What do you think?
Rate this book
Puzzle Lady #8
You Have the Right to Remain Puzzled
When Benny Southstreet, a small-time hustler with a big-time gift for constructing crosswords, accuses Cora of stealing one of his creations, it’s clearly a case of mistaken identity…until Cora’s own attorney files a plagiarism suit against her. To add to the enigma, when Benny is found dead, the police charge Cora with his murder!
At the heart of the matter is the not-so-little white lie Cora has been living for years: assuming the grandmotherly public face of her publicity-shy niece Sherry, who designs crossword puzzles and publishes them under Cora’s name—aka the Puzzle Lady. It turns out that Sherry’s and Benny’s cruciverbalist paths had recently crossed, resulting in the current incriminating conundrum.
As if Sherry’s wedding engagement jitters and a nasty battle over missing antique chairs weren’t enough to deal with, now Cora has to solve the ultimate mystery: how to keep the secret of her identity without losing her life. Because not only does all evidence point to Cora, but someone seems to want her dead. It looks like a riddle with no answer. Luckily for Cora and Sherry, that’s their favorite kind!
At the heart of the matter is the not-so-little white lie Cora has been living for years: assuming the grandmotherly public face of her publicity-shy niece Sherry, who designs crossword puzzles and publishes them under Cora’s name—aka the Puzzle Lady. It turns out that Sherry’s and Benny’s cruciverbalist paths had recently crossed, resulting in the current incriminating conundrum.
As if Sherry’s wedding engagement jitters and a nasty battle over missing antique chairs weren’t enough to deal with, now Cora has to solve the ultimate mystery: how to keep the secret of her identity without losing her life. Because not only does all evidence point to Cora, but someone seems to want her dead. It looks like a riddle with no answer. Luckily for Cora and Sherry, that’s their favorite kind!
320 pages, Hardcover
First published October 31, 2006
40 people are currently reading
348 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
January 30, 2020
3 stars
The title of this book tells you everything you need to know about the book, I remained Puzzled until the very last chapter where Cora the Puzzle Lady explains this convoluted farce. I was completely entertained by Cora’s outrageous actions throughout the book.
Cozies Reading Challenge
The title of this book tells you everything you need to know about the book, I remained Puzzled until the very last chapter where Cora the Puzzle Lady explains this convoluted farce. I was completely entertained by Cora’s outrageous actions throughout the book.
Cozies Reading Challenge
November 29, 2022
And the drama continues… I laughed out loud so many times in this book. A comedy of errors, built upon false assumptions, resulting in a who dunnit I did not see coming. Even the “why” eluded me in this one. The who and the why were as zanny, absurd, and dramatic as the story itself.
A great escape from reality!
A great escape from reality!
March 4, 2015
I gave this book 4 out of 5 just because, to me, some characters are just to annoying to overlook! But as always, love it!
March 6, 2019
"When Benny Southstreet, a small-time hustler with a big-time gift for constructing crosswords, accuses Cora of stealing one of his creations, it's clearly a case of mistaken identity -- until Cora's own attorney files a plagiarism suit against her. Worse, when Benny is found dead, the police charge Cora with his murder.
"At the heart of the matter is the not-so-little white lie Cora has been living for years: assuming the grandmotherly public face of her publicity-shy niece Sherry, who designs crossword puzzles and publishes them under Cora's name -- aka the Puzzle Lady. It turns out that Sherry's and Benny's cruciverbalist paths had recently crossed, resulting in the incriminating conundrum. Now Cora must solve the ultimate mystery: how to keep the secret of her identity without losing her life ..."
~~back cover
Once again the plot is so convoluted that I hadn't a clue what was going on. Once the ending explained all those seemingly disparate events, I could see that the author had indeed given the clues necessary to deconstruct the plot, but I don't think it's fair for an author to be so obscure. Maybe that opinion is just sour grapes because I couldn't solve the mystery, but that's still my opinion.
Laugh-out-loud wordplay and dialog, which does make the book worth reading.
"At the heart of the matter is the not-so-little white lie Cora has been living for years: assuming the grandmotherly public face of her publicity-shy niece Sherry, who designs crossword puzzles and publishes them under Cora's name -- aka the Puzzle Lady. It turns out that Sherry's and Benny's cruciverbalist paths had recently crossed, resulting in the incriminating conundrum. Now Cora must solve the ultimate mystery: how to keep the secret of her identity without losing her life ..."
