Book #77: Clue #7: The Picture-Perfect Crime by A.E. Parker
A.E. Parker
Released: November 1st, 1994
My 20th book for 2025 was A.E. Parker's “Clue #7: The Picture-Perfect Crime”.
Halfway point of the year. I’m 20/63 books read towards my goal. 31.74%. I’m confident that I’ll still get there. I have a lot of series coming up and some one off’s.
General Summary:
Here's something I'll bet you didn't know, there were a series of books written back in the mid-1990's about the Parker Brother's game Clue. I grew up loving the Clue books. They were set up in a similar manner to Encyclopedia Brown. You would have an introduction where Mr. Boddy would introduce himself and welcome you to the mansion. With the exception of the first book, he would typically explain how he survived death in the previous book. He would then go on to introduce each of the 6 guests (including his maid). Usually this would segway into the first chapter by a loud crashing noise, or some other startling interruption. Readers are treated to 10-13 mysteries per book, and each chapter was a different story. At the end of each chapter, you were given either a Clue list (just like the ones used in the game) or a different format depending on the nature of the mystery.
Way back in Fall 1997, I discovered these books at the Summitview Elementary School library when I was in 3rd grade. They have provided countless hours of entertainment and are great rereads when looking for something to do.
I think the thing I love the most about these books are how it expands upon the story. Biographies aside, the other things I truly enjoy reading are books based on other classic franchises.
Originally, there were only 16 books, but 2 more were published in later years before they finally stopped. There was also a side series known as "Clue Jr.", but I never got into that series. The first 4 books are in the classic 80's illustration of the board game. Book #5 starts the new illustrations based on the 1990's version.
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Book #7 was obtained I believe from By The Books in Waynesboro, PA. This was an old book shop that existed in the 1990's and into the 2000's in the small south-central PA town. While it no longer remains, I remember getting several Clue books from there.
I don't often recall Book #7 from when I first read it, so parts of it felt like reading a new story. The tales were easy to follow, and while it didn't hit the heights I felt in "Midnight Phone Calls" and "Booby-Trapped!", it was a decent read. We are introduced to a new character, Sergeant Herring, of the Little Falls police department. He responds to the mansion when Mr. Boddy reports a crime.
My favorite stories from this book are "You Gotta Have Art" and "Mr. Boddy's Wild Ride".
In "You Gotta Have Art", Mr. Boddy hosts the Boddy Annual Charity Auction. With it, he auctions off rare valuables he has acquired at different points in time. As Boddy goes through and describes the rare and valuable finds he has collected, the guests begin eyeing the up. At the end, it loosely describes which guest won which auction, and you have to determine what Professor Plum won, and what he paid for it. This story is interesting because you see the depth of Mr. Boddy's possessions. He has acquired an astounding amount of historical relics that span the length of time. These items once belonged to everyone from CEO's, ancient leaders, and even notorious murderers.
In "Mr. Boddy's Wild Ride", Mr. Boddy has borrowed a carnival ride called "The Monsters of the Caribbean" from Whoopee Park, and had it temporarily installed in his Ball Room. Mr. Boddy encourages all the guests to get on and enjoy the thrill of the ride as the guests groan from the thought of riding it. As people climb off, it's up to you to figure out who survived the ride all the way to the end. I always liked this one because it reminds me of going to amusement parks like Hershey Park as a child. I can only imagine having the Super Dooper Looper installed in my house.
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I'm intrigued by some of the personality traits of the characters, so here is my running counter of reoccurring traits of Colonel Mustard's Duels, Professor Plum's forgetfulness, and Mrs. Peacock's manner rules. I will also include unique features around the Boddy Mansion.
Mustard's Duel Challenges - 7 (51 Overall):
1. (Mr. Boddy) For having a haunted painting.
2. (Mr. Boddy) For accusing him of stealing a Fabergé Egg.
3. (Mr. Green) For not letting him touch his pin.
4. Issues an open challenge.
5. (Miss Scarlet) Threatens the challenge of a duel for not minding her own business.
6. (Mr. Boddy) For demanding he hand over his revolver.
7. (Sergeant Herring) For yelling at him to think.
