After many years away, Martha Thornhill has returned to Oxford, England, back to her hometown and has gotten a job as the new senior editor at the Clarendon English Dictionary. Martha and her team, Simon, Alex and Zoe are responsible for updating and maintaining the English dictionary. They often get queries and suggestions about words or amendments to dictionary entries. These come in the form of letters or emails from the public or academic figures. One such letter they presume comes in, until they open it, and find it laid out in the form of a cryptic cipher. Intrigued, they work on solving the clues laid out in it, and even involve some external colleagues for advice, such is the complexity of the seeming cryptogram.

Upon solving the clues laid out in the letter, the message seems to point towards the disappearance of Martha’s sister over ten years ago. As further letters arrive to taunt them, can the team figure out who the sender is and why the messages are being sent to them? As they try to unearth the secret, it becomes clear that there are those who want much to remain buried. Furthermore, how dangerous is the sender?

I fully expected any story written by Susie Dent to involve long forgotten words, dictionaries, lexicography and a tangle of the English language. This novel does not disappoint. This is not a fast paced, page turning, who dunnit. Instead, it is a slow burning, involved, puzzle solving, murder mystery. You are almost brought into the fold as one of the team members, given the opportunity to try and solve the ciphers along with them. If, like me, they go over your head most of the time, you can enjoy the processes undertaken to solve them. If you enjoy reading, learning obscure words and the history of the English language, this book combines all of that along with a crime story. Solving the crime occurs at a different pace to a regular crime novel, but it is more of an intellectual tact than a ‘shake a tree until a clue falls out’ approach.

I loved how each chapter started with a definition of an obscure word. I took note of many for future use, sure I will remember them when the time comes! Overall an engaging and intellectual approach to a murder mystery and thoroughly enjoyable read. I look forward to more from Mrs. Dent.

*I received this book from NetGalley for review, but all opinions are my own.

Any novel by Susie Dent is bound to involve dictionaries, words and etymological details, so “Guilty by definition” does not disappoint here. I was sceptical if the book itself would deliver and I admit the beginning was rather slow and full of digressions. There is a puzzle to solve, clues left in letters sent to the lexicographers, there is a missing woman, and secrets Martha and her team will need to uncover. However, to me the story was interesting because of the connections with words, with lexicography and dictionaries, and the fact that the story is also tied to Oxford and its history.

This could have been a timing thing more than anything and I may revisit again one day, but this just wasn't for me which is a shame as I was so excited. It just felt a bit 'yes Suzie we know you know all the words'. And I consider myself to have a pretty good vocabulary. I just think the reading ease may have been too much when I read it as I was having an MS flare up, so cognitively I wasn't great.

Guilty by definition by Susie Dent is a mystery novel in which Martha returns to work at the Clarendon English Dictionary (CED), when they start receiving letters to events in 2010, the year her sister Charlie went missing

With each letter the workers at the CED use their knowledge of the English Language to reveal the secrets about Charlie’s disappearance.

in the vein of a mystery hunt where all the clues are set around the English language

Guilty by Definition by Susie Dent is one of those novels that can be quite difficult to review not because it is a bad novel, in fact the characters all help to move the story along and the mystery will keep readers gripped throughout.

The problem is who this novel's ideal reader,, the reason I say this is that Guilty by Definition is your standard middle class thriller where an individual has the knowledge to solve a secret that has been hidden for years.

Usually they are set around a major conspiracy, for example a painting that will change the geopolitics at this time. Although in this case it is the disappearance of a Young woman.

With this type of plot Susie Dent’s book should fill this market quite well.The problem is this feels like a more literary novel than the standard conspiracy thriller/mystery novel

This is also true of the level of the clues used in the novel, and while the characters and the author of the book are lexicographers which raises the difficulty level of clues,

While this may be fine for readers who love doing cryptic clues or enjoy words in general, the average reader may have difficulty solving clues.

This is fine if the story flows and the tension builds along the way, making the book more of a thriller, Guilty by Definition does not do this.

Which means Suzie Dent;s novel will be enjoyed by many readers however. some will find this novel does have some weakness which will damage their enjoyment.

I loved this book! It is incredibly readable, yet also very clever-not just another celebrity having a go at writing a book. You can see Susie's love of words and riddles throughout which adds an added element to the novel.
I like that it is solveable by the reader, however I did not guess any of the twists because I am no crossword-er.

Love it, please write more! Richard Osman, move over!

This book will be a pleasure for people who enjoy books and words and puzzles - the crime story element faded substantially into the background for much of the story, and it was much slower paced than most mysteries as the sleuths delve through archives and clues to uncover who is sending them cryptic messages, and how it links to the disappearance of a young woman a decade ago. I enjoyed it, I wouldn't say that the story gripped me, since it was quite slow paced, but I liked the academic setting, the clues and puzzles, and the obvious delight in obscure words and their meanings.

I am grateful to Susie Dent, Bonnier Books UK, and Netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy. Here follows my review of the book.

