A mystery woven within the convoluted trail of words used as clues for a lexicographer. Definitely an interesting, captivating and educational book. This conundrum leads the reader on a journey of discovery and realization. Solving a disappearance, a murder and finding of a lost treasure.
Read this book and enjoy the word play, puzzles and an enjoyable mystery.

Thank you for letting me review this book! I am an enormous fan of Susie Dent, and it was a privilege to get an early peek at her latest work.

While the mystery itself left something to be desired (some rather abrupt realizations, a few logical leaps, several situations tidied up a little too easily), the true joy is, of course, in the words. From the chapter titles to the esoteric easter eggs sprinkled throughout, this linguistic scavenger hunt left me both assured at Ms. Dent's considerable bounty of knowledge as well as her generosity and facility with it. Paired with the glimpses of the lexicographer's life, and the--albeit fictional--thrill of rewriting well-trodden history with a woman at the pen, any frailties of the story fade into the background.

In the end, I have to admit to myself that I didn't want to read this book for the mystery. I wanted to read it in the hopes that the mystery vehicle would be an enjoyable way to gather a few more fascinating language facts while luxuriating in a bit of bibliodiversion, and ultimately, the book did not disappoint.

Again, thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this book, and I hope there are more in this vein to be read in the future!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

The premise was intriguing, a mysterious disappearance and cryptic puzzles solved by lexicographers. Unfortunately, the plot went nowhere until more than halfway through the book, at which point it became a contrived absurdity. Clues to the mystery are impossible to solve unless you're a Shakespearean expert. Characters were shallow and one-dimensional, except when trying to outdo each other with their grandiloquence. Writing was pompous, with the author using every arcane and obscure word in her vocabulary.

This was a snoozefest, difficult to get through and a bore.

https://candysplanet.wordpress.com/

This was my first time reading Susie Dent, and I was really excited to see how her love of language would translate into a mystery novel. The setup is great: Martha Thornhill, back in Oxford after a decade away, starts receiving cryptic letters at the Clarendon English Dictionary, pulling her and her colleagues into the long-cold mystery of her sister Charlie’s disappearance. The use of wordplay and definitions at the start of each chapter is a clever touch, and as a language lover, I appreciated those little nuggets throughout.

That said, the story moved a bit too slowly for me, and sometimes it felt like the cleverness of the words took center stage over the actual mystery. While the clues are fun, the culprit is pretty easy to spot early on, which took away some of the suspense. Martha was also a bit hard to connect with, though I enjoyed Zoe and Alex’s perspectives for balance.

Still, the Oxford setting was lovely, and I liked how the epilogue tied things together. Overall, a clever concept and an interesting debut, but I wanted more energy and emotional pull to really keep me hooked.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

When I saw that a mystery had been written around language, taking place as lexicographers add and edit the prestigious Clarendon English Dictionary, I was intrigued. When I saw that the author is one of the foremost experts on the English language, I knew I had to rush to read this. I have to admit that I didn’t love it quite as much I expected, although there I still enjoyed it.

I’m of two minds regarding Guilty by Definition. On the one hand, this is an engrossing book that celebrates language, how it originates, and the twisting shifts it takes as it evolves. I was entranced by the tidbits about language mentioned throughout and even paused on occasion to let new information sink in. The explanation of the origin of “stealing my thunder” in particular left me pleased as punch. This is where the book shone. I think it would be a clever backdrop for any story, but especially a mystery.

The use of word clues was fascinating although I have to admit that the explanations could be a little long-winded. The explanations are definitely needed (I’m not a word expert and was hopelessly lost on occasion), but I would have liked it if they moved a little faster. They slowed the pacing down every now and again, making it seem like there were pauses in the story. That being said, I viewed the language aspect as the crux of the novel, with the actual mystery taking a backseat, so this wasn’t anything close to a dealbreaker for me.

The characters were a quirky bunch. Anytime someone excels in an area that takes up so much of their time, it becomes a part of their identity, and I liked that the author made that clear here. They were all suspects, of course, even the most likeable ones, which I loved. As their secrets were peeled back, they became more well-developed, moving away from being the “usual suspects” that every mystery has.

The mystery itself is where I struggled. It felt a bit generic, and the twists weren’t really twists as much as expected bumps that appeared periodically. The reveals weren’t particularly gasp-worthy. I got the impression that the author really wasn’t all that invested in creating a compelling mystery, instead spending the majority of her energy on weaving a compelling history of words.

