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Puzzle Lady #14
Arsenic and Old Puzzles
The Puzzle Lady embarks on another adventure involving one classic movie and featuring new puzzles by Will ShortzWhen an elderly boarder at a Bakerhaven bed-and-breakfast drops dead during afternoon tea, there's nothing particularly suspicious about it—except for the Sudoku in his jacket pocket. But when a second body turns up in the window seat and an autopsy shows both men were poisoned with elderberry wine, the Puzzle Lady suspects she's dealing with a cold-blooded killer who for some reason is copying the Cary Grant movie Arsenic and Old Lace, in which two old ladies who run a boarding house poison elderly widowers and bury them in the basement. More murders, more puzzles, and a grave dug in the cellar seem to cement the theory.Ordinarily, Cora would eat a case like this for breakfast, but for once she can't figure it out. And she's not sure if the clues don't add up, or if the much-married Puzzle Lady is just distracted by being involved in her first romantic entanglement in years.Arsenic and Old Puzzles is filled with laughs, mayhem, and fun new puzzles by Will Shortz. Mystery and puzzle fans will find much to enjoy in this latest treat from Parnell Hall.
319 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 22, 2013
20 people are currently reading
366 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews
August 9, 2016
This book was a cute and quick read. The chapters are short and fly by. I see people on here complain about typos and sentence structure. The copy I read was a library book and people had worked to correct some of the errors. I also agree that the blocks of dialogue with no clear speaking source are confusing. It is hard to believe that this is # 14 in a series. I wonder if the earlier books are just as bad. I found this book because it was laid out on a table of books at the front of the library.
June 3, 2019
This book was great fun! I recommend watching (or re-watching) the 1944 Cary Grant version of “Arsenic and Old Lace” before reading the book because it makes it that much more delightful to have the images in your mind. Don’t be fooled - the mystery here is much different than in the movie! But it moves quickly, Cora is a pretty good protagonist, and she’s surrounded by characters who almost all keep her on track and provide enjoyable dialogue.
The ending comes together quickly, and was unexpected! But I love how Parnell Hall (the author) ties details together. He didn’t miss a thing, and neither did Cora in the end.
The addition of the puzzles (sudoku and crosswords) is a fun distinction in these books, too.
The ending comes together quickly, and was unexpected! But I love how Parnell Hall (the author) ties details together. He didn’t miss a thing, and neither did Cora in the end.
The addition of the puzzles (sudoku and crosswords) is a fun distinction in these books, too.
June 18, 2017
Love this series! Fun, fast paced story line with likable characters
April 25, 2020
Always light and fun..and this one was quite humorous too!
June 20, 2020
The writing is still littered with comma splices that are mostly just downright annoying. The non-sentences are still present but play back fiddle to the bad grammar. All of which isn’t saved by the insipid characters who are lead along by the nose by an egoist whose only motivation is boredom.
The plot was basic ‘who dun it’, but it also took a backseat to the inanity that is Cora Felton’s character. Half the book is her spreading gossip and lies and basically leading all the other simpleton characters on a merry chase with her nonsensical ideas she calls logic and pretty much preventing the police from finding the culprit. One cannot help but wonder if the killer wouldn’t have been brought to justice sooner if the incompetent police had actually done their job instead of listening to her. It almost makes one miss the drunk version of her- at least the other characters seemed to retain a modicum of intelligence when she was too hammered off her keister to be useful.
Most of the book is taken up with Cora’s inane dialogue and rumormongering. Any halfway intelligent person would be wondering why the other characters are even listening to her. The only explanation is that the other characters are either stupid or extremely gullible. The only progress that’s made is the last 10 pages where she stops going around spreading gossip and distracting the townspeople from their actual jobs.
The book would have been even more engaging if it was actually about ‘who dun it’ instead of a bored old lady who is spoiling for the spotlight and plays at being a puppet master. Seriously, most of the book is her trying to hook other characters up or hook herself up and then have herself not be portrayed as a home-wrecker. The murders are more like a footnote. At one point it seems even the author can’t remember how some of the victims were killed as they are said to be strangled when before it was determined to be blunt force trauma (And that’s not even in any way a spoiler for anything!)
The most engaging parts of the book are the puzzles and even most of the clues are cringe-worthy or outright bad- and not in a bad pun or eye rolling way- more of a ‘huh??’ sort (seriously how does one get ‘elate’ from the clue ‘send, sort of’??)
