puzzles

Susie Dent: Guilty by Definition

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Series Debut

This book may not be for everyone, but for those who enjoy words, dictionaries, and a virtual visit to Oxford, it’s absolute catnip.  Set in the workplace of the Clarendon English Dictionary (a thinly veiled Oxford English Dictionary), the story follows the solution of the mystery of the missing sister, in this case that of dictionary diva Martha. She and her staff, Alex, Safi, and Simon, along with her boss, Jonathan, who makes infrequent appearances (he’s busy with a book tour), become the core group that solves the puzzle presented to them. read more

Roz Noonan: That Missing Piece is Killing Me

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Alice Pepper Lonely Hearts and Puzzle Club #2

Roz Noonan’s main character is Alice Pepper, a librarian, and she also has a club known as the Lonely Hearts and Puzzle Club. Her group spends many a relaxing evening working on puzzles together, sharing good food and company. Sometimes they puzzle over mysteries, too. Alice also has a rather complicated home life, with an estranged daughter, two grand kids that grew up with her as the most stable influence in their lives, an ex-husband, and a new romance on the horizon. Starting her life over as a librarian had seemed daunting when she left the restraint business, but she has found her spot and is thriving in her new community. read more

K.A. Merson: The Language of the Birds

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Debut

This novel really lets the author’s freak flag fly, in the best way.  It definitely is not a book for every reader – it will help if you enjoy puzzles, cryptology and maps, but even in you don’t, the story and the characters make the read worthwhile.  The main character, Arizona, is a neurodivergent 17 year old who has just lost her father.  As the book opens, she and her mother are headed to the ghost town of Bodie, California, to scatter her father’s ashes.

She and her mother and Arizona’s dog, Mojo, have arrived in the family Airstream, and when they get there, Arizona tells her mother she’d like some time to herself.  When she goes to meet up with her mother at the appointed time, however, her mother is nowhere to be found.  Hours later, Arizona at last reports her mother’s disappearance to a park ranger who tells her to wait at her campsite. read more