You Have the Right to Remain Puzzled

Cora Felton is bored. Nothing exciting has happened in her life for months. She even asks Chief Harper for any cases she can help solve. He gives her a case of stolen chairs. They've been missing for a year now, and the police have no leads. But things get even hairier when Cora asks her niece Sherry to create an apology puzzle for a housewife. Next thing Cora knows, she's being accused of plagiarizing the puzzle. Benny Southstreet, the original creator, has a case. This could spell the end of the Puzzle Lady columns. Then Benny is murdered and all the evidence begins to point to Cora. Can she clear herself of the frame? The book doesn't spend much time explaining who the characters are, so don't jump in here. But since this is the eighth book in the series, some previous knowledge of the characters is fine in my book. There are so many plot threads in this book that I had a hard time seeing how Parnell Hall would tie it all together. But in the end, he did. And, while Cora kept most of the important clues to herself until the end, we did get to see a few of them as the story unfolded. And those chair become the subject of a comedy of errors that become very funny. Unfortunately, the characters weren't quite as lovable, at least in the beginning. The normal banter seemed more edged with anger. And I didn't care for Sherry and Aaron's sub-plot. (Speaking of which, can Dennis be a murder victim soon? Please?) Once things got going, it was much better and there were even some laughs along the way. This is one of the most puzzling cases in the series yet. Fans will be glad to see that the Puzzle Lady has lost none of her ability to mystify.

The first book of many that I plan on reading. I couldn't help but like the puzzle lady, warts and all! Very good story line, too, I almost solved it. And if you like doing puzzles, you get an added bonus.

I enjoyed reading this book. I am a big fan of the Puzzle Lady Mysteries. I have read them all, and often look forward to a new book each year. This was a fast read and some of the statements that Cora the Puzzle Lady says in the book are comical. I have found over the past years that the earlier Puzzle Lady Mysteries were better than the recent ones. This story made the Puzzle Lady seem very mean and feisty. In the past the character was feisty in a comical way. The Puzzle lady used to drink alcohol a little too much, but she was a sweet, happy drunk. The author now has our heroine on the wagon and she seems very bitter without her booze. While reading this book I often wished she would start to drink or get another love interest so she would lighten up. I thought the Puzzle Lady seemed a little too mean for her own good in this story. The last couple of chapters left me confused regarding how the murder occurred. I felt like the author had to quickly write the ending.

One day at the coffee shop, puzzle lady Cora Feldon is asked to construct a puzzle for Mimi Dillinger so that's she can give it to her husband Chuck when she tells him she crashed the car. She hopes he will forgive her, which he does. Mimi publicly thanks Cora for the role her puzzle played and the note and puzzle appearin the newspaper. However there is one minor problem. Cora did not create the puzzle; her niece Sherry Carter did and she purloined it from a book of puzzles though she changed the clues. The actual puzzle creator Benny Southstreet is livid that Cora plagiarized his work and when he challenged her she blew him off because she refuses to believe that Sherry would do such a deed. Benny plans to sue Cora so he breaks into her home and that of the Dillingers seeking proof. Earlier that day Mimi notices fifteen hundred dollars lying loose at her husband's desk so she puts the cash away. Chick calls the police to report a break-in, which leads to a series of events resulting in someone murdering Benny and Cora arrested for the homicide as all evidence leads to her. The latest puzzle lady mystery is a delightful whodunit complete with crossword puzzles that entertain and stimulate the readers with clues to the mystery. Cora is the star as she seeks to clear her name even while every clue she finds proves her guilt. There are many red herrings that the audience will not know across from down as Cora looks guilty. Parnell Hall provides his fans with a solid murder mystery that only by finishing the book can a reader uncover the identity of the culprit. Harriet Klausner