Presumed Puzzled

Puzzle Lady #17

by Parnell Hall

“Jessica Fletcher meets Groucho Marx!”—RT BookReviews

A shocking crime of passion has Bakerhaven buzzing!

The Puzzle Lady gets more than she bargained for when she’s hired to track down Paula Martindale’s straying husband. She finds him, all right—hacked to pieces on his living room rug, while his blood-drenched wife haunts the crime scene clutching a butcher knife.

It’s a tough spot for attractive young attorney Becky Baldwin. Paula is presumed innocent until proven guilty, but try to find one juror who’s going to think so.

It’s up to Cora to find the evidence to save the day. She has just two problems: she’s a witness for the prosecution; and every bit of evidence she finds in Paula’s favor, from crossword puzzles to Sudoku to alibi witnesses, tends to indicate that Cora herself is the killer!

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Mystery Thriller, Adult, Humor

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 19, 2016

Reviews

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these books. They are a quick read and I love the characters. Cora is a hoot!

[Coreycw · Rating 3 out of 5]

As usual.....a series like this starts to become predictable...and less interesting.

[Mark Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roger Martindale is missing, and his wife, Pamela, has received a crossword puzzle. That evening, he returns home only to be hacked to death. Chief Harper thinks that Pamela did it since she was found with the bloody knife in her hand, but the twists for Puzzle Lady Cora Felton are just beginning.

And twists there are. Yes, Cora is right in the thick of things, and as the book progresses she gets even more involved. The characters are a little thin, but they usually are in this series. The real star here is the verbal battles the characters have, which are fun and funny as always. The quick wit and the banter made me laugh several times before we reached the logical conclusions.

Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here's a conversation between Puzzle Lady Cora and attorney Becky.

[Becky] "Why would the killer to frame you?"
[Cora] "I have no idea."
"So think it out. What does framing you accomplish?"
"Absolutely nothing. Except it draws attention away from the murder."
"The one you're being tried for?"
"Yeah, murder. I didn't do that one, either, in case you're asking."
"I never said you did."
"You never said I . Okay, why did the killer need to frame me? He didn't. So why did he do it? Maybe he didn't. If he do it to frame me, then why did he do it? I have no idea, but take as a premise...."

A reader needs to be in the mood for such circular conversations.

Pick up this book for entertainment rather than for deep insight into the human condition.

[Kwoomac · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a silly little book. A little slapstick, a little witty repartee, and a liitle murder. I thought this would be fun because there were crossword puzzles and sudoku. In actuality, I didn't want to stop reading to solve them. No need to because the answers were on the next page. This is #17 in a series about a professional crossword puzzle writer (there's a nword for them, but I can't remember it) who finds herself solving murders. Just like Murder She Wrote. You probably don't want to get too close to this lady or you just might wind up dead. Although you would be the theme of the crossword puzzle, so that's kind of cool. But, you would be dead, so you wouldn't know that.

[Earl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Every year, I look forward to a new Puzzle Lady mystery. I love the wordplay and the characters. But when the story gets too convoluted even by this series' standard and when the puzzles have no relevance then it's no longer fun. Cora, in particular, is becoming too tiresome. I hope the series ends soon- maybe book 20?

[Virginia Winfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was not my favorite in this series. It was good but didn't seem quite as fun. I always love the puzzle lady but there didn't seem as many puzzles as usual. I like there to be a little more of her daughter also. I still am looking forward to the next in the series. Still an enjoyable read.

[Harvey · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

The usual wackiness and wordplay.

[Al Stoess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Humorous. Convoluted. Confusing at times (at least to this reader). Perhaps intentionally so.

[Tom Donaghey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Presumed Puzzled (2015) (Puzzle Lady #17) by Parnell Hall. Seventeen murders in the small town of Bakerhaven and all have crossword puzzles deeply involved. Really? Perhaps it is time for the author to rethink his choice of clues or perhaps move onto his other series. It beggars belief that something like this could happen so often in such a small location. Then again, that is the problem with almost all amateur sleuth stories.
Anyway, Cora (The Puzzle Lady) and the Chief of Police trip on over to Pam Martingale’s house because her missing husband is supposed to be heading home. When they get there Pam is standing over her dead husband, bloody knife in hand.
Complications ensue, twists that stretch the bounds of believability, and soon it is Cora who is the leading suspect.
The puzzles that are included are great, in fact, for me they were the most interesting part of the book. But the story is too contrived for my taste, the plot twists beyond belief, and the thought that people would actually behave in this fashion is beyond my comprehension. But if you like this series, you’ll like this one also.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this book would be more enjoyable than it turned out to be. I realized this novel is deep into a continuing series and I found the character of Cora annoying rather than endearing. As I was reading yet another version of what could have happened in this murder I had an image of water eddying around a drain-over and over scenarios of how it could have happened, who could have done it, and multiplying motives. I also found Cora’s glib non-answers irritating.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't realise this book was part of a series. I would suggest this doesn't get read as a stand alone. To much of the backstory of the characters was missing for me to enjoy this book
I must say I did not see the who dunnit which is a complete surprise for me. So read the book just read the series first!