~~back cover
Once again the plot is so convoluted that I hadn't a clue what was going on. Once the ending explained all those seemingly disparate events, I could see that the author had indeed given the clues necessary to deconstruct the plot, but I don't think it's fair for an author to be so obscure. Maybe that opinion is just sour grapes because I couldn't solve the mystery, but that's still my opinion.
Laugh-out-loud wordplay and dialog, which does make the book worth reading.
November 3, 2018
The Puzzle Lady mystery series is just fun. Parnell has been at Magna Cum Murder in Indiana for years and, in person, his personality is just like the wacky, all over the place plot and pace of his puzzle lady books. And...there are crosswords to solve!! In this particular story line Cora is accused of stealing another puzzler's puzzle...chaos ensues!
October 24, 2019
A very confusing and fast story to read through. So many things going on at the same time. Just when you think you have a hold on it, they throw something else in the mix. The puzzle lady Cora Felton is a great character. Other characters in the book have great personalities as well. All so different. I might try another one of Parnell Hall's books about Cora Felton, "Puzzle Lady".
January 5, 2024
I picked this up at a used book sale not realizing it was book #8 in a series. I was intrigued by the premise of murder mystery meets crossword puzzle creator. Unfortunately I found much of the story hard to believe and was frustrated by how much police procedure was just ignored. It was a readable book, but not a smart book. I don’t think I’ll read any other books in the series.
March 11, 2017
Very light reading. A fun read. My first read by this author.
July 11, 2017
A fun series with great characters, the puzzle lady always delights. Cora is back with a brand new mystery that contains great clues and wordplay and always new puzzles to solve.
October 28, 2018
Another good Puzzle Lady mystery. I figured out the "how" but not the "who." But, it was well plotted and believable. So I would definitely recommend it to puzzle and/or cozy mystery fans.
August 15, 2019
I didn't love the characters in this, but felt it was a well-crafted mystery. I did not guess who had done it. Perfect number of suspects, excellent red herrings, good dose of humor.
May 7, 2020
Worth it
August 23, 2020
Not as witty between the beloved quartet as usual....and the resolution was so complicated like it came out of left field. Hope this was an off-novel for Parnell.
March 7, 2021
Fun read! Very humorous with great dialogue, banter and quick wit.
July 30, 2023
I love this series....but the dennis and Becky storyline are getting old. This was a clever mystery! I thought I knew who did it...but was wrong! I liked this one a lot.
November 5, 2025
This one was more interesting at first due to wildly uncommon clues all thrown together, but then the author does a ten-minute finish and just explains it all in a final scene. Sad.
March 1, 2017
Cute book -- a mystery that includes crossword puzzles at the end of every chapter. I didn't bother to complete them, but one could. :)
October 11, 2009
"You Have the Right to Remain Puzzled" by Parnell Hall
(from back cover)
When Benny Southstreet, a small-time hustler with a big-time gift for constructing crosswords, accuses Cora Felton of stealing one of his creations, it's clearly a case of mistaken identity.....until Cora's own attorney files a plagiarism suit against her. To ad to the enigma, when Benny is found dead, the police charge Cora with his murder! Not only does all the evidence point to Cora, but someone seems to want her dead. The Puzzle Lady needs some clues fast--if she has any hope of staying out of jail......
MY THOUGHTS: What do you have with a crossword puzzle, some missing antique Rattan Chairs, $5,000, an Ice Pick and some undeveloped pictures? The clues to who killed Benny Southstreet. Now all Cora needs is know what they all have to do with the murder. Cora is in real trouble. She has lots of charges against her. Plagiarism, fraud, false advertising, using the Internet to defraud, conspiracey to cimmit fraud and false advertising, two counts of breaking and entering, two counts of criminal trespass, burglary, larceny, and petty theft, which Cora admits to do all the above. But she was trying to solve a crime. Wilber's antique Rattan Chairs had been stolen over a year before. Cora was investigating the crime. The only crime NOT commited my Cora is the murder of Benny Southstreet. She has to connect all the missing pieces to solve the crime and get herself out of trouble. If you like a good murder mystery, you will like this book. You won't know who done it until the very last chapter of the book!!
(from back cover)
When Benny Southstreet, a small-time hustler with a big-time gift for constructing crosswords, accuses Cora Felton of stealing one of his creations, it's clearly a case of mistaken identity.....until Cora's own attorney files a plagiarism suit against her. To ad to the enigma, when Benny is found dead, the police charge Cora with his murder! Not only does all the evidence point to Cora, but someone seems to want her dead. The Puzzle Lady needs some clues fast--if she has any hope of staying out of jail......