I am always a little curious when I see a celebrity release a book that isn’t a memoir type book, particularly when they release a novel that seems so far from what they do day-to-day. However, as soon as I saw that Susie Dent was releasing a novel, I jumped at the chance to locate a copy. Known for being quite the wordsmith on Countdown, and having published books related to the lexicon, what could she possibly have up her sleeve when it came to drafting a novel. These thoughts plagued me from the moment I read her interview foretelling of the venture until two minutes into the reading experience.

As soon as I met the cast of characters and read the banter they were having about words people were sending them for adding to the dictionary, I caught a vibe of the old TV series, ‘Signed, Sealed, and Delivered.’ It was the banter and the love for the work they do, followed by stumbling upon a mystery that they just have to delve into that made them enjoyable to follow in the first instance.

Simon, Zoe, Alex, and Martha are a group of editors working on updating the English dictionary. They often receive queries and suggestions about language and amendments to be made to dictionary entries. On one occasion, they stumble across the most curious, cryptic play on quotes and words that hint at murder. Not content with dismissing it as the ramblings of an eloquent writer with too much time on their hands, they dwell on the letter, sharing it with colleagues, until it becomes clear that there might be more to the text than first meets the eye. With clues pointing towards the disappearance of one of the editors’ relations followed by an array of clues old and new, can this group decipher the taunts and get to the bottom of whatever they are being vaguely directed to, without falling prey to a dangerous fate themselves?

I loved how the novel was true to Dent nature. Each chapter started with a definition of largely long-forgotten words. It had a great opening, with a pretty steady pace throughout most of the book. Unfortunately, this pace was rather slow and arduous. At times it felt like the words were mud and the reader was having to wade through it, sometimes getting stuck. Towards the middle of the novel, I found myself waning. It was particularly difficult because the cryptic clues were overly clever and I believe most readers will struggle to participate in the solving of the mystery, which is half the fun in most cases.

On the surface level, I enjoyed the characters and the relationships between them all, although I think the book was largely carried by the main character, Martha. The remaining editors were indistinct of each other, although their colleague Johnathan and his wife, and the missing person’s ex, Tom, and his wife made up for it.

Owing to the level of complexity with the clues, I can appreciate why the book was so lengthy, but because I felt excluded from the team, I found myself trying to hurtle toward the end so I could seek a resolution and move on. By the time I reached the end, I have to admit, I was dissatisfied with the conclusion.

This book is largely suited to a niche, literary audience, and a Countdown/Susie Dent fanbase. With such an intriguing title, an author I admire, and a background in English, coupled with a love for mysteries, I wanted to love and rave about this book, but the outcome could not have been further from this. Consequently, I am only able to see the book as an average read, which affords it a 3 out of 5 stars.

Thank you for allowing me to review this book. I was intrigued by the blurb, however, for me the linguistic side of the story was too much. I found it hard going, although a slow pace I perceived as I wanted to know where Charlotte was. The outcome was as I expected. I didn't guess who Chorus was, sending the cryptic clues in letters. My knowledge of Shakespeare works and other classics is not as good as the author's, I therefore didn't work out the clues.
This book will be enjoyed by those with more interest in language and its linguistic form than me.

I had such high hopes for this book by much loved Susie Dent off the telly (from Cats Does Countdown - among other things...) Guilty by Definition is her debut novel and I didn't know if it would be a serious book or a tongue in cheek 'whodunnit'. For me, sadly, it didn't hit the mark in either camp.

While Guilty by Definition is a reasonable read I found the continual injection of 'big' words to be an unnecessary detraction from the story. I would have worked if it had been just one character, or if it were all just part of the MO but it wasn't.

That said, Susie is clearly a bright and interesting woman and she describes Oxford beautifully and has set a mystery around an anonymous letter arriving at the offices of the Clarendon English Dictionary containing a challenge for the team of lexicographers working there.

This ties in with another mystery for the new senior editor, Martha, who is weighed down by emotional turmoil from worry over her missing sister.

All in all, this is a slow burn with a clever storyline once it gets going and as much as I wanted to love it I just found it a little clunky in places, as if the author had been obligated to lean way too heavily into her lexicographer niche.

My thanks to NetGalley, the author and Bonnier Books UK for an ARC in return for an honest review.

This is the debut novel by English writer and broadcaster, Susie Dent. Set in Oxford, Susie builds a story around the Clarendon English Dictionary and the letters that are sent to them. These letters are anonymous and hint towards secrets and lies from the year that Charlie Thornhill went missing. Her younger sister Martha, is the CED, and as more letters arrive, the clues hidden in them become more alarming and complex.

The synopsis for this book sounded quite intriguing but sadly it didn’t live up to it. It seemed to take ages before the plot got enjoyable, rather than waffling on to fill the pages up.

I enjoyed this read particularly the cosy mystery aspect & following the characters attempting to solve puzzles & clues to figure out what has happened. I just found a little bit too much focus on squeezing in as many big words as possible, I know this is what the author is none for and I was expecting just not this much, I felt it swamped the plotline.