The solution to the murders at least made sense, or the culprit did- the whole how it was done or why it was done in that way is a thin-ice explanation and even one of the characters remarks on how shaky the how and some of the why’s are.
Overall the main character was an annoying, selfish, rumormonger who most of the other characters went along with for no good reasons, which made her particularly unsympathetic (it would have made the other characters sympathetic if they had called her on her idiocy, but none really did). The plot took a backseat to Cora’s agenda which seemed to be mayhem and confusion. The conclusion came mostly out of nowhere- there were small hints which get lost along the general melee of the rest of the book- though how Cora managed to figure it out is again harkening back to book 1- which would be because she is who the author intended to solve the crime.
On the upside, the book it made me want to watch ‘Arsenic and Old Lace.’ Considering I enjoyed ‘North by Northwest’ it’s definitely worth checking out.
As usual the only interesting characters were Sherry and Aaron who are bit parts at best. The second book was so promising but perhaps that was because Sherry was more of a main character in it. Cora’s attempt at wordplay in the dialogue doesn’t come off as well as Sherry and Aaron’s- not sure why with her as it either doesn’t make sense or comes across as condescending to the other character.
Little setting, bad grammar, an unsympathetic main character, halfway-decent puzzles, a good chunk of the book being gossiping dialogue (and yes it is easy to forget and get confused as to who is speaking), murders overshadowed by the main character’s agenda of the day, and at least a believable culprit all make for an attempt at a humorous cozy mystery which fails miserably at being humorous and mysterious.
However, if you are looking for a story with one part zany, unsympathetic lead, two parts lots of NPCs, with a pinch of mystery, then step right up and take a read.
The plot was basic ‘who dun it’, but it also took a backseat to the inanity that is Cora Felton’s character. Half the book is her spreading gossip and lies and basically leading all the other simpleton characters on a merry chase with her nonsensical ideas she calls logic and pretty much preventing the police from finding the culprit. One cannot help but wonder if the killer wouldn’t have been brought to justice sooner if the incompetent police had actually done their job instead of listening to her. It almost makes one miss the drunk version of her- at least the other characters seemed to retain a modicum of intelligence when she was too hammered off her keister to be useful.
Most of the book is taken up with Cora’s inane dialogue and rumormongering. Any halfway intelligent person would be wondering why the other characters are even listening to her. The only explanation is that the other characters are either stupid or extremely gullible. The only progress that’s made is the last 10 pages where she stops going around spreading gossip and distracting the townspeople from their actual jobs.
The book would have been even more engaging if it was actually about ‘who dun it’ instead of a bored old lady who is spoiling for the spotlight and plays at being a puppet master. Seriously, most of the book is her trying to hook other characters up or hook herself up and then have herself not be portrayed as a home-wrecker. The murders are more like a footnote. At one point it seems even the author can’t remember how some of the victims were killed as they are said to be strangled when before it was determined to be blunt force trauma (And that’s not even in any way a spoiler for anything!)
The most engaging parts of the book are the puzzles and even most of the clues are cringe-worthy or outright bad- and not in a bad pun or eye rolling way- more of a ‘huh??’ sort (seriously how does one get ‘elate’ from the clue ‘send, sort of’??)
The solution to the murders at least made sense, or the culprit did- the whole how it was done or why it was done in that way is a thin-ice explanation and even one of the characters remarks on how shaky the how and some of the why’s are.
Overall the main character was an annoying, selfish, rumormonger who most of the other characters went along with for no good reasons, which made her particularly unsympathetic (it would have made the other characters sympathetic if they had called her on her idiocy, but none really did). The plot took a backseat to Cora’s agenda which seemed to be mayhem and confusion. The conclusion came mostly out of nowhere- there were small hints which get lost along the general melee of the rest of the book- though how Cora managed to figure it out is again harkening back to book 1- which would be because she is who the author intended to solve the crime.
On the upside, the book it made me want to watch ‘Arsenic and Old Lace.’ Considering I enjoyed ‘North by Northwest’ it’s definitely worth checking out.
As usual the only interesting characters were Sherry and Aaron who are bit parts at best. The second book was so promising but perhaps that was because Sherry was more of a main character in it. Cora’s attempt at wordplay in the dialogue doesn’t come off as well as Sherry and Aaron’s- not sure why with her as it either doesn’t make sense or comes across as condescending to the other character.
