Puzzled to Death

by Parnell Hall

When the Puzzle Lady is asked to host a charity crossword competition, she expresses only one concern: she knows nothing about crossword puzzles. But, that's the least of her concerns when a murder threatens to stop the entire event.

Although this was not the first book in the series, it was my first introduction to the Puzzle Lady. I must say that, despite my high rating, I had mixed feelings. Like most cozies, the main character is an amateur sleuth, fumbling her way through the mystery. However, she is also no puzzle expert and spends nearly as much time trying to keep people from learning her niece is the actual puzzle crafter as she does trying to solve the mystery. While this was probably explained in an earlier book, I did find it a little disappointing.

Ultimately, while I wasn't in love with the characters, I did enjoy the story, as well as the embedded puzzles, and would consider reading other books in this series. I would rate this story four quills and place it on my middle shelf.