The queen of Dictionary Corner delivers her engaging debut crime novel - perfect for fans of Richard Osman and the Reverend Richard Coles - as a series of mysterious letters lead a group of lexicographers on the search for a missing woman.
'Find the truth between the lines.'
When an anonymous letter is delivered to the Clarendon English Dictionary, it puzzles the team of lexicographers working there. It soon becomes clear that this is not the usual eccentric enquiry. The letter hints at secrets, lies, and a particular year. For Martha Thornhill, the new Senior Editor, the date can mean only one thing: the summer her brilliant, beautiful older sister Charlie went missing.
After a decade spent living abroad, Martha has returned to her father, her home, and the city whose institutions have defined her family. But the ghosts she had thought to be at rest seem to have been waiting for her to return.
When more letters arrive and the team pull apart the clues within them, the questions become more insistent and troubling. Charlie had been keeping a powerful secret, but as the mystery of her disappearance starts to unravel, someone is trying to lead the lexicographers to the truth, while another is desperate to keep it buried.
Publisher: Bonnier Books Ltd
ISBN: 9781804183946
Number of pages: 400
Weight: 629 g
Dimensions: 240 x 162 x 36 mm
Guilty by Definition will delight anyone who appreciates fine crime writing as well as logophiles and lovers of Inspector Morse - Mark Sanderson, The Times
This astonishingly clever literary mystery will be catnip to logophiles and cruciverbalists alike - The Guardian
The twisty narrative zips along and I rooted for Martha from the start. It's beautifully written and full of rare or forgotten words, which felt pleasingly educational. Wonderful. - Daily Mail
Dent has struck a perfect balance between the language lessons of Bill Bryson and amateur sleuthing of Richard Osman - Buzz Mag
Guilty by Definition was simply a marvel. It is a fiendishly clever mystery, packed with twists and turns and delightfully interesting wordplay. Do not miss this brilliant book - Nerd Daily
Charming ... the whole novel is a joy for word lovers - Belfast Telegraph
If you're like me and love both language and crime, then Guilty by Definition has it all. Susie Dent's impressive debut novel is virtuosic. So meticulously and fascinatingly steeped in the archaic glory of words, it will surely be the ultimate treat for every logophile out there. But this is so much more than a celebration of the dictionary - it's a tantalising mystery of a missing sister, a cold case that will not lie down, and a family frozen in their unresolved grief... all while their circle of friends and colleagues nurse secrets and lies beyond explication. Guilty by Definition is positively aglitter with etymological and detecting treasures for word-sleuths and crime-fans alike. - Janice Hallett, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Appeal
The main characters are people I'd like to meet in real life; the Oxford types are convincing; the puzzle is well worked-out. And it kept me reading eagerly - Philip Pullman
The brilliant lexicographer turns out to be a brilliant storyteller too. This is huge fun and, as you'd expect, also beautifully written - Gyles Brandreth
Quite simply one the finest mysteries I have ever read - Rob Rinder
A cryptic crossword of a mystery with all the clues leading to a stand out thriller that will have every reader racing to put the pieces together and solve this addictive case.
Susie Dent makes her debut in this...
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Susie dent has of course written many books but this is her first novel. The story revolves around the disappearance of a young woman working at the Clarendon English Dictionary in oxford. Over ten years later her... More
Guilty by definition - Susie Dent
In 2010 Martha's sister Charlie disappeared. Ten years later clues start arriving in the post to Martha, close acquaintances and friends she works with at the the offices of...
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