Unsurprisingly set in the office of a dictionary, Dent’s first novel is a very smart thriller that’s good enough to ignore it being authored by a TV personality. The literary-ness of the mystery reminded me a little of the wonderful Possession by A.S. Byatt.

I knew a book by the fabulous Susie Dent would be worth reading, and I’m happy to say I was absolutely right! So much etymology and a clear joy of using language, coupled with a twisty turny storyline made it just perfect. I can’t wait for her next novel!

I thoroughly enjoyed this murder mystery style book by Susie Dent. You feel drawn in by the accessibility of all these big words and phrases!
I struggled keeping up with all of the characters at the start, but as you work your way through the story, everyone comes in their own. The mild twists and turns in the last 25% really kept me on the edge of my seat, but be warned it is a sloooow burn for some!
Would love to read more from Susie in this genre in the future.

I found this book difficult to get into but was glad I stuck with it in the end. Some of the word explanations got a bit wearing after a while and I struggled but overall a good story.

I'm not a big fan of celebrity authors and thought there was a good chance I'd dislike Guilty by Definition, but found it to be a surprisingly enjoyable mystery. I don't think it'll be a big shock to anyone that Susie Dent's fiction debut involves a group of lexicographers, a series of fiendish puzzles and numerous archaic words. After all, why not write about what you know. Maybe the puzzles are a bit too fiendish (I like a cryptic crossword, but struggled to solve more than a couple of elements.), and there are perhaps a few too many archaic words and their definitions, but you never really feel like you're being overly educated.

Thanks to NetGalley, Zaffre Publishing Group and the author for an advance copy.

This book appealed to my love of the written word and libraries. The book centers on Martha, a new chief editor at the Clarendon English Dictionary, and the disappearance of her older sister nearly 10 years before. When letters begin to arrive in the office, the office collaborates on solving the clues. It becomes a sort of literary [book:The Da Vinci Code|968] with Shakespearean quotations and anagrams and puzzles to solve. The book is set in modern day, but has an old feel to it and does get a little plodding at times. Martha is a bit annoying at times and a little hard to connect with. It is almost surprising at times when you realize that she's in her 30s, not her 50s. The mystery was a little drawn out, but it was still enjoyable. The setting - Oxford - definitely contributes to the old world vibe. There's also a hint of romance in the book and I wonder if there are other mysteries to come that might involve the CED and the local detective. This was a good debut novel and should appeal to those who like to play with the written word.

Words included that were interesting:

Mountweazel: a bogus inclusion / fictitious entry planted to catch copyright infringement; comes from an entry in a biographical dictionary of a fictitious woman named Lilian Mountweazel

Ert: to irritate, disturb, or poke (15th century)

Sonder: the realization that other people have rich and complicated lives that one will never know

Desiderate: to long for something now lost (17th century)

Zugzwang: the obligation to make a move, but every move is detrimental

Tidsoptimist: a time optimist


Quotes I like:

...language defines us and is the framework of out thought: an endless, shifting, complex dance through time and human nature. It is about patterns of life and the need to communicate them; it is about dying, renewal, and everything in between, about chaos and the order we make from chaos, the blood and bones of every history. Above all it is about the slow, insistent pull into the secret lives of the ordinary.

Guilty By Definition by Susie Dent is an easy read, an enjoyable unravelling of a mystery but something was missing. The premise is clever and uses the hallmark of Susie her knowledge of words as the country's beloved lexicographer, from the dictionary corner on Countdown.
The setting was Oxford; I felt I was back in the world of Morse. The murder mystery is based on a team of lexicographers at Clarendon English Dictionary. The starting whistle is blown when an anonymous letter arrives, puzzles are to be uncovered throwing a light on the disappearance of one of the team's sisters who went missing several years ago and a link to Shakespeare. There are plenty of red herrings.
It was a relevant start to each chapter an unusual word with its definition. However, the use of words that had to be defined within the text became an irritation and took me out of the story. This was unnecessary and added nothing to the plot, and characterisation and it felt like their presence was to over-emphasise how many words the reader was unaware of. The mystery of lost women spanning the centuries was a strong story and did not need to be complicated by overcomplicated words.

An exellent book! The mystery surrounds the tracing of an anonymous letter arriving at the office of lexicographers. This in itself would be interesting but the author uses every opportunity to increase the reader's vocabulary with the inclusion of less used language. I found myself wishing I could remember so many new words!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a DRC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I like Susie Dent on Countdown & I enjoyed this book.
Thanks for the opportunity to read & review it.
Good debut novel.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of 'Guilty by Definition' by Susie Dent.

Now don't get me wrong, I adore Susie Dent on Countdown and her wits but this failed for me. She uses her knowledge of words well but it radiates "I know more than you and you should bow to me" and it rubs me off the wrong way. The actual murder mystery of it all felt underwhelming and it didn't interest me.

Guilty By Definition is set in Oxford and based around a team of lexicographers who work for the Clarendon English Dictionary. The story starts when an anonymous letter arrives, throwing the team into a puzzling hunt to solve the clues. It soon becomes clear that the puzzle is linked to the disappearance of one of the team's sisters who went missing a number of years ago.

