Dead Man's Puzzle

With Sherry out of town on her honeymoon, Cora is hoping for a quiet two weeks. Unfortunately for her, the town hermit died in his rather run down shack. Chief Harper is more than ready to call it natural causes except for one thing, the crossword puzzle found at the scene. While Cora does some fast tap dancing to get the puzzle solved for the chief, the cause of death is determined to be murder. Can Cora solve it without finding any more puzzles? The last couple of books had really begun to feel formulaic to me. With Sherry being out of town, this one felt fresh and new to me. Yes, all the regular characters appear to a certain extent, but their interactions were different enough I didn't feel like I had read it again. Plus the solution to the case was brilliant. The use of the puzzles was a bit of a stretch, but since that is the premise of the series, I'll go with it. Speaking of them, there are three new crossword puzzles and one new Sudoku involved here. With another book coming soon, I am hopeful this is a sign of many more good puzzles to come for Cora.

This is another fun mystery written about our amateur sleuth, Cora Felton. This time her niece, Sherry is on her honeymoon in Africa and Cora has to fend for herself. Of course there is a murder, which first looks like a death caused by natural causes, since the victim is very old. Cora investigates the death and does discover a few puzzles along the way, which are clues, that lead to the murderer. This is a very enjoyable book that is a quick read and great for taking to the beach. I look forward each year for another puzzle lady mystery.

Cora Felton is a crossword puzzle writer in title only. She has a secret, her niece is the one who actually writes the puzzles. Cora would much prefer to be a detective anyway. In her small town a man is found dead with a crossword puzzle on his chest. The police chief calls the puzzle lady for help and she does her best to solve the mystery, much to Chief Harpers chagrin. This murder opens up questions to a long thought solved convenience store robbery. The nieces ex-husband shows up in town to muddy the waters. And when there is a deceased man's estate with no will up for grabs, "heirs" come out of the woodwork. Cora doesn't take herself too seriously and can hold her own in any situation, usually with a smart-aleck remark and quick wit. The puzzle lady mystery series are great fun and this book is no exception. Humor and murder don't seem like they go together but they blend well here. Reviewed by Vanessa Garcia

Once again Mr. Hall has supplied his readers with a fun and fast paced mystery featuring "The Puzzle Lady" Cora Felton and the gang. The mystery was fun with Dennis there to mess things up. When Cora has no help from Sherry since she is on her honeymoon, there is fun in seeing how Cora deals with the puzzles that are found. And her secret is discovered....sort of. A good fast read and one of the stronger ones in the series. Recommended for fans of the series definitely. The puzzles are pretty good too.

Bakerhaven, Connecticut police chief Dale Harper asks crossword columnist Cora "the Puzzle Lady" Felton to solve a crossword puzzle found at the death bed of nonagenarian cancer victim Herbert Overmeyer. However Cora is the front as her reticent niece Sherry Carter is the real Puzzle Lady, but she and her husband Aaron Grant are away on their African honeymoon. Needing help, Cora asks her friend corpulent puzzle maker Harvey Beerbaum to assist her. As he solves the puzzle, which seems to offer no help to the death, the autopsy reveals Herbert died from arsenic poisoning. Dale and Cora go to a remote cabin where they find a gun that ties Herbert to a five decade old Alabama convenience store robbery. Sherry's former husband Dennis investigates in an effort to get his ex back, but his mouth on TV may have led to the murder of Herbert's next door neighbor. A third related homicide also occurs. Besides the usual fun crosswords and sudoku puzzles, the latest Puzzle Lady whodunit is one of the strongest entries in recent years as Cora seeks alternative solutions. The story line is action-packed, but driven by feisty Cora who teams up with Dale to investigate the first homicide that has ties to a crime fifty years ago and leads to more murders (complements of Dennis). Readers will enjoy puzzling through the mystery and newcomers will seek to solve previous cases (see THE SUDOKU PUZZLE MURDERS). Harriet Klausner