I’d read some of Susie Dent’s non-fiction before and she’s clearly a talented and intelligent author and I was interested to see how her style would translate into the realm of fiction.

This is not a summer beach thriller. It’s a mystery, it’s slower to unfurl, requires careful attention to clues. It feels like a book to read on a rainy afternoon where you can take your time and closely regard to quirks and nuances that add such richness to this book.

It really is a very clever mystery, our characters are solving linguistic clues from a mystery postcard writer hassling everyone working at a dictionary office, and broadly people involved In the disappearance of a young woman a decade earlier. Our main character has returned from Berlin to work at this office and she is the younger sister of the missing woman in question. The mysterious postcards shake up this community, unravelling closely guarded secrets, exacerbating simmering resentments.

For all that these characters are highly intelligent and with superior language skills, they often have difficulty communicating with each other. We see unresolved resentment and trauma bubbling below the surface creating challenges between family and friends. However we also see an incredibly supportive group of female friends develop. Our main character is embraced by the women working in the office who help her deal with the menacing postcards and delve into the mystery behind her sister’s disappearance, dealing with her own issues with her family.

This is a clever mystery, interesting cast of characters and it’s brilliantly written!

Superlative philological and literary mystery

As might be expected, Susie Dent's debut novel is full of interesting words; but better than that, it's a supremely well-plotted and entertaining literary mystery. The killer is not who you think it is. The denouement is better than you might expect. The mysteries are excellent.

We all know Dent from her long-running role on Countdown and for her diverting books on the English language, but in this, her first novel, she shows mastery of the mystery form and of storytelling, crafting excellent, believable characters who sleuth around Oxford like the best of fictional PIs. I would willingly spend more time with these characters, even though this book wraps up almost all of its loose ends by the very end,

What a read: five stars.

I didn't really know what to expect from this. I like Susie on Countdown and know she has extensively authored non-fiction books, but I wasn't sure how this would translate to fiction.

It took me a little while to get into the book, though the characters are perfectly likeable - I particularly enjoyed Zoe's energy, the Oxford setting charming etc. It isn't until the first 'letter' arrives that the plot begins to develop and then starts to progress nicely. There is a good cast of characters who all bring something to the plot, and a few red herrings along the way. I had some inkling as to how it might unravel but was still pleasantly surprised by the full reveal and thought this was handled well. The writing is good, though the author does have a tendency to throw lots of peculiar words which the characters then have to explain. At times this was fun, at other times slightly jarring. With a renowned lexicographer as the author, I suppose this was expected though.

I wouldn't say this was 'un-putdownable' but it was certainly enjoyable.

Thanks to netgalley for allowing me to review this book. This is Susie Dent's first novel and it takes us into the worlds of lexicography and crime, with an Oxford backdrop. These might not be worlds we might normally expect to see together but Dent manages to do so in an engaging and intriguing way.

This was a well written book with lots of twists and turns, with some unusual words and thankfully with their definitions put in for good measure. An enjoyable read. Not a read I would normally pick but it is good to change genre every now and then.

First novel from Countdowns dictionary corner star Susie Dent. Enjoyable read with some interesting characters and a surprising plot.Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to ARC this book.

I really did like this book. I never read murders but this seemed intriguing and I enjoyed the quotes I love words and puzzles.
It didn't disappoint I liked the quotes and explanations of words. Also the descriptions of Oxford.
It does keep you guessing although I had worked out bits of it.
Interesting characters I especially liked Alex and Zoe.
Nice touch calling Simon's cat Rochester.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgallery.

Martha is an editor for the Cambridge English Dictionary, working amongst a small team. A letter arrives one day with a mysterious challenge for the editors to work out. It seems that this is linked to her missing sister Charlie. Will they be able to work out the clues and shift through the secrets to find out what really happened?

I wanted to read this as it sounded like a really intriguing concept and found the world of lexicographers fascinating. It is great to have an author who really knows etymology, allowing the book to feel authentic and thorough. I enjoyed that this was combined with puzzles to solve and liked the chapters being headed by words and definitions.

