Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Murder mystery with puzzles I had no hope of solving. I’ve learned some interesting new words though!

This isn't my usual type of mystery book but I went into it with an open mind and I'm so glad I was able to arc read this. It was such a good read had me gripped from the start. Can't wait to tell people to add it to their tbrs

I loved this book and it's one of the best books I've read this year, even though I might be biased because I love puzzles and words and languages and etymology. I loved the story and the writing style too. I think I loved everything. If you love everything I mentioned in the previous sentence then you'll love this book.

If you have a passion for words and clues to cryptic crossword puzzles you will revel in this murder mystery set in and around a fictitious dictionary publisher.!
I struggled with it in the first part but grew into it as the mystery element developed. A lot of ideas to keep balancing.

I had mixed feelings with this book, it is written well, characters are delightful but it was a slow start and for me too many unusual and obscure words used throughout. The story line was good with great descriptions of Oxford and some of it history and many twists. I had partially worked out the ending but the full ending was excellent and unexpected. The use of so many new words . had to be expected from this author, actally tended to stop the flow of the story and in the end I had to almost ignore these to keep with the story line itself. Throughout the book there were many tension spots and surprises with new twists to the story but all was wrapped up so well in the ending. I enjoyed the read but I cannot say that it was one of my favourite books as it too much emphasis on the definitions of words.

I loved the premise and this book did not disappoint. Using her love of language, clues and crime fiction, this is a brilliant read with engaging characters, mysteries to solve and twists and turns to entertain. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and will be recommending it to friends and colleagues.

Thank you Netgalley - I loved every minute.

I love Susie so I was really excited to read this book especially as I love mystery books. I felt it was really well written and kept my attention throughout.

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.