Little setting, bad grammar, an unsympathetic main character, halfway-decent puzzles, a good chunk of the book being gossiping dialogue (and yes it is easy to forget and get confused as to who is speaking), murders overshadowed by the main character’s agenda of the day, and at least a believable culprit all make for an attempt at a humorous cozy mystery which fails miserably at being humorous and mysterious.
However, if you are looking for a story with one part zany, unsympathetic lead, two parts lots of NPCs, with a pinch of mystery, then step right up and take a read.
January 30, 2013
Are you in the mood for an easy going and enjoyable cozy?
Do you like mysteries in which all the characters blend well together?
Have you ever read a mystery that makes you as happy reading it as it made the author writing it?
If you are looking for a cozy that moves forward without leaving you behind wondering what's going on...then "Arsenic and Old Puzzles is for you!
Cora is all tied up in the old movie "Arsenic & Old Lace"...or is she? It seems that someone is copying that movie and including the characters and the murders, but this time it's real life.
The same wonderful characters I've come to expect in Parnell Hall's puzzle lady mysteries are back and this time there's no stopping the mayhem-with puzzles and sudokus included.
So pick up this book with a fun loving but feisty as heck senior citizen sleuth, but be prepared for a wallop of an ending.
Enjoy!
Do you like mysteries in which all the characters blend well together?
Have you ever read a mystery that makes you as happy reading it as it made the author writing it?
If you are looking for a cozy that moves forward without leaving you behind wondering what's going on...then "Arsenic and Old Puzzles is for you!
Cora is all tied up in the old movie "Arsenic & Old Lace"...or is she? It seems that someone is copying that movie and including the characters and the murders, but this time it's real life.
The same wonderful characters I've come to expect in Parnell Hall's puzzle lady mysteries are back and this time there's no stopping the mayhem-with puzzles and sudokus included.
So pick up this book with a fun loving but feisty as heck senior citizen sleuth, but be prepared for a wallop of an ending.
Enjoy!
June 3, 2013
I enjoyed this book a lot. I realized after picking up this book that it was 14th in the series. I was hesitant at first but a review on the back of the book said you could read these books stand-alone so I thought I would try it since I love the movie Arsenic and Old Lace so a spoof of the movie in a book seemed neat. I enjoyed the sudko and crossword puzzles in the book that helped with the clues and I enjoyed the story line. Cora is a feisty character (I would benefit more if I read the other series) but Parnell does a good job keeping you informed just in case you have not read others in the series. It is a very quick who-done it read with a nice twist at the end. Reading so many of the who-done it style books I had a feeling who did it but the reasoning was the great twist. Good summer by the beach or stuck in a car for a while read.
March 6, 2023
Rounded up from 3.5, this was enjoyable but the MC really makes it hard to like her, and things were wrapped up so quickly 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.
It was a fun enough story to follow if you can detach yourself from the characters but not my favourite cozy mystery.
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.
February 2, 2019
Arsenic and Old Puzzles Review
3 stars
BACKGROUND
I was walking through the library, casually glancing at the bookshelves, when Arsenic and Old Puzzles caught my eye. The title references the famous dark-comedy play and its movie adaptation, Arsenic and Old Lace, which is a story that I read and enjoyed when I was in high school. I ultimately decided to pick this up because I saw the tidbit on the cover that advertised interactive Sudoku. I read the book-jacket so I knew this book was one installment in a series, but I didn’t realize where it fit in the sequence as there was no numerical indicator on the cover itself. However, the overview on the cover gave the impression that I was not required to read the prequels to dive in so I figured I should give it a shot.
SUMMARY
Arsenic and Old Puzzles by Parnell Hall is the fourteenth book in Puzzle Lady Mystery Series. However, as mentioned above you don’t have to be the veteran reader of the series to dive into the latest installment. Sure, there are instances where previous installments are referenced, but the context is always recapped so the reader is not lost. The story starts off with a quick re-introduction to the protagonist, Cora, and establishes that she has acquired a reputation of being a puzzle lady since she both creates and solves them. When an elderly man with a Sudoku in his pocket is found dead at the town bed and breakfast owned by two elderly ladies, the chief of town police tries to enlist Cora’s help in identifying the murderer. An examination of the dead body reveals that the elderly man was poisoned. The source of said poison is an elderberry wine that has been laced with “two-part arsenic to one-part strychnine to just a pinch of cyanide”. The similarities to the movie, Arsenic and Old Lace, are too big to ignore now. However, there are things in this crime-scene that don’t quite fit in with the movie. Unlike the movie, Sudokus and crossword puzzles are being discovered around these victims and the puzzles don’t seem to connect to each other. Cora also can’t quite understand the point in the killer referencing the play. Is she starting to lose her touch due to her old age? Or is there something else amiss here?