Although the concept is very strong, I feel that at times obscure words were overused and seemed placed just for the sake of it which spoilt my enjoyment. I also found the characters to be lacking and hard to distinguish between. At times I wasn’t sure whose voice I was reading during conversations. Although the plot was complex and mysterious, I found the overall story slow. This wasn’t fully what I was expecting before reading but not bad by all accounts, maybe just not completely for me at the time of reading. I can see this being a big hit with those who enjoy words and are looking for a cosy crime novel with a difference. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

A murder mystery set in Oxford with plenty of recognisable geographical references. Although rather slow-paced, I enjoyed the lexicographical setting as background to the book’s core mystery.

Guilt by Definition is Susie Dent’s debut novel and what a way to start!

Martha Thornhill is a lexicographer and is starting a new job in her home town of Oxford, where the past still haunts her. Coming home brings her back into the shadow of her sister, Charlie, who disappeared 13 years earlier.
It’s not known whether she ran away or something more sinister has happened.

Martha and her team, at the Clarendon English Dictionary, start receiving cryptic letters that seem to relate to Charlie’s disappearance..
Postcards are delivered to anyone associated with the Dictionary and Charlie, so the team have to work together to decipher the clues. There seems to be hints that Charlie may have stumbled onto something big that could rock the English literary world.
Martha, with the team’s agreement, takes the letters and postcards to the police where she meets Detective Oliver Caldwell.
With the police taking a backseat, Martha and the CED start following each clue given through a labyrinth of places and people. It could get dangerous at any turn.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
It did take me a little while to get used to Susie’s writing style in the beginning. She deftly used her advanced knowledge of being a lexicographer, which she explained beautifully, with skill and precision. She may have even expanded my vocabulary!
I was hooked all the way to the end.

I’d like to thank #NetGalley and Bonnier Books Uk/Zaffre for allowing me to read and review this eARC

Susie Dent is the undoubted queen of Dictionary Corner. Her non-fiction books are knowledgeable and interesting. Her debut novel is enjoyable and kept me wanting to read to the end, although sometimes I felt the clues were all a bit to clever for me. All the same, it was fun. Thanks to Netgalley.

Genuinely sorry to be disappointed with this book. Susie Dent is obviously a fantastic lexicographer and etymologist, so clever use of words to create a captivating story would be expected. However, it didn’t deliver for me.

The story fits for Susie Dent - the main characters work for a dictionary, but with the added murder mystery plot. Martha’s sister, Charlie, went missing a decade ago and after some time abroad returns to Oxford to work at the Clarendon English Dictionary. Letters start to arrive with clues as to what really happened to Charlie and the story unravels.

I found it quite difficult to read at the beginning, so it took me a while to get into. The (slightly too excessive) use of usual words and their definitions, though interesting, lost the flow of the story. This also made it hard to keep track of the characters and the story line to start with.

It got slightly more interesting eventually. But, I felt it missed the element of surprise and plot twists of a good murder mystery. Overall, it was an ok story, however, I would (at a push) only recommend this to huge lovers of the English language and wordsmiths.

Thank you to NetGalley, and Bonnier Books UK, Zaffre for this book and the opportunity to review it.

As I start to write this review, I find myself a little nervous.
Trying to express my feelings on the book, in my own words, when the author has built her whole career on the definitions and usage of words, is a little intimidating.

Martha Thornhill is a senior editor for the Clarendon English Dictionary. A historic academic institution based in Oxford, held in high esteem, surrounded by the famous dreaming spires and intellectual excellence.
Martha’s life has been overshadowed by the disappearance of her sister, over a decade ago. Despite an extensive investigation, and subsequent cold case reviews, Charlie’s whereabouts remain elusive. Suddenly, mysterious cryptic clues start to arrive, addressed to those who knew Charlie, signed by the enigmatic Chorus.

I enjoyed the almost golden age feel of the book, Oxford itself felt like a living, breathing character. Initially I couldn’t understand what appeared to be Martha’s reticence, concerning another investigation into Charlie’s death, but then that became clear to me.

The book has been well plotted, and is intricately woven with misdirection.
It is undoubtedly crime fiction, at the more genteel end of the spectrum, but it is also a literary journey; the book is brimming with beautiful, interesting and long forgotten words. The author’s passion for linguistics shines through the writing.
The description of the differences between London and Oxford cyclists, made me smile.

At the start of each chapter is a word, its definition and a date for its usage. My favourite is rememble. A word that my spellcheck is insistent I should correct. Rememble: to have a false memory of something. I hope to add this into my vocabulary, to give it a small revival.

