I don’t frequently read thrillers and mysteries unless I know the author’s other work, and I’m glad I picked this one up as I had previously enjoyed Susie Dent’s other books focusing on etymology and origins of phrases. This book had enough of that to grip me from the start, which I found a little bit slow but it really picked up a few chapters in. I loved the setting of a dictionary office, and the mysteries of books and publishing, and think this would be a fantastic book for any thriller fans to read, but also would recommend any fans of language check it out as well, as it was really well-written and I loved seeing the different chapter headings with word definitions.

Susie Dent’s debut novel intrigued me from the start. As a language enthusiast, I was eager to see how she would weave her knowledge of words into a fictional narrative. I wasn’t disappointed! The story, set amongst the lexicographers of the Clarendon English Dictionary in Oxford, follows Martha, a senior editor, as she and her team receive cryptic messages seemingly connected to her sister’s disappearance years earlier.

Dent’s writing is as sharp and engaging as one might expect, with vivid descriptions and a vocabulary that is both rich and accessible. While some readers may find the numerous unusual words distracting, I relished the opportunity to expand my lexicon. I particularly enjoyed the way Dent incorporated word origins and definitions into the narrative. It added a unique layer to the mystery and highlighted the power of language.

The mystery itself is cleverly constructed, with twists and turns that kept me guessing. While the pacing was a little slow at times, I found myself thoroughly engrossed in the world Dent created. I especially enjoyed the academic setting and the glimpses into the inner workings of a dictionary. Overall, "Guilty by Definition" is a captivating read that will appeal to both mystery lovers and word nerds alike!

I wouldn't expect anything less than this being well written! Great read had me hooked. Will definitely read another book by Susie Dent

I find word origins and language history fascinating, so naturally I am a big fan of Susie Dent. When I heard she was writing a novel, I was eager to read it and am so glad I have. I loved this book, and cannot wait to read more by her.

I was delighted to be invited to review this debut book by Susie Dent as I have been a fan of hers and her interesting talks on words and beginnings. How ever I started to read Guilty by Definition and it be on the academic level from the start. I persisted and found that as I got further into it the formations and history of words became very absorbing. Unfortunately this caused a diversion in my reading as I delved into my own search for the origins and history of words, and how they became into everyday usage. Back to the book which by the way I found to be very absorbing,. It starts with Martha Thornhill lately returned from Berlin where she had been nursing herself from her past. She now is working with a small team, for the Clarendon English Dictionary (CED) based in Oxford. Her sister Charlie Thornhill, a PhD student has been missing for ten years. Mysteriously, the team and others outside the team start receiving cards and letters with cryptic clues and references based on Shakespear and that period. This leads the team to get together and start to investigate what they mean and their origins. Martha also involves a DS Cresswell who was part of the original investigation into Charlie’s disappearance. As the investigation progresses many aspects of life are revealed and her own researches into the Commonplace book which are observations and comments of people’s lives and times. I strongly recommend that you read this book as I may spoil it if I reveal too much. It is well written with an entirely different approach, The story also has some good twists and turns. One of the most interesting reads for me in a long time.

The first novel by Susie Dent
I was looking forward to reading this and was not disappointed

Well written (obviously I would expect nothing less)
Interesting and gripping

I will definitely read more by her

Very much enjoyed reading this but it's probably not one I'll reread. The characters and plot were decent and I'd be keen to pick up books by Susie Dent again in future, but I can't say I love it.

I don't have the words to describe how much I enjoyed this book. I feel as though I should have though, after reading this mystery; set in the office of the Clarendon English Dictionary, where Martha is the senior editor and works with a small team of etymologists and lexicographers, defining words, adding to definitions as usage changes and dating and ante-dating words in use for use in the dictionary.

I can only hope that some of the words defined at the start of each chapter have settled somewhere in my brain, ready for use some time in the future.

I loved this book so much that after only a chapter or two, I was already sorry that it would end.

Martha's older sister Charlie had disappeared without trace 14 years before and when the team receive a letter from 'Chorus', full of cryptic references, word puzzles and the assertion that Charlie's story needed to be revealed, they set about solving the clues and following Charlie's last weeks before she vanished.

It's a joy to read. There was no doubt that it would be well-written, with an extensive vocabulary, but it's also intriguing, clever and gripping.

As the mystery of Charlie's disappearance is uncovered, there's a tale of literary discovery that's incredible - the excitement was palpable - even though it was a fictional discovery.

I had to try and find a word to describe how sad I was that soon, I would have finished this book and I found ‘finifugal’, from the 19th century: avoiding the end of something (a box set, an excellent book, sleep, etc.) because you want it to go on forever and I think that might just be perfect!

Read it - it's excellent.

Dent brings her love and knowledge of words to the page in this riveting read where words really do matter as much as actions.

Educating and captivating.

A great book that easily had me hooked. A proper puzzle that was well thought out and had me fooled the whole way through.

Highly recommended, 5 stars from me.