I absolutely love Susie Dent and I really wanted this to be amazing but, sadly, I found myself a little disappointed. Firstly, I loved the setting and felt as though I was there; I also loved the fact that it was set in the dictionary offices. The premise was really good and the idea of a puzzle spanning the ages, uncovering the secrets of a missing woman was great. I just felt that it was a little 'wordy' just for the sake of it. I read alot, but still found myself having to stop to look up the meanings of words, which meant that the story lost it's flow.

That said, I'd be interested to see what she writes next and would still read it.

My thanks to NetGalley and the Publishers for sending me this ARC in return for an honest review.

Guilty By Definition is the brilliant debut novel by Susie Dent. Lexicographer Dent has spent her life looking at words and encouraging others to have a passion for them. Even though I have read her books about etymology, I have to say that Guilty By Definition is probably my favourite. I know that is like comparing a fish to a lamppost. They are completely different styles of writing but I stand by what I have said.

The parallels between solving a mystery and breaking down a word to see its roots and its meanings dovetail so effortlessly and what Dent does masterfully is use words as signposts at the beginning of the chapters. Such an undervalued literary device.

Besides all of the cool wordy-nerdiness the story is actually bloody good. I fantastic mystery set in the luscious Oxford background. A whodunnit that had me guessing to the very end. I am really looking forward to Susie Dent’s next bookish offering.

Guilty By Definition by Susie Dent is available now.

Martha is a lexicograhber and has returned to the city of Oxford and her old family home. But after a baffling letter arrives, Martha's history is brought to the fore. A series of postcards follows.
There is lots of description of Oxford, beautiful people and fascinating words. Each chapter starts with a new word and it's definition.
I found the book interesting but took a while to get into. I can see it being developed in future.

"We're all obsessed with our own problems and with how people see us that we create simple silhouettes for everyone else."

Martha Thornhill is back in Oxford taking up a new job as an editor for CED- Cambridge English Dictionary. Martha's sister Charlie went missing 10 years ago when mysterious postcards and letters started to turn up at CED Is there a connection to what happened? It is up to Martha and her team of Lexicographers to find out how.

"Lexicographers sought out the thrill of the chase as much as detectives did."

Susie Dent is a lady of words- Lexicographer and etymologist. In her debut mystery novel she shines throughout. When something is your passion you add so much more to your work and you see that person within there own art. I was looking forward to learning new words and about the world of a Lexicographer. Saying this I felt it got a little bit too much with the use of long words. It felt like it got in the way and it made it harder to tell the actual story rather than allowing it to breathe and flow through.

Thank you Netgalley and Bonnier Books UK for a copy of the book for an honest review.

It struggles between its more human mystery and the nerdier linguistic passages throughout, but Dent's debut is solidly fine. Hopefully further fictional endeavours will allow for brevity and clarity, but the future appears promising still.

I struggled with this book. I knew what I would probably get, given the author and her amazing vocabulary, and I was looking forward to learning some new words.
But I found that the sheer quantity of unknown words kept taking me out of the story I was trying to read. So much so tat I eventually gave up.
I do now have a copy of it on Audio and, fingers crossed, that might make for a better "reading" experience. It has before so worth a try.
Fingers crossed!

I was really interested to read Susie Dent's debut novel. However, it took a while to get going and I found the language a bit excessive at times. It got in the way of the story at times. I must admit that I did ignore the clues given in each letter as it was a bit extra. The story improved as it progressed and there was a satisfactory conclusion. Definitely room for improvement.

Guilty By Definition is a beautifully written literary page-turner and a real treat for language lovers. The mystery unfolds through a series of cryptic letters delivered to the staff of an Oxford dictionary. Although the letters are addressed to everyone, they’re about editor Martha’s missing sister Charlie – the team are swept up in trying to solve the mystery of her decades-long disappearance.

The Oxford setting is beautifully brought to life, and I was equally charmed by the way language is such a central part of the story, and our characters’ lives. I was drawn into this mystery from the first page and understanding each character was just as intriguing as finding out what happened to Charlie.

Shakespeare, the origin of words and the rare book trade is central to the mystery. It was a fascinating insight into the world of lexicology and etymology. I loved learning more about what working at a dictionary looks like day-to-day – especially after reading lots of Susie’s non-fiction work.

If you’re looking for a beautifully written, character-driven mystery then Guilty By Definition is just the ticket. Atmospheric, absorbing and in many ways delightful to read.

This is what I would call a "cozy thriller" - we follow Martha, who has just returned from working in Berlin, as she goes back to her hometown of Oxford, working for a dictionary publisher with a group of colleagues. They start receiving anonymous letters with clues they need to decipher, and Martha realizes that the letters all relate to her sister Charlie, a gifted literature student, who disappeared ten years prior.

Susie Dent starts each chapter with a little-known, obscure word and its definition, and the characters all discuss words, etymology and first appearances together as they pore over the letters and follow different leads. There's a lot of Oxford descriptions, everyone seems to have a secret, everyone is very stylish and very comfortable, and there's a good-looking, friendly detective.

All in all, I would not call it a very memorable book but in its genre it was pretty good. I could see it becoming a series, similar to the Ruth Galloway series by Elly Griffith, where the main character also works in academia, and temps as a police consultant, and if that were the case, I probably would pick up the second book in the series.

I really wanted to like this book as I am a fan of Susie Dent however, I just didn’t gel with the characters.
Given Susie’s job the use of language made it feel more like an English Language lesson than a novel to enjoy. At the beginning of each chapter a new word was introduced and the definition given.