If you appreciate words and language, enjoy an elegant mystery, then you will devour Guilty by Definition.

Martha has returned home to Oxford after living in Berlin for a few years. She had left Oxford after the disappearance of her older sister, Charlie.
She is now working for the CLarendon English Dictionary with a small team working on words and their definitions.
When a letter arrives from "Chorus" which seems to refer to Charlie's disappearance she gets the police involved. Each of the team also receive postcards with quotations on.
At first it seems that Martha has opened a can of worms, but gradually the clues begin to make sense and what Charlie was doing before her disappearance comes to light.
Enthralling and compelling, a delight to read.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I really enjoyed this fast paced novel and all the characters and had me hooked from the beginning.

I was a bit disappointed with this one. I'm a big fan of Suzie Dent, I've even been to see her live, but the novel got lost in what felt like her need to remind readers what she really does for a living (She's a lexicographer and a brilliant one, I might add).The characters were not really appealing, I didn't care what had happened to Charlie and I thought the key protagonists were dull, particularly Martha.

There were far too many "here is a word you will not know nor ever use" moments that overwhelmed the story. As an English and writing graduate, I love our language, especially the complexities of it in written form, but I just felt it was an unnecessary aspect to the story that overshadowed the plot. I found my concentration waning and I must confess, skim read it to get to the end.


Thank you so much to the publisher for granting me an earl e-arc request.

This is an accomplished and cleverly executed debut novel. Susie Dent uses her love of words to develop a story that adds something different to the genre. Each chapter opens with the definition of a word that has relevance to the plot, although admittedly I did find myself Googling other words throughout too.

The characters are really well developed and add to the quality and credibility of the story. Zoe was a particular highlight for me.

This authoress is apparently a celebrity word expert on TV. I don't watch very much TV, so I`m afraid her reknown was lost on me. Her use of unusual words was evident throughout the book, to the extent that I didn't bother looking them up. It seemed too pretentious and I stopped reading the headers in the chapters half way through because they did not add very much to the plot. This book is overlong, the cryptic clues very much embedded in the world of English literature and etymology and a lot of the characters are underdeveloped, for example Martha seems little more than the sister of the missing woman and her family relationships and friendships are based on that.
The plot is drawn out and although fairly interesting, it seems to be addressing students and alumni of these fairly specialized areas of expertise. The crime is predictable to the extent that I had my suspicions quite early on in the book which were proved to be right later on. I have my doubts about the investigator of the case too, I cannot imagine the police acting like that.
I finished the book and thank Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC . Not really for me

Martha works for the Clarendon Dictionary. When she, and her colleagues receive cryptic letters they are intrigued and and try to solve the clues within them. They realise that the clues are linked to the disappearance of Martha's sister, Charlie who disappeared in 2010. Together they are determined to seek answers, some of which have serious consequences.
I loved the concept of the book - the clues were very clever - but initially, I found the inclusion of archaic words and their definitions distracted me from the plot (I love words and have Suzy Dent's book relating to these and thoroughly enjoyed it). All in all, an entertaining read.

The offices of a dictionary give us the setting for Susie Dent's first novel, which couldn't be more perfect! It's also worth noting that the Kindle dictionary can't cope with many of the words used 🤣

Martha's sister, Charlie, went missing in 2010 and as Martha takes up a senior position at the offices of the Clarendon English Dictionary, strange postcards are delivered to people connected to her sister. Martha and her colleagues set about unravelling the mystery of these postcards and start to piece together what happened to Charlie, all those years ago.

There are a few suspects, but it's not beyond belief that the ending is fathomable. That, however, doesn't detract from the delightful story being told.

Thank you to the author and publishers for my advanced e-copy in exchange for an honest review. This is the first Susie Dent fiction book I have read and I absolutely loved it. I read this is a couple of sittings and could not stop turning the pages, Interesting, great plot line and good characters, everything you could want from a thriller.
Martha works at the Oxford dictionary after returning from living in Berlin for the last 10 years. Her sister Charlie went missing in 2010 and she also used to work there. Along with her colleagues they start to receive mysterious letters with clues to solve and quickly realise these are linked to her sister. I enjoyed reading about the family dynamics with some good twist and turns. I also found lots of new words with their meanings and origins very interesting as well as a good mystery. I will be recommending this book to others and looking for more new book releases from Susie