LIKES
Like its namesake, this book is actually pretty funny despite the dark subject-matter. This is primarily due to the dry wit of Cora, who the story shadows. This helps keeps the readers entertained since the mystery unfolds at a slow pace and is clouded by distracting subplots. Cora is not a straight-shooter type of character and it is tricky to make such a character likable. She manipulates everyone around her and can be insensitive to people around her including the victim’s family members. Her humor charms the reader by compensating for her less agreeable actions and characteristics.
The other big pull for me was the interactive puzzles. They were usually introduced at the end of the chapters and the corresponding solutions were provided at a later stage so the reader does not get spoiled. If I could do crosswords, I would enjoy this even more as the words seemed more helpful in solving the case than the numbers in my opinion. I was concerned that the puzzles would be too gimmicky but the author did a pretty good job integrating them seamlessly. They don’t spoil the whole mystery but just give you a head start. As such, I found this aspect to be very appealing.
DISLIKES
I could have done without the distracting subplots. Perhaps, if I had read the first thirteen books, I would have been more invested in Cora’s relationship dynamic with other characters in the book but it just seemed like filler in this instance. Also, Cora struggling to come to terms with her age was not relatable and mostly confusing. Why does she care now? She isn’t hitting any sort of hallmark age and unless there has been a time jump from the last book, I am not sure what the intent behind this arc was. Then again, it could have been a recurring arc in her life established in previous installments so take this criticism with a grain of salt.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Would I recommend this book? Yes, the puzzles in this book work effectively to engage the readers and make it fun to see it through to the end!
Who would I recommend the book to? Sudoku and crossword lovers who also enjoy a bit of whodunit type of games.
3 stars
BACKGROUND
I was walking through the library, casually glancing at the bookshelves, when Arsenic and Old Puzzles caught my eye. The title references the famous dark-comedy play and its movie adaptation, Arsenic and Old Lace, which is a story that I read and enjoyed when I was in high school. I ultimately decided to pick this up because I saw the tidbit on the cover that advertised interactive Sudoku. I read the book-jacket so I knew this book was one installment in a series, but I didn’t realize where it fit in the sequence as there was no numerical indicator on the cover itself. However, the overview on the cover gave the impression that I was not required to read the prequels to dive in so I figured I should give it a shot.
SUMMARY
Arsenic and Old Puzzles by Parnell Hall is the fourteenth book in Puzzle Lady Mystery Series. However, as mentioned above you don’t have to be the veteran reader of the series to dive into the latest installment. Sure, there are instances where previous installments are referenced, but the context is always recapped so the reader is not lost. The story starts off with a quick re-introduction to the protagonist, Cora, and establishes that she has acquired a reputation of being a puzzle lady since she both creates and solves them. When an elderly man with a Sudoku in his pocket is found dead at the town bed and breakfast owned by two elderly ladies, the chief of town police tries to enlist Cora’s help in identifying the murderer. An examination of the dead body reveals that the elderly man was poisoned. The source of said poison is an elderberry wine that has been laced with “two-part arsenic to one-part strychnine to just a pinch of cyanide”. The similarities to the movie, Arsenic and Old Lace, are too big to ignore now. However, there are things in this crime-scene that don’t quite fit in with the movie. Unlike the movie, Sudokus and crossword puzzles are being discovered around these victims and the puzzles don’t seem to connect to each other. Cora also can’t quite understand the point in the killer referencing the play. Is she starting to lose her touch due to her old age? Or is there something else amiss here?
LIKES
Like its namesake, this book is actually pretty funny despite the dark subject-matter. This is primarily due to the dry wit of Cora, who the story shadows. This helps keeps the readers entertained since the mystery unfolds at a slow pace and is clouded by distracting subplots. Cora is not a straight-shooter type of character and it is tricky to make such a character likable. She manipulates everyone around her and can be insensitive to people around her including the victim’s family members. Her humor charms the reader by compensating for her less agreeable actions and characteristics.
