐️
Emotional Impact: 3⭐️
Personal Enjoyment: 5⭐️
Total Average: 4⭐️

[Chris Comden · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Secret Secret Passage by A. E. Parker
Series: Yes Clue #2
Format: Softcover
Stars: 4
Recommend: Yes
Would Reread: Yes


I give honest reviews and all my opinions are my own.

For more of my reviews go to Heavenly High Seas Books
https://heavenlyhighseasbooks.blogspo...

[Isabella · Rating 2 out of 5]

1st time. I have checked out a bunch of these thinking that these were the clue mystery books I read as a child. They actually are not...but since I went through the trouble of having them sent from another library I might as well read them.

Not bad if you are a young child looking to improve your logic skills

[Stina · Rating 1 out of 5]

Book #27 in 2012

This was far too cartoonish for my taste, and for the most part, the puzzles were kind of lame. They don't require much in the way of knowledge or logic to figure out, and I've been more entertained by those grid-based puzzles you find in airport bookshops. The only reason it took me more than two weeks to finish this book was that I had so many more interesting things to read. This was not the least bit engaging and I had to force myself to finish it.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is based off the Clue boardgame, with all of the characters and the weapons. The stories all take place in the mansion of Mr. Boddy. I guess you would really need to be about 11 to really enjoy this book.

There are secret passageways, magic shows, and Halloween parties. At the end of each story, you turn the book over and read the solution to the mystery.

There are a whole series of these books.

[paige turner ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of these reviews are going to be repetitive, but I challenged myself to do one for every book that I have read so here we go:

I had fun reading these books.
I think the games are so much fun.
At least one story out of the ten has stumped me. (sometimes more than 10)
I live for the puns.
The characters are crazy, in good and bad ways.
I wish Mr. Body was my friend, cause I wouldn't kill him.
And poor Mr. Body almost dies, like, all the time.

[T.J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of THE best of the 1990's Parker Bros. Clue Mystery books. It has everything from a crazy talent show to a murderous rainy afternoon in a secret passage to a ridiculously incongruous murder in a frontyard pyramid. High quality stuff, especially when Colonel Mustard nearly dies as a horrific side effect of yet another one of Plum's misbegotten experiments. Chortle-worthy.

[Phoenix (Edward) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when I was in elementry school. The series masterfully captures the excitment and thrills of the board game as well as the humor of the classic 80's movie. I spent many nights not watching "Saved by the Bell" or the original "90210" to just simply get away and figure out WHO did WHAT, WHEN and WHERE.

[Samuel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A weird, goofy piece of early-90s kitsch, sort of a cross between Encyclopedia Brown, a book of logic problems, and sheer ridiculousness. I found it in a pile of books that had belonged to my wife and her sister when they were kids, and read it during a long plane flight.

I really had fun with it, but adjust the star rating down if you don't have some kind of emotional attachment to 1992.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

The characters are fun and entertaining throughout the book. There is tons of humor that kept me thoroughly entertained as a child. I love whodunit books and trying to figure out the various mysteries and this collection of tales certainly doesn’t disappoint.

[Marisa]

No rate because it's a game book for children. I read it because of the challenge but it's not really a reading book.

[Terisa De Morgan]

No rate because it's a game book for children. I read it because of the challenge but it's not really a reading book.

[Isabell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it when I was a kid!

[Nicole Sandford · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of cool little mysteries, glad to their was a solution page. Year 8 or 9.

[Azezafattah]

This is the best book ever.