Remember the puzzle lady? Let me refresh your memory. Meet Cora Felton, who is the brains behind all the puzzles. Or is she? The Puzzle Lady appears to be the brain, but when she's forced to solve a puzzle, she falls to pieces. When she's asked to solve a puzzle for a teenager, she's arguably thankful that the puzzle has been stolen. Case solved....nope, not yet.

A body is found in the middle of Main Street and Cora does what she excels at. Solving murders. This is a long-running series that will keep you puzzled the whole time.

The Puzzle Lady cozy mysteries never disappoint. I love when Cora and Melvin get together. They are like oil and water where they don’t mix. I would have liked to see Sherry in the story a little more but I still loved the book. I loved the twists and I always get a great laugh when I read these stories. I look forward to reading the next book.

This was an odd story with a strange storyline. It had to go back and reread several sections to keep up with the plot twists and turns. Much like a crossword puzzle, it goes down and across. The characters are interesting enough but this plot was not for me. It starts out with a girl wanting the Puzzle Lady aka Cora to help her find a stolen puzzle that mysteriously shows up and then mysteriously disappears. Add in the ex-husband Melvin who is writing a "tell all " book about his relationship/marriage to Cora as a trophy husband. After becoming a murder suspect the tell all book might not tell so much about Cora's deep dark puzzling secret since Melvin will need Cora's puzzle skills to solve the who done it before he is done in!

Per Goodreads this is #19 in the Puzzle Lady series. I did not need to read any of the previous books in order to be able to understand what was taking place in this story. While I did enjoy this story, I do not feel I will go back and read any of the previous books. Perhaps this is due to only reading book #19? Cora is the "Puzzle Lady" or is she? How did this not become an issue in 18 previous stories or did it? There is a lot of dialogue in this story which did keep it moving at a fast pace. Cora is whity and sarcastic which was also quite enjoyable. I think my problem with the story was the not so exciting solving of the crime. The lead up was good, but all of a sudden, in what seemed out of nowhere, Cora solved the case. As stated, I did enjoy this story, but just not enough to want to read the rest of the series. I am giving this a 3-star review. I would love to give it 3.5-stars, but that is not possible.

THE PURLOINED PUZZLE by Parnell Hall
The Nineteenth Puzzle Lady Mystery

Cora Felton has a problem. Actually she has more than one. First of all, Melvin, the worst of her ex-husband, is in town. Secondly, an annoying teenage girl keeps pestering her to solve puzzles...puzzles which tend to disappear and reappear. Then there's the murder. With murder weapons appearing before crimes are committed, suspects arrested and released, nothing much makes sense. But the worst bit, Melvin has a contract for a tell-all book. Will he spill the beans about the Puzzle Lady? Will Cora have to kiss her career goodbye?

Whip like banter fuels this lightning fast paced novel. The plot is a bit audacious with everybody, including the reader, wondering what's going on. It's reminiscent of a who's on first routine except that nobody actually knows who's on first or who's even playing! The Puzzle Lady Mysteries employ a darker shade of humor with characters who aren't the nicest people, yet I'm still left smiling and snickering.

Confusion and misdirection abound, yet readers are led to a satisfying conclusion. Filled with witty repartee THE PURLOINED PUZZLE is a fun addition to this long running series.

Parnell Hall's The Purloined Puzzle is part of the Puzzle Lady Mystery series. I have not read any of the previous books, but I was able to follow this book just fine. Cora is the Puzzle Lady, and she gets an unwelcome visit from a teenager asking her to solve a puzzle. Cora gets a reprieve when the puzzle is stolen. She quickly gets caught up in a bigger puzzle involving a body, her ex-husband, and that same pesky teenager. This was a fun book, and I enjoyed the puzzle aspect of it. I will definitely be looking for more from this series!

This series is one of the hardest for me to figure out a rating for. As a mystery, it really isn't a strong book. I still can't figure out how that mystery even worked, let alone how Cora figured it out. Where it shines is in its bizarre sense of humor. It is similar to the rest of the series with constantly talking in circles, which can get confusing if you aren't used to it.