But the language! Good gravy, did I adore the love of language! The chapter headings with word origins, the little asides that the characters shared, the love of language (both written and spoken) that seeped through on every page! This is what makes Guilty by Definition stand out. I found it so enthralling that I immediately looked up nonfiction by this author and am now happily reading one of her nonfiction books.

I didn’t love Guilty by Definition as a whole, but the aspects about the creation and editing of the dictionary made it a memorable book, nonetheless. I recommend it for those who enjoy learning the etymology of everyday words and sayings.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing me with a review copy of this book. My opinions are completely my own. Guilty by Definition will be available on September 30th, 2025.

As the book opens, there is a staff meeting and all seems pretty much as usual until an odd letter arrives. It takes a bit but Martha comes to realize that this letter may be referencing the disappearance of her talented, bright and beautiful sister thirteen years ago. No one knows what became of Charlie? Who is "chorus," the anonymous letter writer? What other messages will be received? What did happen to Charlie?

From this point in, I was so drawn in and spent as much time as I could reading the story. There were also some fun treats along the way with various vocabulary words. For example, I loved conjobble which was defined as eat, drink and talk!

Still, while the English vocabulary references were great fun, it was the story that kept me intrigued. Publishers Weekly described this book as a "treat." I definitely agree.

I am delighted to know that this is the first in a series. I can't wait for more.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for this title. All opinions are my own.

Twenty years ago, Martha's big sister, Charlie disappeared on the eve of making a huge announcement to the publishing world. Now Martha herself is an editor for the most authoritative dictionary in England, a place where her sister worked years before. Mysterious coded letters start arrive at her work that hint that the writer knows something about Charlie's disappearance all those years ago and has tasked Martha and her co-workers with un-riddling the clues therein contained. Is this someone's idea of a sick joke or is "Chorus" trying to help them solve the mystery of Charlie's disappearance?

Readers will certainly learn a lot about the English language and increase their vocabulary along the way as Martha and her friends try to decode the letters and discover Charlie's fate. What was her big announcement about? Could it have been something so big that it lead to her murder? Or did she sell this mysterious book secretly to the highest bidder and high-tail it out of the country with the proceeds? Readers well versed in Shakespeare's works will enjoy trying to solve the puzzling letters ahead of the dictionary's staff.

This book was such a pleasure to read. It is an informed ode to lexicology and etymology with fascinating historical tidbits thrown in. A missing sister and coded letters taunting the erudite staff at the (thinly disguised) Oxford English Dictionary. Susie Dent is a scholar who brings her impressive knowledge to bear in this tale of the pursuit of truths both historical and personal. Highly recommended for those who love words and crime capers alike.

I started reading Guilt by Definition with the hopes that this would be a mix of Babel and a whodunnit. In many ways it was, but somehow it was missing something.

The plot introduces us to Martha who we begin our journey with in Berlin. She ends up returning to Oxford ( the Babel reference makes sense here) and ends up trying to solve her sisters disappearance. We meet several friends that assist along the way, by deciphering some mysterious letters that ultimately lead us to solving the given mystery.

Overall the pacing was a slow and in many instances I felt disconnected from the story. The whodunnit didn't keep me guessing for more, and I felt detached the further along we got. I believe that the story itself was clever, however it lacked the personal connection that would make me or readers feel invested.

If you are into an old Oxford type of setting, with a whodunnit subplot - this could be a good read for you. The words used and the etymology that is shared at the beginning of each chapter are interesting, but that frequently lead me to google things and hunt down rabbit holes... which meant I stopped reading. Overall, this was a decent read and I appreciate the opportunity to explore and solve this case.

Thank you to Susie Dent, Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the opportunity to learn something..new all whilst solving Charlie's disappearance.

3.5 stars. 13 years after her disappearance, letters and postcards start being received by friends, family members, and co-workers of Charlotte "Charlie" Thornhill. They contain clues, which one team at "Clarendon English Dictionary" seems to solve with ease. But what happened to Charlie? Why is Charlie's sister Martha now a supervisor at the CED and not Simon, who holds a PhD? How does Alex afford lunches out and expensive clothes?

So many secrets, so many red herrings. This was a good mystery, and kept me guessing.

Book Review: Guilty by Definition by Susie Dent
Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for my gifted ARC.

Guilty by Definition is a literary mystery that fuses language, grief, and code-breaking into a story that’s unlike anything I’ve read this year. Susie Dent—known widely as a lexicographer and lover of etymology—has written a debut that feels like an intricate puzzle, where every word, every silence, and every chapter heading matters. It’s a slow burn, yes, but one with depth, restraint, and quiet emotional payoff.

