Clarendon Lexicographers – serie

A brand-new linguistic mystery from Countdown's resident lexicographer, Susie Dent, set in the city of Oxford'A MUST-READ' Woman's Own'A CLEVER, TWISTY MYSTERY' Good Housekeeping'BRILLIANT, GRIPPING, UNPUTDOWNABLE' Kate Williams'A COMPELLING MURDER MYSTERY PUNCTUATED BY DELICIOUS ETYMOLOGICAL PUZZLES' Tom Read-Wilson'EVERY BIT AS GRIPPING AS HER DEBUT' Daily MailA mysterious letter. A silenced scholar. A city paved with injustice.When mysterious symbols appear as graffiti around Oxford, lexicographer Martha Thornhill recognises them from an alphabet created by a deceased writer whose papers she once worked on. But this is no publicity stunt, and tensions intensify when further graffiti is found near the body of a university lecturer. Martha is not the only one to have doubts when the suspicious death is assumed by police to be a suicide. Called upon to lend their linguistic expertise to the case, she and her colleagues begin to unearth a tragedy that extends beyond the ancient walls of the university. As new messages portend more death, it's clear that a spirit of vengeance is stalking the city's streets, and may be reaching out towards them too.PRAISE FOR GUILTY BY DEFINITION:'Astonishingly clever'THE GUARDIAN'Will delight anyone who appreciates fine crime writing'THE TIMES'One of the finest mysteries I have ever read'ROB RINDER'Huge fun and beautifully written'GYLES BRANDRETH'A tantalising mystery'JANICE HALLETT'Genuinely page-turning'LALINE PAULLGuilty by Definition (book 1) was a Sunday Times bestseller August 2024

THE BESTSELLING RICHARD AND JUDY BOOK CLUB PICKA TAKE A BREAK BOOK CLUB SELECTION A GOOD HOUSEKEEPING GOOD BOOKS READER FAVOURITE'ONE OF THE FINEST MYSTERIES I HAVE EVER READ'Rob Rinder, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Trial'A TANTALISING MYSTERY FOR WORD SLEUTHS AND CRIME FANS ALIKE'Janice Hallett, Sunday Times bestselling author of The AppealA coded letter. A missing woman. A truth waiting to be found. When an anonymous letter is delivered to the Clarendon English Dictionary office, it becomes rapidly clear that this is not the usual word-related enquiry. Instead, the letter hints at sinister events linked to a particular year.For editor Martha Thornhill, the date can mean only one thing: the summer her brilliant older sister Charlie went missing. Ten years on, Martha and her family are no closer to unravelling the mystery of Charlie's disappearance - until now.As more letters arrive, Martha and her team follow the linguistic clues to a troubling truth. It seems Charlie was keeping a powerful secret, and that someone is desperate to keep it well and truly buried.Guilty by Definition is a love letter not only to language but to the city of Oxford, wrapped within an intriguing mystery of a missing woman and considering the emotional aftershocks of her disappearance on those left behind.Guilty by Definition was a Sunday Times bestseller in August 2024

THE BESTSELLING RICHARD AND JUDY BOOK CLUB PICKA TAKE A BREAK BOOK CLUB SELECTION A GOODHOUSEKEEPING GOOD BOOKS READER FAVOURITE'ONE OF THE FINEST MYSTERIES I HAVE EVER READ'Rob Rinder, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Trial'A TANTALISING MYSTERY FOR WORD SLEUTHS AND CRIME FANS ALIKE'Janice Hallett, Sunday Times bestselling author of The AppealA coded letter. A missing woman. A truth waiting to be found. When an anonymous letter is delivered to the Clarendon English Dictionary office, it becomes rapidly clear that this is not the usual word-related enquiry. Instead, the letter hints at sinister events linked to a particular year.For editor Martha Thornhill, the date can mean only one thing: the summer her brilliant older sister Charlie went missing. Ten years on, Martha and her family are no closer to unravelling the mystery of Charlie's disappearance - until now.As more letters arrive, Martha and her team follow the linguistic clues to a troubling truth. It seems Charlie was keeping a powerful secret, and that someone is desperate to keep it well and truly buried.Guilty by Definition is a love letter not only to language but to the city of Oxford, wrapped within an intriguing mystery of a missing woman and considering the emotional aftershocks of her disappearance on those left behind.Guilty by Definition was a Sunday Times bestseller August 2024