Plum's Forgetfulness - 7 (100 Overall):
1. Forgot to put shoes on.
2. Forgot about the fortune, and the events of the night before.
3. Forgot he put his cold hand on Mrs. White's shoulder.
4. Forgot what item he bid on.
5. Forgot what he paid for his item.
6. Forgot he was sorting recyclables.
7. Forgot why he went outside.
Peacock's Manners - 19 (79 Overall):
1. Believes "dust" is a dirty word.
2. Believes Mr. Boddy is rude for welcoming them with haunted painting.
3. Finds it impolite to keep secrets.
4. Believes it is polite to split winnings evenly.
5. Finds Mr. Boddy rude for getting a motel room while the ghost wreaks havoc in the mansion.
6. Blames a lack of breeding for Colonel Mustard being so negative about the weather.
7. Finds it rude that Miss Scarlet leaves the room with such speed.
8. Finds Mr. Boddy rude for accusing them of stealing his Fabergé Egg.
9. Believes that interrupting someone who is speaking is unspeakably rude.
10. Believes firing the gun was hardly the polite or proper way to present it.
11. Finds it rude to lose a tooth while eating.
12. Finds it rude that a guest stole her gold tooth.
13. Finds it rude to Mambo.
14. Finds it rude for Mr. Boddy to have soiled feet.
15. Finds Mr. Boddy's Surefire burglar alarm to be the rudest sound she has ever heard.
16. Believes rude children make rude sounds on carnival rides.
17. Finds carnival rides highly overrated and overpriced.
18. Finds Mr. Boddy's stand-up routine to be rude.
19. Believes it is polite to wait for one's host.
Unique features on the grounds of the Boddy Mansion - 15 (27 Overall):
1. A Library featuring only hardcover books.
2. A Portrait of Sir Squatty Boddy.
3. A Fabergé Egg made for he Czar of Russia on the mantle in the Library.
4. A solid gold wrench that once belonged to Henry Ford.
5. Cowboy Dusty Rhodes' trick rope.
6. A ruby-encrusted knife that once belonged to Lucrezia Borgia.
7. A lead pipe built specifically for Roman emperor Nero.
8. The very first Colt .45 revolver designed by Sam Colt.
9. A pet mastiff named Ajax.
10. A garden.
11. A hedge maze.
12. A rare astronomy text that is over 1,000 years old.
13. A copy of "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" by Edgar Allan Poe.
14. A Surefire Burglar Alarm.
15. (Borrowed) The carnival ride "Monsters of the Carribbean".
Cover Counter:
As I give the information I learned from the book, I will do it by chapter read. This novel contains the following mysteries:
Allow Me To Introduce Myself...
1. Be My Ghost
2. The Picture-Perfect Crime
3. You Gotta Have Art
4. Mr. Green's Jeans
5. Mrs. Peacock Bites the Bullet
6. The Plot Thickens
7. A Textbook Murder
8. Sound the Alarm!
9. Mr. Boddy's Wild Ride
10. The Life of the Party Is Dead
Here is what I learned:
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- First book to be written by Jahnna N. Malcolm. The book still uses the pen name A.E. Parker.
- For Lary Rosenblatt
- Mr. Boddy has eliminated paperbacks from his library.
- Mrs. White has an impressive knife collection.
- Mrs. Peacock believes “dust” is a dirty word.
- Mr. Boddy has Mr. Green’s footprint on his hat.
- Mr. Boddy keeps a penlight in his pocket.
- Mr. Boddy has a portrait of his ancestor Sir Squatty Boddy.
- Professor Plum forgot to put shoes on.
- Mrs. Peacock believes Mr. Boddy is rude for welcoming them with a haunted painting.
- Colonel Mustard challenges Mr. Boddy to a duel over the haunted painting.
- Mrs. Peacock finds it impolite to keep secrets.
- Once every 10 years, the ghost of Sir Squatty Boddy leaves the painting at midnight and terrorizes the mansion until dawn.
- Mrs. White resigns over the haunted painting.
- Nobody has ever managed to outlast the ghost, despite his fortune as the prize for doing so.
- The fortune is a silver chest with priceless coins and jewelry.
- Mrs. Peacock believes it is polite to split winnings evenly.
- Mrs. Peacock finds Mr. Boddy rude for getting a motel room while the ghost wrecks havoc in the mansion.