I enjoyed this book, I did feel like it was a little slow to begin with but it picked up and became more intriguing. I think I’d have enjoyed reading a physical copy even more as I’d have been able to flick back to the messages and reread them as the characters spoke about them and decrypted them!

I have watched countdown for many years intermittently but when I listened to her podcast with Gyles Brandreth I really became a fan of this wordsmith. I was incredibly pleased when I found the Netgalley gave me the ARC and started reading as soon as I could. Susie Dent is not surprisingly a good writer, but I am not as blown away by her storytelling. I did like the interesting words at the beginning of each chapter and the people, writing style and storytelling were OK but not mind blowing. However, it flowed nicely and kept me entertained throughout and hopefully it will form the introduction to a series involving a group of wordy people who will continue to solve mysteries in Oxford.
Thank you all for the ARC

When the lexicographers at the Clarendon English Dictionary get an anonymous letter suggesting things about events that took place in 2010 they are baffled. For Martha Thornhill 2010 has particular significance- it was the year her sister Charlie went missing. As more letters & postcards arrive the staff become intrigued as they try to decode the message in them. Set in the scholarly world of Oxford the lexicographers have the skills & imagination to find out the answers- even if it puts them in harms way.

I absolutely loved this book! I was fascinated by the words that started each chapter- I even worked out what some of them meant! I must admit I don't watch 'Catchphrase' so I wasn't aware of Susie Dent- however I loved her writing. It was a good story with beautiful language that kept me guessing. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book. It's one of my favourite books I've read so far this year.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.

I’ll be upfront and confess I’d pretty much guessed whodunnit early in the story, however this didn’t spoil my enjoyment at all. The mystery was interesting, the sense of place rich and detailed, and the characters engaging and sympathetic.

I thoroughly recommend this book to anyone looking for an interesting mystery that will keep you engaged from first page to last.

*** Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher ***

Oh! I so wanted to love this book. Susie Dent is so clever and I adore her podcast with Giles Brandreth.
Unfortunately, for me, this was an OK read. I think the premise is an excellent one. However, the complexity of the words interfered (for me) with the storyline and I struggled to finish it.

It’s well written and I wish it every success, but, for me it was too much like hard work.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bonnie’s Books for the opportunity to preview.

I was really looking forward to this book but it was a slow start for me. It felt like the author was almost trying too hard and I was glad of the dictionary in my kindle! I'm glad I persevered though as the story did pick up and ultimately, it was one that I enjoyed.

I was absolutely engrossed.

I actually listened to the audiobook and it was such a brilliant narration.

Gripping and intriguing.

5*

This was a really clever and entertaining crime novel by Susie Dent. I really really enjoyed it , including the author's powers of description of place. The plot was gripping and how wonderful would it be if the discovery at the heart of the mystery and murder could be true. There is something very authentic about the possibility .If I had a criticism , it would be that at times the characterisation was a little perfunctory, but in all a great read. Thank you to the publishers. author and Netgalley for the opportunity to access an arc.

I had high hopes for this as I regularly watch Countdown and enjoy Susie's contributions as well as her section where she gives meaning and history to various words.

However this book stated slowly and I nearly gave up on it as there was a bit too much use of unusual words which seemed to want to demonstrate the author's cleverness rather than focus on h=just telling the story.

The relationships of the team could have been developed more than they were and the twist could be seen coming from a long way back so it wasn't much of a revelation.

Well written yes but well paced not so much and I wouldn't be particularly recommending this as a must read.

This could have been really good but it ended up being just fine.

This is a slower paced mystery littered with lexical intrigue, it all had so much promise but I think I enjoyed the idea of this book far more than the execution.

Knowing the author’s profession, it came as no surprise that our FMC worked at a dictionary and that unusual words were going to be littered throughout. I initially welcomed these interjections and I was looking forward to them being incorporated into the tale, but unfortunately I think they often missed the mark. There were far too many occasions where the word choice didn’t bring anything interesting to the story, detracted from the events, negatively impacted the pacing or quite simply just felt superfluous. It really felt excessive and honestly hindered by enjoyment as they felt redundant and overdone.

The mystery itself wasn’t particularly surprising or anything all that new - if you’ve read a fair few mysteries it wouldn’t shock me if you were able to plot the eventual reveal from early on in the book.

The pacing was slow. While it does slowly pick up as we head towards the later end of the book it’s still a bit of a drag and all too easy to put down.

The characters themselves felt like they had a lot of potential here. There could have been some wonderfully nuances relationships developing but as soon as we got close to adding some layers to the book we were cut off with an unnecessary definition, excessive whimsical description or oxford, or our FMC being plain boring.

Overall, it’s all just a bit overdone and ends up feeling a bit flat.

I don’t know why I always read these celebrity books with high hopes (I always think ‘this one will be different’), but when I saw Susie Dent had put one out I genuinely thought we were going to get a delightful mash up of mysteries with a love of words. In reality this read like a celebrity book. I am sure it will sell many copies but it’s not one I will be able to recall anything from in a few months aside from a bland mystery bogged down in excessive vocabulary flaunting.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-ARC