Mysteries and thrillers are probably my favourite genres, especially ones set in England. Something about the ancient character of England evokes even more of that mysterious feeling in the story. Guilty by Definition is set in Oxford, so it also has a real gothic feel to it.

The story revolves around our main character, Martha Thornhill, and the mystery of her missing sister. Martha and her coworkers at the Clarendon English Dictionary (CED) have received a cryptic letter that surrounds Martha's missing sister. As more letters arrive, and the team starts to get letters at home, they delve even deeper into the mystery to find devastating consequences and a couple of unexpected twists.

If you are a lover of language, mostly the English language, and its roots, then this story is for you. There were a lot of big and old words, some were explained, some not. I was glad I was reading on my Kindle and could look up words easily.

This was a slow read for the first three-quarters of the book. Some of that was because the mystery moved along slowly, some because the language bogged it down a bit.

The last quarter of this book really took off as the team was getting closer to solving the mystery, and I found I couldn't put it down. There were unexpected aspects to the story, but also aspects that had seemed a bit predictable to me.

I don't want to give away spoilers, but some of the historical aspects of this book surrounding language and literature were incredibly interesting. And I think the ending was just perfect for the story.

Overall, this was a solid debut mystery novel, and I'd recommend for mystery lovers.

One of my guilty pleasure shows is Cats Countdown. I can only watch it on YouTube here in Canada, but its a staple in my comfort show rotation. When I saw Susie had a new book coming out, I already knew I wanted to pick it up! I was wondering if her amazing grammar and dictionary knowledge would intimidate me throughout the book, but just like listening to her talk, her words came together like magic! The way she incorporates the history and meaning of words into this mystery novel was so fun and I am so glad I had a chance to read this. This book was both clever and comforting, and I think it will be a hit in early fall when everyone starts to hunker down with cozy mysteries.

This one appears to have been previously published by a different publisher but is now available in Canada through HarperCollins. The only main difference seems to be the change of names (mainly Zoe becomes Safi) based on a quick read of reviews for the original publication in the UK.

The use of older/unusual words is to be expected with the story based at the offices of the Clarendon English Dictionary and the author in general but it felt a little overdone. With a slightly longer book than most mysteries, they became tedious as they were often unrelated to the actual storyline and broke up the pacing of the book. I get that some people buying Dent's books will be looking for new and unusual words but when you stuff 4-5 meaning the same thing in one sentence, a bit much.

The mystery portion is decent. Not especially hard to work out who might be involved but some decent misdirection sprinkled through the book. It felt like they worked out some of the clues and the twist a little too easily/quickly and you are left with a few 'why would they do that?' questions but it ties up well.

What it did do well is the mess left behind when someone is missing long term like that. The guilt they all felt for various reasons. The suspicions from various characters. The shadows you live in when the unanswered questions loom over every decision you make (and some the people involved make for you).

It was far from unreadable but the language distracted rather than added to it and the mystery itself is not super complex despite the many years of not being solved and no major new evidence outside of Chorus' letters.

Thanks to HarperCollins and Netgalley for the copy for review.

3.5 stars rounded to 4

Thank you Netgalley, HarperCollins Canada and Killer Crime Club for the ARC of this book.

ictionary Corner, Susie Dent

Word games can be murder

When an anonymous letter is delivered to the offices of the Clarendon English Dictionary, it is immediately clear that this is not the usual lexicographical enquiry. Instead, the letter hints at secrets and lies linked to a particular year. For new senior editor Martha Thornhill, the date means 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 been waiting for her return?

When more letters arrive, and Martha and her team pull apart the complex clues within them, the mystery becomes even more insistent and troubling. It seems that Charlie had been keeping a powerful secret. Now someone is trying to lead the lexicographers toward the truth. But other forces are no less desperate to keep it well and truly buried.

I have to say I was so disappointed in this book. The characters lacked substance. The storyline lacked substance. The lexicography is far too overwhelming. The author seemed to be trying to be clever, but fell far too short for me. 2 out of 5 ⭐️

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

3.5* rounded down. At first I wasn't sure I was going to be able to finish this book, as all the uses of obsolete archaic words and the discussions of the roots and first usages of modern words were inserted mostly quite heavy-handedly. However, I persevered and I am glad I did. I decided to skip over the linguistic clevernesses unless they interested me, and some of them started to, although I skipped plenty.

As for the actual story, I thought it was well-plotted and the solution made sense, although the idea that making up ridiculously complicated puzzles and sending anonymous letters as a means to achieve justice requires a lot of suspension of disbelief. I enjoyed the unpeeling of the mystery and character of the long-missing Charlie, and sister Martha and her team of sleuthing dictionary editors were a likeable bunch. I was saddened by the way Martha's father treated her and was more outraged by this than Martha seems to have been.