The other big pull for me was the interactive puzzles. They were usually introduced at the end of the chapters and the corresponding solutions were provided at a later stage so the reader does not get spoiled. If I could do crosswords, I would enjoy this even more as the words seemed more helpful in solving the case than the numbers in my opinion. I was concerned that the puzzles would be too gimmicky but the author did a pretty good job integrating them seamlessly. They don’t spoil the whole mystery but just give you a head start. As such, I found this aspect to be very appealing.
DISLIKES
I could have done without the distracting subplots. Perhaps, if I had read the first thirteen books, I would have been more invested in Cora’s relationship dynamic with other characters in the book but it just seemed like filler in this instance. Also, Cora struggling to come to terms with her age was not relatable and mostly confusing. Why does she care now? She isn’t hitting any sort of hallmark age and unless there has been a time jump from the last book, I am not sure what the intent behind this arc was. Then again, it could have been a recurring arc in her life established in previous installments so take this criticism with a grain of salt.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Would I recommend this book? Yes, the puzzles in this book work effectively to engage the readers and make it fun to see it through to the end!
Who would I recommend the book to? Sudoku and crossword lovers who also enjoy a bit of whodunit type of games.
December 2, 2017
I'll be honest, the second star was an acknowledgement that this is a long series so someone must like this but it was so not for me. I thought I've read one or two of these before but it must have been before I reviewed on this site.
I found Cora to be absolutely obnoxious in this. I think she's supposed to be zany, cracking off one liners left right and center but I didn't find it funny. We have an old woman being jealous and annoyed some young man has a girlfriend and not paying attention to her and it seems to play into her trying to get him into trouble with the sheriff but I'm getting ahead of myself.
Like the title suggests, this has an Arsenic and old lace feel. We have sisters running a failing B&B where a guest has keeled over dead at tea and it's poison. Soon after the town drunk is found dead in their house. Both deaths have puzzles on them which is why Cora is brought in and while I realize this is the 'puzzle series' this seems ridiculously contrived. I could buy that for book one in the series but is this a thing for the whole series? Nope, not so much.
I really started to lose patience when Cora decides wily nily that the sister's nephew must be guilty mostly because she seemed jealous that he was at his girlfriend's house a few doors down (see the above mentioned young man). The sheriff wasn't even considering him a suspect until Cora was done with him. The nephew calls her meddling and she is. She's also a fake, neither above to solve or create puzzles. I'm okay with her being the face of her niece's puzzle making career but her high handedness is too much for me.
I found Cora to be absolutely obnoxious in this. I think she's supposed to be zany, cracking off one liners left right and center but I didn't find it funny. We have an old woman being jealous and annoyed some young man has a girlfriend and not paying attention to her and it seems to play into her trying to get him into trouble with the sheriff but I'm getting ahead of myself.
Like the title suggests, this has an Arsenic and old lace feel. We have sisters running a failing B&B where a guest has keeled over dead at tea and it's poison. Soon after the town drunk is found dead in their house. Both deaths have puzzles on them which is why Cora is brought in and while I realize this is the 'puzzle series' this seems ridiculously contrived. I could buy that for book one in the series but is this a thing for the whole series? Nope, not so much.
I really started to lose patience when Cora decides wily nily that the sister's nephew must be guilty mostly because she seemed jealous that he was at his girlfriend's house a few doors down (see the above mentioned young man). The sheriff wasn't even considering him a suspect until Cora was done with him. The nephew calls her meddling and she is. She's also a fake, neither above to solve or create puzzles. I'm okay with her being the face of her niece's puzzle making career but her high handedness is too much for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 1, 2021
I truly enjoyed this humorous, cozy mystery. I didn't realize this book was book #14 in the series - not sure how I could've missed that info, but I did. With that said, it was excellent as a standalone. The main character, Cora Felton was a hoot. Her dry wit and the way she dealt with people appealed to me. I laughed out loud at her behavior in some of the scenes. In this story, murders keep happening and it appears the killer is mimicking some things that happened in the movie Arsenic and Old Lace (which especially interested me since we did Arsenic and Old Lace as our class play junior year). The author, Parnell Hall had a keen way of planting red herrings to throw off Cora, the police, and the reader (me). The twists and turns of the case made this book a page-turner. I couldn't put it down until I knew who was committing the crimes. I really liked Mr. Hall's style of writing -- fast paced, short chapters, brilliant characters, a hint of romance, and plenty of humor.
