GUILTY BY DEFINITION
SUSIE DENT
*****
When an anonymous letter is delivered to the Clarendon English Dictionary, it is rapidly clear that this is not the usual lexicographical enquiry. Instead, the letter hints at secrets and lies linked to a particular year.
For Martha Thornhill, the new senior editor, the date can mean only one thing: the summer her brilliant older sister Charlie went missing. After a decade abroad, Martha has returned home to the city whose ancient institutions have long defined her family. Have the ghosts she left behind her been waiting for her return?
When more letters arrive, and Martha and her team pull apart the complex clues within them, the mystery becomes ever more insistent and troubling. It seems Charlie had been keeping a powerful secret, and someone is trying to lead the lexicographers towards the truth. But other forces are no less desperate to keep it well and truly buried.
MY REVIEW
*****
Susie Dent is resident lexicographer in Dictionary Corner on Countdown, and much more my style – 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown. She’s a very clever lady and so I was so excited to read Guilty by Definition – her debut murder mystery.
When an anonymous letter full of cryptic messages arrives at the Clarendon English Dictionary, Martha Thornhill and her team are excited to decipher it. When the clues point to an answer about her sister’s mysterious disappearance however, the stakes become higher than expected.
This book really is a delight for any linguaphiles – it is chock full of interesting, unusual and ancient words along with some snippets about their etymology or just interesting facts about their usage in history. This makes for a truly unique reading experience (I must admit my Kindle dictionary got more than its usual usage, and it even struggled with some of the more unusual ones!). However, it doesn’t do much to slow the pace down – there’s still an action-packed thriller in here, full of intrigue, red herrings and mystery.
I enjoyed the premise of the story – I have to admit, from the ARC cover it looks like it might have been a historical thriller, but this is very much set in the present day. Dent does a great job of painting the picture of Oxford and each character feels realistic and well-defined. I was a little disappointed by the mysterious letters and their clues though – they are quite impossible to crack by yourself and the main characters seemed to solve them very quickly! The pace is kept high throughout and I was kept guessing as I changed my mind on who I thought the mysterious Chorus could be, as well as who could have had a hand in Charlie’s disappearance.
Overall, Guilty by Definition is an assured debut – it’s a thrilling murder mystery and as a bonus I feel like my vocabulary has increased by reading it! Thank you to NetGalley and Bonnier Books – Zaffre for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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