In America, an 18-book series was released based on the Clue board game. Cluedo (Clue in North America) is a murder mystery board game originally published by Waddington Games, UK in 1948. ...

Plot

Reginald Boddy lives in his stately home, Boddy Mansion. Every weekend, he invites five of his closest friends, who, along with his maid, are six of the most greedy, scheming people in the world. Throughout each book, they plot to steal Mr. Boddy's most prized possession, much of the time resorting to violence with the help of the famous six Clue weapons. However, they rarely get away with it. Despite all this, Mr. Boddy always invites everyone back the next weekend.

Format

Each book begins with a small chapter where Mr. Boddy introduces himself to the reader. He explains the situation and introduces the six suspects. This ends with some kind of cliffhanger that leads into the first chapter.

The book contains ten mini-mysteries which each end with a question, very similar to the Encyclopedia Brown books, and a picture of the checklist from the game is given. The question is answered on the next page, printed upside down. This solution ends with an explaination of how the criminal was foiled, or how the victim (if there was one) survived. Leroy Encyclopedia Brown is a fictional boy detective, the main character in a long series of childrens books written by Donald J. Sobol since 1963. ...

The final chapter somehow results in the death of Mr. Boddy. In the solution, so explaination is given, and it is assumed that Mr. Boddy actually dies until the next book, where, in Mr. Boddy's introduction, he explains how he survived the end of the previous book.

Books

1. Who Killed Mr. Boddy?
2. The Secret Secret Passage
3. The Case of the Invisible Cat
4. Mystery at the Masked Ball
5. Midnight Phone Calls
6. Booby Trapped
7. The Picture Perfect Crime
8. The Clue in the Shadow
9. Mystery in the Moonlight
10. The Case of the Screaming Skeleton
11. Death by Candlelight
12. The Haunted Gargoyle
13. The Revenge of the Mummy
14. The Dangerous Diamond
15. The Vanishing Vampire
16. Danger After Dark
17. The Clue in the Crystal Ball
18. Footprints in the Fog

Characters

• Mr. Reginald Boddy

Mr. Boddy is the owner of Boddy Mansion and the host of the weekend gatherings that serve as the subject of the books. He has a mind-staggering amount of money, and acquires a great number of treasures. Unfortunately, his scheming guests and maid more often than not come to blows trying to steal these, and he is almost killed in the last chapter of each book. He's always there in the next book to explain how he survived, though.

• Colonel Mustard

A dashing and noble character, Colonel Mustard is an older army officer who also has experience in wild game hunting. The Colonel has a very short temper, and, when this is coupled with his noble nature, he will often challenge someone to a duel if he feels himself or someone else is being wronged or offended. This duel rarely takes place, but there have been an instance or two.

In the first four books, Colonel Mustard had slicked back hair of a very light brown color and a moustache, a monocle in his left eye. In the rest, he looks the same, but has grey hair instead and his monocle has switched to his right eye.

• Professor Plum

It's not really specified exactly what Professor Plum is a professor of, but he seems to be a jack of all trades. He seems to be a medical doctor, a chemist, and an inventor, among other things. This is an amazing feat, but it is marred by the Professor's horrible memory. His forgetful nature has caused many problems for him in his work, and also for the others, sometimes nearly resulting in death (like the time he injected Mr. Green and himself with a chemical he forgot was poison).

In the first four books, Professor Plum is a portly and balding man with a brown hair and a moustache. He is almost always seen with his glasses and a pipe. In the rest, his hairline is more normal (unless it's a combover), and he has thinned out.

• Mr. Green

Mr. Green is a ruthless businessman, and has managed to reach the top by stepping on the little one. He has an obsession with money, and is likely the greediest of the bunch (or at least second to Mrs. White). He is well known for being a bully, and has, on many occasions, changed his host's mind by threatening or even using physical harm.

In the first four books, Mr. Green is an older, balding man with gray hair and a fat face. In the rest he is younger looking and thinner, with black hair and merely a receding hairline.

• Mrs. Peacock

Mrs. Peacock is an older woman who is obsessed with manners. She has high ideals of how gentlemen and ladies should act, and makes sure that everyone around her adheres to them, even going so far as to calling the police once when Mr. Boddy burped. She is, however, just as scheming as the rest, and usually will bend her rules on what's proper so that she can carry out some dastardly deed.

In the first four books, Mr's Peacock has hard features and has light brown hair that is tightly tied in the back. In the rest, her features have softened, and her hair is lightened and no longer tied, but is cut short and combed out.

• Miss Scarlet

Miss Scarlet is the femme fatale, the dangerous and sensual beauty. She believes in living for the moment, and often acts impulsively. Her weakness is jewelry and all things beautiful, which is usually the cause of her crimes. She is known to have at least once robbed a jewelry store.

Miss Scarlet changed the most in appearance. In the first four books, she was a shapely white woman with long, black hair. In the rest, she is an Asian woman with very short hair.

• Mrs. White

Mrs. White is Mr. Boddy's trusted maid. Unfortunately, that trust is greatly misplaced. Mrs. White is possibly the most conniving and menacing of the six suspects, although she hardly ever lets it show. She has served Mr. Boddy for years, and is the reason for the disappearance of many items of value, all of which found some way into her apron. She has once in the past poisoned Mr. Boddy's coffee, or, at least, she's done it once that he knew of.

Mrs. White also changed greatly. In the first four books, she was fairly young looking and thin, with blonde hair that was just above her shoulders. In the rest, she is much older looking and heavier, with pinned up grey hair.