- Professor Plum forgot about the fortune and the events that transpired the night before.
- Mr. Boddy had a new camera.
- Mrs. Peacock blames a lack of breeding for Colonel Mustard being so negative about the weather.
- Mr. Boddy has a Fabergé egg made for the Czar of Russia sitting on the mantle in the Library.
- Mrs. Peacock finds it rude that Miss Scarlet leaves the room with such speed.
- The men know nothing about sports or politics.
- Professor Plum forgot he put his cold hand on Mrs. White’s shoulder.
- Mrs. Peacock finds Mr. Boddy rude for accusing them of stealing his Fabregé Egg.
- Colonel Mustard challenges Mr. Boddy to a duel for accusing him of stealing the Egg.
- Mr. Boddy hosts the Boddy Annual Charity Auction.
- Mrs. Peacock believes that interrupting someone who is speaking is unspeakably rude.
- Mr. Boddy has a solid gold wrench presented to Henry Ford by his wife on the anniversary of the invention for the famous Model T.
- Mr. Boddy also possesses Cowboy Dusty Rhodes’ trick rope.
- Mr. Boddy has a ruby-encrusted knife belonging to famous murderess Lucrezia Borgia.
- Mr. Boddy also has a lead pipe built specifically for Roman emperor Nero.
- Mr. Boddy has a candlestick made by Paul Revere.
- Mr. Boddy has the very first Colt .45 revolver designed by Sam Colt.
- Mrs. Peacock believes firing the gun was hardly the polite or proper way to present it.
- Professor Plum forgot what item he bid on.
- Professor Plum forgot what he paid for his item.
- Mr. Boddy’s charity owes him money.
- One of Mr. Green’s businesses was given a medal for helping to save the planet.
- Colonel Mustard challenges Mr. Green to a duel for not letting him touch his pin.
- Professor Plum forgot he was sorting recyclables.
- Mrs. Peacock finds it rude to lose a tooth while eating.
- Mrs. Peacock has a gold tooth.
- Mr. Boddy’s dentist makes house calls.
- Mr. Boddy has a pet mastiff named Ajax.
- The grounds of the Boddy Mansion feature a Garden.
- Mrs. Peacock finds it rude that a guest stole her gold tooth.
- Colonel Mustard issues an open challenge to a duel.
- Mrs. Peacock finds it rude to Mambo.
- Mrs. Peacock finds it rude for Mr. Boddy to have soiled feet.
- Professor Plum forgot why he went outside
- Colonel Mustard threatens to challenge Miss Scarlet to a duel for not minding her business.
- The grounds of the Boddy Mansion feature a Hedge Maze.
- Mr. Boddy finds Miss Scarlet’s word “worthless”.
- Mr. Boddy owns A rare astronomy text over 1,000 years old.
- Mr. Boddy has a copy of “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” by Edgar Allan Poe in his Library.
- Colonel Mustard challenges Mr. Boddy to a duel for demanding he hand over his revolver.
- Mr. Boddy has a Surefire Burglar Alarm.
- Mrs. Peacock finds his alarm to be the rudest sound she has ever heard.
- Sergeant Rhett Herring works for the Little Falls Police Department.
- Sergeant Herring has a bald spot.
- Colonel Mustard challenged Sergeant Herring to a duel for yelling at him to think.
- Mr. Boddy borrowed the carnival ride “Monsters of the Caribbean” from Whoopee Park and installed it inside his Ball Room.
- Mrs. Peacock is not amused by carnival rides because rude children make rude sounds while riding them.
- Mrs. Peacock finds the carnival ride highly overrated and overpriced.
- Mrs. Peacock finds Mr. Boddy’s stand-up routine to be rude.
- Mr. Boddy has paid detectives to check the backgrounds of his guests.
- Mrs. Peacock believes it is polite to wait for one’s host.
Overall, a decent read. The series struck such high notes with the previous 2 novels. This one is good, but not as good as the previous 2. The stories are still engaging and exciting. And you learn about different things at the Boddy Mansion. Past relatives, new pets, extravagant purchases. It's a good book.
Recommended for fans of Clue or the series.
On to Book #78: Clue #8: "The Clue in The Shadows" by A.E. Parker.
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