The novel follows Martha Thornhill, newly returned to Oxford after a decade abroad, to take up a senior editorial post at the Clarendon English Dictionary. From the first page, it’s clear that this isn’t just a professional return—it’s personal. Her older sister Charlie vanished without explanation fifteen years ago, and Oxford is still haunted by that absence. The plot kicks off when Martha and her colleagues receive an anonymous letter at the dictionary office—coded, obscure, and impossible to ignore. The letter references a date that Martha knows too well: the summer Charlie disappeared. From that moment on, the novel unspools a mystery as much about what happened to Charlie as it is about what’s been buried since.

The brilliance of this book is in how it uses language as both a shield and a sword. Each chapter opens with a rare or archaic word and its definition—these aren’t just clever literary flourishes; they’re thematic signposts that shape the mood and hint at what’s to come. For example, one chapter begins with “aporia,” meaning an expression of doubt or puzzlement, and it lands right before a major discovery that throws Martha’s assumptions into question. There’s a real pleasure here for anyone who loves words—not just reading them but unpacking them, decoding them, understanding what lies beneath.

Martha’s grief is quiet but palpable. She isn’t your typical “detective” figure—she’s hesitant, unsure, even passive at times. But that’s what makes her compelling. She doesn’t crash into the mystery so much as she slowly lets herself be drawn into it, pushed by guilt, love, and an uncomfortable need to know the truth. Her dynamic with her colleagues—Alex, the prickly perfectionist; Simon, the measured scholar; Safi, the energetic newcomer—grounds the book in something real. They’re not just puzzle-solvers, they’re people. Flawed, curious, occasionally stubborn, and forced into uncomfortable emotional territory by the arrival of these cryptic messages.

As the clues accumulate, Dent resists the urge to over-dramatize. Yes, the stakes rise. Yes, the past gets darker. But what’s most affecting is the emotional excavation. Charlie, once seen through the glow of a younger sister’s admiration, becomes more complicated with each clue. Friends, exes, old employers—all reveal different shades of her personality. At times, I felt like the book was less about solving what happened and more about reckoning with who Charlie really was. “A lie is just a truth that’s out of order,” one character says, and that line becomes a sort of thesis for the novel.

There are moments when the pace stalls, especially when the story veers deeply into etymology or side tangents, but these are never wasteful. They enrich the world. If you’re reading for quick twists or edge-of-your-seat thrills, this isn’t that kind of book. But if you want to sit with a story, puzzle it out like a cryptic crossword, and enjoy every semantic breadcrumb along the way—this one delivers.

What makes the climax work is that it doesn’t feel forced. It’s not about a big dramatic confrontation, but about understanding. About reckoning with what people do to survive grief, how families build myths around the missing, and how memory reshapes the past. The final revelations about Charlie and “Chorus” are satisfying—not because they tie everything in a neat bow, but because they feel true to the emotional undercurrents of the story. The aftermath matters just as much as the solution.

Susie Dent has done something rare with Guilty by Definition: she’s created a mystery where intellect and feeling carry equal weight. The codes are clever, the pacing is deliberate, and the writing is elegant without being self-indulgent. Her passion for language seeps into every corner of the story, and yet it never overshadows the characters or their pain.

For me, the most powerful part of this novel wasn’t the moment the mystery was solved—it was the quiet realization, shared between Martha and another character, that knowing the truth doesn’t always bring peace. Sometimes it just makes things clearer. More complicated. More real.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. I found it a unique scenario taking place in the academic world of dictionaries. A former coworker disappeared many years previously, and her sister now works there. The people working with her get cryptic letters with clues both at work and at their homes, and they try to collaborate to solve various mysteries. The author did a great job bringing the characters to life, eventually letting us into the lives of the whole team. The nature of the complex mysteries made this a little slow to read, requiring readers to gradually learn what happened years ago. The book is interspersed with the origins of many words, which I found very interesting. People interested in etymology as well as readers who like mysteries in academic settings will enjoy this book.

Since I really like looking up words and their etymology, this book was very interesting to me. I liked that the author used the system that the OED used in their many year compilation. as portrayed in "The Professor and the Madman" by Simon Winchester. I enjoyed the puzzles and coded messages. With all the twists and turns, I was guessing who sent the postcards up to the very end. Highly recommended.