[Barbara Villegas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since I love crossword puzzles, I thought this book had an interesting concept. It does, but not enough to carry the plot. It was a fun read, but I won’t read more in this series. Perhaps if I had started with the first in the series I would be interested in continuing. Never mind.

[Treva · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cora's continuing to "frame" innocent people - like Aaron Grant with Becky Baldwin - is not funny in my opinion. The "banter" she has with everyone is becoming tiring too. But I'll read the next in the series.

[Cherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok. The plot seemed a bit too clever, getting very convoluted. I won't think about it too much, or I'll start doubting what I took to be the actual events.

[Larrygodin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this off the bookmobile. Number 17 in the series. Might go back an try #1 if I can find it. Maybe the heroine won't be as mean spirited in the early books.

[Cynthia Diestelkamp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. Good puzzles-not too hard but hard enough for them to be interesting. Want to read more of this series.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

really good need to the whole series

[Leah · Rating 1 out of 5]

The heroine is unlikeable, and the dialogue is so hard to follow!!! Bad writing, and convoluted storyline. not a fan

[LESLIELBERRY · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was too convoluted and the protagonist appeared to perjure herself (but I wasn't sure because of the convolution), so the reality factor went out the door.

[Susan Moxley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real page turner with lots of twists and turns and lots of mystery and action to the very end of the book.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it. I'm a huge Cora Felton fan. Interesting plot.

[Stuart Macmartin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining. Usual silly details but fun read. Got the right culprit but missed something that should have been obvious.

[Tim Robinson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I bailed in chapter two.

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was so convoluted it was difficult to follow. The writing wanted to be amusing but missed the mark and came out tedious. I won't be reading any more of this series.

[Sandra Bjarnason · Rating 3 out of 5]

5

[Kyndra Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite book by this author in this series. Not sure if I will continue reading them when the next one comes out, but it happens!

[Weezie]

Each one of the books of this series seems to be a little less enjoyable to read. During conversations, it's hard to keep up with who is saying what. And I don't think Cora is a very likable person.
One part that i thought was dumb was when Cora's niece picked up her daughter from day care & put her in the car with no carseat & in the FRONT seat. I don't know about where they live, but you sure couldn't get by with where I live. Not that I would want to endanger a child if that airbag would explode.
Another part is when Cora is on trial & the prosecutor says she grabbed the woman that was holding the knife & was covered in blood so that she (Cora) could get blood on her clothes so that the police chief would not notice if there was blood on her own clothes. Now since Cora had just gone to the police station & rode to the home of the murdered man with the police chief, wouldn't you think that he would have already noticed if there had been blood on her clothes (after she supposedly stabbed the man 16 or 17 times)? Just a silly book & not one of my favorites.

[Jessi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Huh. I thought I had been keeping up on the Puzzle Lady books but my library is lagging seriously behind. When I got this ARC, I was surprised to see how much time had passed. But that didn't affect my enjoyment of the book.
Becky , the local lawyer is having trouble finding a client so she asks Cora for help. When Cora finally finds a client, it doesn't go well. Paula Martindale is found over her husband's dead body with a knife in her hand. And she doesn't want to let Becky do her job. The problem with this case is that the more they clear Paula's name, the more it seems that Cora may be the killer.
A serviceable Puzzle Lady mystery. It certainly follows the formula of previous books in the series. Would you have to have read all the other books in the series? No. In fact, it probably helps to have a fresh eye.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this. Cora Felton is the Puzzle Lady (Will Shortz, crossword puzzle editor the The New York Times contributed Sudoku puzzles for this book. Other New York Times cruciverbalists (puzzle makers) constructed the crossword puzzles). Becky Baldwin is a lawyer who has asked Cora to find her a client. When Cora finds Paula Martindale's husband dead with Paula standing over him with a knife, she feels that her work is done. But, Becky needs help with investigating Paula's involvement, since no jury will ever find her not guilty. The problem is that the more Cora investigates, the more the evidence suggests that Cora herself is the murderer and she becomes Becky's client. Cora solves the mystery, of course. And, really, I didn't see it coming. That's why I liked it.