Amusing quick cozy mystery read! The Purloined Puzzle is the 19th book in the Puzzle Lady series but still feels fresh.

Cora Felton has a problem. Her least favorite ex-husband Melvin is in town doing another shady real estate deal. Also, there is a pesky teenager first losing, then finding, a crossword that she wants Cora to solve. Unfortunately, Cora is the face, but not the brains, behind the wildly popular Puzzle Lady syndicated column. The brains being her niece Sherry.

Accused of murder, Melvin has his own problems. Cora and her friend/sometimes boss, attorney Betsy take Melvin’s case.

This is a pleasantly different cozy read. Cora is in late middle age but still has a sex drive. She is no Miss Marple. Cora is perfectly willing to bend and even break the law. The text is 90% dialogue, which makes for a very fast read.

You had me at corpse. Where’s the body? [said Cora]
Middle of Main Street. [stated the Police Chief]
Are you kidding me?
I wish I were.
Never mind, I’ll see for myself.

The Purloined Puzzle is recommended for cozy fans. However, I have just one complaint. This series started in 1999, when I was substantially younger than Cora. Now it appears that we are the same age. How do I sign up for this fictional fountain of youth, hopefully before I’m Miss Marple’s peer? I took off one star because the murderer was too easy to guess. That leaves this book at 3 stars.

Thanks to the publisher, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for an advanced copy.

It's not often that a series of nineteen books is still going strong. But we are talking about Parnell Hall and he continues to keep this series a winner. Cora still hides her secret about crossword puzzles - everybody thinks she creates them but the truth is she is just the front woman for her niece, Sherry. All are happy with the relationship but then Cora's ex-husband shows up and she finds out her secret will a secret no more - he's planning to write a tell all book about her. Before long, Cora is accosted by a very persistent girl who wants Cora to solve a puzzle which isn't going to happen. While Cora passes the puzzle off to Harvey who knows how to solve them, Cora still has to deal with her ex. He's up to no good but did he stoop to murder? The police say he did it and Cora gets started solving the puzzles she has a talent for - those of the "who done it" variety.
This wonderful creation from the pen of Parnell Hall is almost entirely dialog so be warned, it has a different pace - almost break neck and lots of fun. I usually recommend reading a series from the beginning but this mystery is so much fun I wouldn't want to delay the pleasure of this entry. Long time fans will be thrilled and first time readers? Well, you will want to read the previous eighteen books.

Parnell Hall’s Puzzle Lady Mysteries are alive and doing well with the release of the 19th adventure. Cora Felton is the Puzzle Lady, but her niece Sherry is the puzzle-solving, puzzle creator behind the scenes. Cora’s ex-husband comes to town and is quickly arrested for murder. Cora, who usually helps the police solve crime, can’t decide whether to help her husband or not. While this is an interesting and somewhat tricky case, it feels like I would have enjoyed it more had I read previous books in the series.

Hall is a skillful writer. Most of this story is told through dialogue between the characters – and it’s rather snappy at that. I haven’t found many authors that have used dialogue as effectively and almost obsessively as Hall has in The Purloined Puzzle. I enjoyed that aspect of the mystery very much.

The Purloined Puzzle...A Puzzle Lady Mystery
By
Parnell Hall


What it's all about...

Cora is famous for creating these amazing crossword puzzles. The problem is that she doesn’t write them and she actually hates crossword puzzles. Her niece is the one who writes them. But no one really knows this...except...perhaps...for Cora’s ex husband. Cora has a rocky relationship with him. When he returns to Cora’s little town...he becomes a prime suspect for murder. This murder then becomes two murders. Cora seems to love this kind of puzzle and she gets overly involved in finding out what really happened and who really committed these murders.

This is the 19th Puzzle Lady book and my first Puzzle Lady book.

Why I wanted to read it...