I still found it a good and look forward to seeing if the author writes anymore.

I really enjoyed this cosy thriller even if it did make me feel a bit stupid at times!

I knew what I was getting in to, Susie is very clever and this book is written but maybe too clever at points?

I still enjoyed it and the style makes it different so it worth a read for that.

I love a murder mystery and this was cleverly bound together with words and puzzles. It appealed to my crossword brain although my Shakespeare knowledge is not good!
The characters were likeable and it made Oxford come alive with how the university works and the world of academia.

Susie Dent is a very clever woman. This is a well written book, and is certainly better than many novels written by celebrities and television personalities. The plot is tight if a little slow, the characters are credible and ‘real’, the outcome very hard to guess. It will certainly please readers who enjoy a cryptic puzzle.

My main problem with the book is that the dictionary setting gives the author umpteen opportunities to feed in ‘big words’. The chapter headings work and are interesting but the overdone nature of the wordplay detracts from the plotting in my opinion, and is unnecessary because the story would be enough.

There are no spoilers here as this needs to be read with no preconceptions. Martha returns to Oxford to work as editor of a large dictionary. Her team is small and we get insights into their lives and watch as their relationships grow when strange cryptic postcards and letters start arriving. They all seem connected to the unsolved disappearance of Martha’s sister, Charlie. Charlie was a brilliant academic who may have been a little unscrupulous. Is she dead or did she just escape her stressful life.

We follow the team as they solve puzzles and try to figure out if Charlie is alive and sending them or if they’re clues to what happened to her. The resolution is brilliant and satisfying and makes sense when you think back through the clues.

Ms Dent has a firm grip on a very entertaining narrative and I look forward to reading what her imagination creates next.

With thanks to the author, publishers Bonnier Books UK, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I found this to be a strong fiction debut by this author. I confess to not having read any of her previous non-fiction works, but am familiar with her from Countdown (in particular the feline version). Therefore it came as no surprise to me that this book is a language lover’s delight. I don’t think I have ever highlighted or made note of as many words in a book before! My favourite has to be “Vellichor: the musty, musky, and utterly beguiling smell of old books”. I collect old books and so have experienced this unmistakable and wonderful odour many times before, but had never considered that there might be a word for it!

The story itself was well constructed, and kept me wondering where it was leading pretty much to the end. I found the characters to be likeable and credible, and enjoyed their interactions in the dictionary offices, particularly their combined efforts as deciphering the hidden meaning of the letters they received. I listened to the audiobook version, and was not surprised to hear the author reveal in an interview directly after the novel that she had received help from one of the compilers of the Guardian cryptic crosswords in putting the letters together.

All in all it was a very enjoyable experience, particularly for someone who enjoys languages and learning new words and their origins, and I look forward to a sequel.

Of course if you love reading, you love words and how they came to be about then this book would certainly be the one for you. The plot of anonymous letters arriving at the offices of an English Dictionary, pale into insignificance in my opinion.

Whilst the letters have clues that need to be solved and relate to a previous case which relates to a missing person, who also happens to be the sister of the editor of the dictionary, Martha.

This makes for an interesting premise, but for me it was lost with the amount of word information which was seemingly shoehorned into the book. As some one who has read Dent’s non fiction books, this was simply a rehash and therefore distracted from the plot.

If you have no knowledge of Dent and her previous works and are fascinated by words then the book is for you. However if you have more than a passing knowledge of somethings this book could be tedious as the plot isn’t strong enough to stand out.

I was disappointed and it left me feeling rather flat.

I really enjoyed this mystery thriller set in Oxford, with an intriguing plot full of twists and a clever use of lexicography by Susie Dent. The word puzzles and clues were brilliantly crafted, and while the villain was easier to spot, the world of lexicography added a unique and compelling layer to the story.

I love hearing about the meaning of obscure words - and Susie Dent's X feed is great for this. I don't know what I'd expected her novel would be like but I don't think I'd anticipated quite such a liberal sprinkling of odd words - with explanations - at the heart her book. And for me the interspersing of facts about words with the unravelling of the mystery of missing Charlotte didn't entirely work. The book itself was fine, a solid murder mystery set in Oxford - although I can't say I warmed to Martha. I also found the puzzles on the postcards sent to the dictionary team clever but a bit complex for me. I am grateful to NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review, but unfortunately this book was only a 3.5* for me (rounded to a 3)

Newly appointed as editor of the CED, Martha has returned to her hometown of Oxford after many years. However, her world is turned upside down as she, and her colleagues, receive a series of messages hinting at the reasons for the disappearance of her elder sister over ten years ago. Now Martha and her team are in a race to solve an unsolved crime and to do it they have to solve a series of word-based clues - it's a good job that they're all lexicographers.
Another book with a celebrity link but this is a really good one (mostly). I loved the whole word play about the clues, nicely complex and I felt that the story about the eclipsed younger sister was handled well (from personal experience). However I found the ending a little disappointing, I'd worked out who the killer was but the identity of 'Chorus' and that motivation was underwhelming.