I really enjoyed this book! Martha Thornhill has recently returned to Oxford to take a position as a dictionary editor. When the office starts receiving anonymous letters, it becomes apparent that there is more to learn about the mysterious disappearance of Martha's sister several years earlier. Martha and her team must decipher the clues to find out what happened.

The mystery was very engrossing, but my favorite part of the book was learning about the work of the dictionary editors--what a fascinating job! We learn a lot about what Martha and her fellow editors do when they're not trying to decipher cryptic letters. While the characters could have been more fully-drawn, this did not detract from my enjoyment of the novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the advanced reader copy

2.5 stars

After a decade living in Berlin, Martha Thornhill has returned home to Oxford, England to take on the role of Senior Editor at the Clarendon English Dictionary. When an anonymous letter shows up at the CED Martha and her colleagues are pulled into solving the disappearance of Charlotte Thornhill, Martha's older sister, from over a decade earlier. Each clue they solve provides Martha with another insight into her enigmatic sister and hopefully leads them to the answer of what happened to Charlotte.

I really enjoyed how each chapter started with a different obscure word and its definition, and it was clear that the author truly loves language and words, both from the setting of the story and the way in which she talked about the work the characters did at CED. I did find myself skimming much of this book because the author seemed to get caught in long tangents about word etymology and other details that didn't really add to the plot happening. The climax of the book--finding out what actually happened to Charlie--ended up feeling anticlimactic. I wish the cleverness of the premise could've played out in the execution of the writing.

Guilty by Definition is out September 30, 2025

Guilty By Definition is a compelling mystery set in Oxford, England, following senior dictionary editor Martha Thornhill. Having returned to the country, Martha finds herself at the center of an unexpected puzzle when a coded letter arrives at the Clarendon English Dictionary office. As she and her coworkers begin to decipher its meaning, they uncover connections to the long unsolved disappearance of Martha’s sister, Charlie.

With each clue, new secrets emerge, revealing that Charlie was hiding far more than anyone had realized. The team works together to unravel the mystery, steadily piecing together the truth. The novel is both intellectually engaging and carefully paced, as the intricate stories unfolds. The use of high-level vocabulary adds depth to the narrative, enhancing the mystery while marking each chapter’s beginning with linguistic flair. I found myself fully invested in understanding what had happened to Charlie, and the story’s unpredictable twists kept me guessing until the very end.
Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

I was on the fence about this book. I have read several other books with British writing and they were not always my favorite. I did enjoy the clues and coded letters and wanted to figure it out myself! I love a good mystery.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Guilty by Definition is a unique and thought-provoking story. I really enjoyed the concept and found the plot both original and clever. It did take me a little longer to get through than usual—the writing style was a bit challenging at times—but I appreciated the depth and the layers as the story unfolded. It’s one of those books that makes you slow down and think, which I liked. Overall, a solid and memorable read!

🔎📚 Guilty by Definition
by Susie Dent | Pub Date: 9.30.25
🖋️ Sourcebooks Landmark | Mystery meets language obsession

What do you get when you cross Oxford academia, family secrets, and a trail of coded letters tucked inside a dictionary? An atmospheric literary mystery that had me hooked from the first page. 😱🔤

After a decade abroad, Martha returns to Oxford—and straight into a cryptic puzzle tied to the year her brilliant sister Charlie vanished. Each letter is laced with linguistic riddles, ghostly hints, and a chilling message: the truth never really died. 👻🕵️‍♀️

Expect:
📚 A linguistic whodunit
🧠 Etymological Easter eggs
💌 Anonymous clues & secret codes
🧩 Cold case intrigue
🎓 Elite academia with dark undercurrents
🧵 Tightly woven grief, mystery, and meaning

If you're a fan of The Secret History, The Lost Apothecary, or crave puzzles + prose, this debut from renowned lexicographer Susie Dent is your next autumn obsession. 🍂

#GuiltyByDefinition #SusieDent #Bookstagram #MysteryBooks #FallTBR #OxfordMystery #LiteraryThriller #WordNerdReads #Bibliomystery #BookishMystery #EtymologyObsessed #BooksWithCodes #FictionDebut #ColdCaseMystery #SourcebooksLandmark #NetGalleyReads #DarkAcademiaVibes #AutumnReads #BookReview #BookRecs #SpineTinglingReads #WomenInMystery

Hmmm…. Was hoping for something well written and action packed. This book didn’t appeal to my tastes it felt disjointed and a bit flat. It didn’t pull me in. Some other readers really liked it. Thank you to the author. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.