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grid's review
4.0
Liked this a lot in spite of it being pretty far from my usual sci-fi sweet spot. I picked it up off the new mystery shelf at the library (next to the new sci-fi) because it had “puzzles” in the title. Then got sucked in with sudoku in the first chapter and the overall premise of an old lady with a puzzle column in the newspaper who also happens to be the first person the police chief calls when he doesn’t know where to start with a murder mystery. I told myself I was reading to the end mostly to see if the puzzles themselves actually tied into the murder (only a bit, really, and not in a clever way), but if I’m honest I definitely was mostly reading because the old “puzzle lady” is written with a lot of wit and charm. (And it was a very fast read.)
Anyway, I enjoyed this, probably not enough to go find any of the other 13 novels in the series, but if I get a craving, it’s nice to know they exist.
Anyway, I enjoyed this, probably not enough to go find any of the other 13 novels in the series, but if I get a craving, it’s nice to know they exist.
spinesinaline's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was enjoyable but the MC really makes it hard to like her, and things were wrapped up so quickly in one long monologue that it was hard to register all of it
I did enjoy the references to the movie, and the detective’s complete ignorance of its existence so everyone describing the commonalities sounded a bit insane to him. And I appreciated having the sudoku puzzles to complete (I rewrote them on a separate piece of paper so I wouldn’t write in a library book). I’m not a big crossword fan but there are crosswords to complete too.
I did enjoy the references to the movie, and the detective’s complete ignorance of its existence so everyone describing the commonalities sounded a bit insane to him. And I appreciated having the sudoku puzzles to complete (I rewrote them on a separate piece of paper so I wouldn’t write in a library book). I’m not a big crossword fan but there are crosswords to complete too.
It was a fun enough story to follow if you can detach yourself from the characters but not my favourite cozy mystery.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Murder
rebbles's review
4.0
This was an easy and pretty kitschy read. The puzzles turned out to be not very relevant to the story (except for one) and the sudokus were pretty tough.
wishbone21's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
karmakat's review
4.0
3.5 stars. Boarders suddenly start turning up dead at a local B-and-B, and Cora (the puzzle lady) investigates why. The mystery loosely reflects the movie Arsenic and Old Lace. Overall, a good, solid mystery. I did have some issues with the character of Cora in the book. I have read a couple more from this series, and I don't remember her being so nasty in the previous ones. But maybe she was. It won't stop me from reading more of these.
alesia_charles's review against another edition
3.0
What this book has going for it: It's funny, it features an elderly sleuth who is unlike Miss Marple in every conceivable way (aside from being female and elderly), it revolves around a movie I've seen and enjoyed so I could actually follow the plot. And the plot was great, with a really unexpected twist that explained everything.
What it has against it: This is something like the 14th book in this series. Hall did a great job of dropping in details to give context without being obtrusive, but it's still a great deal like wandering into a conversation in progress.
Overall: Good, light fun, but the characters are so well-established that they come off to me as superficial. Maybe they'll come off to me as superficial even if I read some more of the books, but still. Not sure I'll seek out more at the library, unless I feel like I need something to cheer me up.
What it has against it: This is something like the 14th book in this series. Hall did a great job of dropping in details to give context without being obtrusive, but it's still a great deal like wandering into a conversation in progress.
Overall: Good, light fun, but the characters are so well-established that they come off to me as superficial. Maybe they'll come off to me as superficial even if I read some more of the books, but still. Not sure I'll seek out more at the library, unless I feel like I need something to cheer me up.
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