Cora sounded as though she was a really unique character. The dialogue in this book was fast and clever. Cora was sarcastic and full of dry humor. I checked other Puzzle Lady books and Cora seemed to be a sort of elderly lady. Covers with her showed a white haired kind of sweetly chubby woman. However in this 19th book she seemed much younger. She was really active and dare I say seemed to be kind of interested in “getting busy”...especially with Melvin...accused murderer and ex husband. She denied any interest in him but there seemed to be an undercurrent of sexuality between the two of them.

What made me truly enjoy this book...

The plot and characters were fantastic in this book. It ranged from teenage Peggy Dawson and the first Puzzle to sex, drugs and rock and roll. I never was bored while reading this book. The banter among all characters was delightfully fun!


Why you should read it, too...

Readers who love a different kind of cozy mystery will really love this book. I think it can be read as a stand alone even though there are 18 books before it. I really want to read the earliest ones to see how Cora grew and changed.

I received an advance reader’s copy of this book from the publisher...St. Martin’s Press...through NetGalley and Amazon. It was my choice to read it and review it.

Cora Felton finds herself face-to-face with ex-husband Melvin jn this latest escapade from the geriatric wise-cracker.
The vast bulk of the novel is dialogue, so if you are someone who enjoys in-depth description, you won't find it here.
In rather enjoyed the snappy repartee
It moved the plot forward and left out extraneous details.
Perfect read for a snowy weekend.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

It's not very often I start a review like this, but I have NO IDEA how to rate this book.

The story was great and interesting. I really liked the characters. This is my first Puzzle Lady book and I have to say, it's like one of Jenny Crusie's heroines picked the wrong guy and became an even crankier, more blunt version of her burnt-in-love self later. The secondary characters were fun and unique. They all had roles to play and I'm kind of shocked how distinct they were (because of the section below).

The style was really unique. I'm guessing over 80% of this book was dialogue. Which is fine with me! I love dialogue heavy stories if the author can pull them off. There'd be pages and pages of banter without tags even. And, only 2Xs did I have to backtrack - which is pretty darn good for this style.

It's the actual banter that started to get old. I found that I'd put the book down bc I was exhausted and tired of the pace and banter. Sometimes we'd go thru something and then live thru it again when the characters had to tell each other about it with 4Xs as many words. So, what could have been an unputdownable read often became a "maybe I'll take a break" read.

Would I rec it? YES! I'll try another one for sure, but I'll so know it's not something I just sit down and read in one reading. 3.8888 bc, 3.75 is too neat for the heroine.

The Purloined Puzzle is the nineteenth installment in the Puzzle Lady series set in the small town of Bakerhaven, CT and featuring Cora Felton. Things have been rather quiet for Cora now that she has quit drinking and smoking, that is until sixteen year old Peggy Dawson accosts her on the street.

The rather persistent and obnoxious teen claims that she has a crossword puzzle that Cora must solve. Unwilling to admit that she can't solve the puzzle she foists the young girl off on Harvey Beerbaum, the portly crossword enthusiast. The problem is that the girl insists the puzzle has been stolen.

Things go from bad to worse for Cora when ex-husband Melvin arrives in town and she discovers that he is preparing to write a tell all book about her. When a dead body surfaces on Main Street stabbed with a hunting knife belonging to Melvin, Cora unwillingly sets out to prove he's not a killer.

The usual mayhem and madness ensue that readers of the series have come to expect from Cora, attorney Becky Baldwin, niece Sherry and her husband Aaron, and Police Chief Harper. The quick dialogue exchanges are the equivalent of watching a professional tennis match and will often cause outbursts of laughter.

I received an advanced copy of The Purloined Puzzle from NetGalley via Minotaur Books a division of St. Martin's Press. While not required to write a review I am more than happy to offer my honest opinion.

If you are looking for a young adult, fun, and charming romance this is for you. Where Mississippi, Scotland, and England are combined for a laugh out loud good time. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

I received an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.