The Boddy in the Snowbank

by Jenna Bennett

“The Clue characters are locked in a winter lodge. Mr. Boddy is found dead in a snowdrift with no visible signs of trauma. Who did it and how do you prove it using just the things in the lodge?”

This short - 1,600 word - story based around the whodunit game Cluedo/Clue was written as a guest post for the 7criminalminds blog in January 2011, based on the prompt above.

This is Mr. Boddy's faithful retainer, Blanche White's recollection of the events of the fatal night, as told to police detective Bruno Gray.

It's the Clue characters like you've never seen them before!

Genres: Mystery, Short Stories, Ebooks

6 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 23, 2011

About the author

Jenna Bennett writes the USA Today bestselling Cutthroat Business mysteries featuring Southern Belle and new-minted real estate agent Savannah Martin in Nashville, Tennessee.

As Jennie Bentley, she writes the New York Times bestselling Do-It-Yourself Home Renovation mysteries from Berkley Prime Crime, featuring designer and amateur sleuth Avery Baker and her boyfriend, handyman Derek Ellis, who renovate houses in Waterfield, Maine.

She also writes a variety of romance for a change of pace.

aka Jennie Bentley

The DIY series:

FATAL FIXER-UPPER (November 2008)
SPACKLED AND SPOOKED (August 2009)
PLASTER AND POISON (March 2010)
MORTAR AND MURDER (January 2011)
FLIPPED OUT (October 2011)
WALL TO WALL DEAD (September 2012)
HOME FOR THE HOMICIDE (December 2013)

The Cutthroat Business series:

A CUTTHROAT BUSINESS (May 2011)
HOT PROPERTY (June 2011)
CONTRACT PENDING (July 2011)
CLOSE TO HOME (September 2011)
A DONE DEAL (December 2011)
CONTINGENT ON APPROVAL (November 2012)
CHANGE OF HEART (May 2013)
KICKOUT CLAUSE (October 2013)

Soldiers of Fortune series:

FORTUNE'S HERO (December 2012)

Various:

ISLAND GETAWAY (October 2012)
VIRGINIA CREEPER (October 2013)
BEFORE YOU (March 2014)

Reviews

[JP · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story and idea behind it was actually really good. It was based on the game Cluedo and actually was just a fast paced description of all the characters and an even faster conclusion. It was not quite my cup of tea, but it wasn't bad.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a cute short story---a freebie---utilizing the characters from the board game Clue. While I found that interesting and the setup of the story clever, the resolution just kind of left me flat. It wasn't that it was bad, it just didn't live up to the earlier part---at least for me.

[Sharon Sam · Rating 2 out of 5]

super short read

[Eve Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

To cut a long story short ...

;)
This short story takes place in the universe of the Clue game/movie, but with a twist on the characters. It was interesting enough that I wished it were a bit longer, so the characters and plot could be more fleshed out. As a fan of the movie, I thought it was a fun take on that world.

[Richard Goodrum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deceitful little story. Reads like a game of Clue.

Easy-to-read. Entertaining. Haunting. Informative. Tragic. Twisted. Unpredictable. Whimsical. Witty. Wonderful characters.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

cute

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I need to say something nice about story. It's short.

[Ken Finlay · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've never played 'Cluedo' so “The Boddy in the Snowback” left me cold.
It's a very short read (6 pages) and, even so, had me asking the question as to why he didn't break a window?
1 Star.

[Randee Baty · Rating 3 out of 5]

This publication shows how the changes in the publishing industry can promote new ways of telling stories and new ways for authors to get their work out to the public. This is a short story, 6 pages long, that began as a blog post from the 7criminalminds blog where they gave a writing prompt and different authors used it to create a short story. It's apparently always a freebie which would make sense at that length. It is obviously a very quick read at 6 pages.

The prompt was "The Clue characters are locked in a winter lodge. Mr. Boddy is found dead in a snowdrift with no visible signs of trauma. Who did it and how do you prove it using just the things in the lodge?” I don't know if the other blog posts were published for Kindle but if they were, I would read them.

I'm a huge fan of the game "Clue" so the characters were quite familiar to me but in a story as short as this there's no way to really develop them or give much backstory. I found it an entertaining little read, reminiscent of the 1985 movie.

[Christy Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have seen other reviews that have blasted this story because it is too short. In my opinion, this story is short and sweet. But I did find that it really read more as a synopsis, or perhaps a plan for a longer piece of fiction, as it is only a few pages long.

I also understand that this short story was written as part of a blog challenge. That being said, I could see how the premise could be expanded by the author to form a longer work.

The fact of it being based on the board game "Clue" is a cute one.

[adlin · Rating 1 out of 5]

To call this a short story is an understatement. It's beyond short and it's hardly a story. Thank goodness it was free. Not worth the effort. It could have been a story, however, there was no detecting. Just the person who done it telling you (the reader) they done it and sadly, I had already figured that out.

[Paul Stuart Hayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whilst this was a very short story, (I started reading it while I was making a cup of coffee and managed to get halfway through in the time it took my kettle to boil) it was a very entertaining tale nonetheless. Hopefully if the makers of Cluedo ever find out about it, they'll have a sense of humour and see that it isn't doing them any harm.

[D.L. Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

I very much like the cover art, the story was good but very short. I thought I had missed something, had to read it twice. I liked the characters, seemed like a mystery from the golden age of Mystery writing.

[Literary Chanteuse · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you were a fan of the game Clue you will find this story delightful. Brings back all the original players and adds a very interesting twist to the question who killed Mr.Boddy?

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was only 21 pages lol.

[Jacalyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

quick and fun if you like Clue

I have to admit, I love a good game of Clue! That made this a fun and quick read for fans.

[M.E. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story using the characters from the Clue game.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute short story based on the characters from the popular board game Clue.

[MaryBeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

You get what you pay for...