Cruciverbalists, rejoice! Pick up a pencil and get ready to solve a puzzling murder-and an actual crossword puzzle-in this sparkling debut of a unique amateur detective: Miss Cora Felton, an eccentric old lady with a syndicated puzzle column, an irresistible urge to poke into unsettling events, and a niece who's determined to keep her out of trouble.
When the body of an unknown teenage girl turns up in the cemetery in the quiet town of Bakerhaven, Police Chief Dale Harper finds himself investigating his first homicide. A baffling clue leads him to consult Bakerhaven's resident puzzle expert-his first big mistake. Soon Cora's meddling, mischief-making behavior drives Chief Harper to distraction and inspires many cross words from her long-suffering niece, Sherry. But when another body turns up in a murder that hits much closer to home, Cora must find a killer-before she winds up in a wooden box three feet across...and six down.
I love puzzles and I love books so a book about puzzles was always going to be a winner. I loved it. Still it wasn't without it's issues and I'm sure not everyone will enjoy it.
Cora was hilarious. She's such a nutter. I loved the whole cast of characters, Cora, Chief Dale Harper, Sherry and Aaron. The dialogue was fast and snappy with lots of word play. The murder itself wasn't terribly original - it was pretty obvious who the murderer was from the start but I did enjoy getting there. And there were a lot of laughs along the way. 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.