March 22, 2025
This book caught my eye as I was leaving the library the other day, as I was in the play “Arsenic and Old Lace” in high school, and there were sudokus and crosswords in the book! I didn’t actually end up doing many of the puzzles because it slowed down my reading lol. I realized before reading it that it is the 14th book of the “Puzzle Lady” series, but it could still be read as a stand-alone.
The book was a fun lil mystery with ties to the play. The writing was kinda confusing and cheesy at times. Wouldn’t really recommend unless you are familiar with the play. It’s not a high priority for me to read more Puzzle Lady books right now, but glad I found this one for a quick read.
😗✌️
The book was a fun lil mystery with ties to the play. The writing was kinda confusing and cheesy at times. Wouldn’t really recommend unless you are familiar with the play. It’s not a high priority for me to read more Puzzle Lady books right now, but glad I found this one for a quick read.
😗✌️
June 11, 2020
Yet another very fun read. Well, five murders isn't exactly fun, but I had a very good time reading these books. I have a mental image of Cora and the other characters in these books. I can picture them and I know how they speak. I know how the town looks, it is very familiar to me. And very enjoyable to read.
These books are quick reads. They are for entertainment, not enlightenment. And the authors keeps them just on this side of too silly so that you can suspend your doubts and just enjoy them.
These books are quick reads. They are for entertainment, not enlightenment. And the authors keeps them just on this side of too silly so that you can suspend your doubts and just enjoy them.
November 12, 2019
It has been close to five years since I last read one of these "puzzle" books. I think I stopped because the heroine just became too ridiculous. I see that there are five more that have come out since I stopped reading the series and since they are such a quick read, I guess I'll go ahead and catch up on the story line.
July 11, 2021
Cora Felton, the Puzzle Lady, is called in by Chief Harper when a boarder at the Guildford sisters bed-and-breakfast turns up dead with a suduko in his pocket. More murders follow with some clues seeming to indicate the killer is follower the movie "Arsenic and Old Lace" and other which don't. Cora believes she's losing her mental powers but eventually puts it all together.
January 1, 2025
My favorite part was the tie-in to Arsenic and Old Lace which is the only reason it got 3 stars. Cora is irritating, a home-wrecker and I’m not sure how she keeps her friends. There were parts that made me laugh but mostly I found it confusing. I knew who the killer was almost as soon as she was introduced, but didn’t know why and the twist seemed to come out of nowhere at the very end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 19, 2025
Well, the heroine is a pip, but way over the top. Frankly, I found her annoying. If you like to figure out who done it, there were too many red herrings. I did figure out who, but the reasons why were far fetched. There weren’t any clues as to the motive. Things were just pulled out of the air. I may read more of this series, but won’t be my first or even second choice.
December 28, 2018
A delightful mystery that pays a wonderful tribute to the original stage play / movie. Cora Felton is an absolute hoot and is serving you some serious Grandma Mazur realness, hinny! Fabulous, clever, and full of wit, this is a wonderful work.
February 11, 2019
Very clever whodunit with lots of humor. Murders appear to be copying the movie Arsenic and Old Lace. Good series especially if you like crossword or sudoku puzzles although that is not necessary.
August 24, 2023
I found the main character Cora rather unlikeable. She is manipulative and passive aggressive. The mystery was a surprise but I found the puzzles to be more of a distraction than a helpful part of the storyline. No more Puzzle Lady for me.
June 23, 2025
This is a solid cozy mystery with easily the most chaotic main character I have ever witnessed. Not exactly great literature, and I'm hard-pressed to truly recommend it (it may help to have read earlier books in the series, which I have not), but I literally laughed out loud at a couple of places.
September 13, 2017
Loved it!!!
December 31, 2018
Glad I stuck with this series. Cora has her mojo back in this installment.
August 5, 2019
Cute mystery read for those who enjoys puzzles.
January 27, 2020
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.
January 15, 2021
Not my thing!
June 14, 2021
Just a silly, fun mystery story. Lots of kooky characters with twists and turns and a surprise ending.
January 4, 2022
Very silly
March 13, 2022
Always fun to read a Puzzle Lady book. Quick, fast passed and witty.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews