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.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest, independent review.

Martha is the Senior Editor at Clarendon English Dictionary in Oxford. Letters start mysteriously arriving at the office, filled with clever wordplay. These letters hint at secrets and lies, leading Martha to suspect they may be clues related to the disappearance of her sister, Charlie.

As more letters arrive, Martha and her team carefully analyse them, uncovering layers of mystery that deepen with each revelation. It becomes clear that Charlie had a significant secret, and it’s up to the lexicographers to uncover the truth and find out what happened to her.

Susie Dent is the Linguistic Queen and has written several non-fiction books on language and lexicography. She makes a captivating venture into the world of fiction with her debut novel, Guilty By Definition.

From the very first page, Dent’s skill with language shines through. The narrative is rich with clever wordplay that not only enhances the unfolding mystery, but also showcases her talent for language. The plot is tightly woven around a central riddle that keeps readers engaged, with brisk pacing that drives the story forward and maintains a sense of urgency.

There are multiple POVs, enhancing the reader’s understanding of the characters and their motivations. I particularly enjoyed the chapters narrated by Zoe, who is a strong and determined female ready to face the challenge of deciphering the letters head-on.

The characters are vivid, each with their own unique voice that reflects Dent's deep understanding of how language shapes our perceptions and interactions. Martha, in particular, emerges as a complex character burdened by her own secrets, which gradually surface as the plot unfolds.

The book is a celebration of words and their power, with many unusual words weaved into the story: my new favourite is ‘wool-gathering’ which is the indulgence in aimless thought or absent-mindedness.

Guilty By Definition is an impressive debut that highlights Susie Dent's abilities beyond her linguistic expertise. It is a must-read for anyone who enjoys a well-crafted mystery and has a love for language.

If you love words and etymology alongside working out crime clues to solve a mystery, then Guilty by Definition is the book for you. Each chapter gives us a dictionary word, its meaning, and etymology, and there are lots of literary and syntactical riddles throughout all cleverly worked through by the protagonists who work on a version of the dictionary. Martha is one of the team members, and her sister Charlie, who was on the team years before, went missing without a trace. Now, all the team gave received letters with literary riddles, and each one appears to be a clue alluding to the disappearance and possibly the truth. As they desperate pursue the truth, someone is desperately trying to thwart them. A slow paced, intelligent, and immersive read. #guiltybydefinition #susiedent #netgalley

Wow! Crime thrillers aren’t my usual cup of tea but I was drawn to this as I LOVE etymology and I’m a huge word nerd (I discovered lexicography too late in life, but this would be a dream job!). Maybe this makes me biased, but having Shakespeare based clues and riddles to solve was so cool! Plus, 5 stars anyways for introducing me to my new favourite word: apricity.
I got confused between some of the characters at times but they eventually became well developed and distinguished. I enjoyed the red herrings and how key clues were swept away, to be revealed at the end…I also loved the way each chapter was named after a rare, unknowable word. I would buy a physical copy of this book just to refer back to them!
Great narrative, great twists and turns, great vocabulary…eager to read more from the beloved Susie Dent.

Thanks to NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Martha’s sister Charlie went missing. For ten years she blames herself. She works at the Oxford Dictionary . Soon her team get letters that hint at her sister’s disappearance . Her team solve the riddles sent anonymously and eventually the truth about her sister comes to light. An excellent book.

This is the first fiction book by Suzie Dent. I enjoy her on countdown and have a few books of hers on the meaning of words which I really enjoy. Sadly I am not an English Scholar. I found this very hard to read and in the end I gave up.

Susie Dent is the Queen of dictionary corner and a whizz with words and who better to write a murder mystery based around dictionaries and words.

This is a cosy but complex mystery.

Martha is a editor at the world renown Clarendon English Dictionary based in Oxford. Her team of lexicographers receive a mysterious anonymous letter which leads them into an investigation into the disappearance of Martha’s sister, Charlie.

The clues are complex and cryptic and the perfect use of their skills. To unravel the mystery of Charlie’s disappearance they need to figure out what she was working on that made her so excited.

This is a complex and multi-layered mystery with lots of red-herrings that kept me guessing all the way through.

Each chapter begins with a arcane and interesting word that is relevant to the chapter.

This is a smart and clever mystery that I found a great read.

Thank you to Bonnier Books and NetGalley for my gifted advanced copy of Guilty by Definition.