MY THOUGHTS: What do you have with a crossword puzzle, some missing antique Rattan Chairs, $5,000, an Ice Pick and some undeveloped pictures? The clues to who killed Benny Southstreet. Now all Cora needs is know what they all have to do with the murder. Cora is in real trouble. She has lots of charges against her. Plagiarism, fraud, false advertising, using the Internet to defraud, conspiracey to cimmit fraud and false advertising, two counts of breaking and entering, two counts of criminal trespass, burglary, larceny, and petty theft, which Cora admits to do all the above. But she was trying to solve a crime. Wilber's antique Rattan Chairs had been stolen over a year before. Cora was investigating the crime. The only crime NOT commited my Cora is the murder of Benny Southstreet. She has to connect all the missing pieces to solve the crime and get herself out of trouble. If you like a good murder mystery, you will like this book. You won't know who done it until the very last chapter of the book!!
June 21, 2016
To be fair, I didn't finish this book. I'm just not as interested in this series as I was at the beginning. It suffers from "Murder, She Wrote" syndrome- too many murders for such a small town. I will probably get around to finishing it based on the positive reviews I've seen here but overall I think I'm done with this series.
Amended review:
I powered through and finished this book, and actually really enjoyed the plot. My issues with the series still stand. First, there are too many murders connected to a small town that there's basically no plausibility left, for me. Second, the puzzle gimmick was handled well in this book but I think the other books after mostly hit-and-miss with how they present the gimmick. Third, the relationship between Sherry & her ex-husband really irritates me.
Amended review:
I powered through and finished this book, and actually really enjoyed the plot. My issues with the series still stand. First, there are too many murders connected to a small town that there's basically no plausibility left, for me. Second, the puzzle gimmick was handled well in this book but I think the other books after mostly hit-and-miss with how they present the gimmick. Third, the relationship between Sherry & her ex-husband really irritates me.
March 20, 2014
The Puzzle Lady is back and dealing with stolen chairs, charges of plagiarism, and being framed for murder. And to think she was complaining about being bored. I was impressed with how everything was tied together in the end. My only real complaint here was that the witty banter between characters I normally love had too much of an angry tent to it for the first half of the book. Still, there were plenty of laughs. Now, if only Dennis would die soon I'd really be happy.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
June 7, 2007
This is the latest mystery in Hall's "Puzzle Lady" series, which is more of a "hard-boiled" mystery series. It is as amusing as ever, and comes to a satisfying, surprising conclusion.
The only thing that bothered me about it is that the "Puzzle Lady"'s niece has an abusive ex-husband, against whom she has a restraining order, but she doesn't bar him from the house, and she has a lot of contact with him. In real life, she wouldn't let him anywhere near her, especially since he was physically abusive.
The only thing that bothered me about it is that the "Puzzle Lady"'s niece has an abusive ex-husband, against whom she has a restraining order, but she doesn't bar him from the house, and she has a lot of contact with him. In real life, she wouldn't let him anywhere near her, especially since he was physically abusive.
March 16, 2014
So silly. This read is just something light and fun. But I must say, you can really tell that this is a male author trying to tell a tale using a female voice. The main character, Cora comes across of a cross between an old, feisty, but funny old bitty and a crusty old, off-color old man. It in interesting conundrum. I think that I am hooked regardless.
Read
September 10, 2008This book, as well as the others by Parnell Hall, combine my two favorite subjects: mystery and crossword puzzles. Admittedly it is "light reading," but Hall's characters never fail to elicit smiles and even chuckles all the way through.
August 8, 2010
It's Cora's turn to be in trouble--oh, she's been in trouble before!
Be sure to have graph paper or access to a copier as there are a few crossword puzzles to solve (this goes for all of the Puzzle Lady Mystery books!)
Be sure to have graph paper or access to a copier as there are a few crossword puzzles to solve (this goes for all of the Puzzle Lady Mystery books!)
December 1, 2011
This was my first Puzzle Lady novel. It was fun and I will probably try to read more of them. The Puzzle Lady character was very entertaining. The mystery itself was not heavy and that made it a quick read.
July 12, 2012
Book was a gift. It took less than a day to read. The sleuth is a badly behaved older woman who is improbably tolerated by the police and various property owners where she breaks in to snoop. She reveals her findings, ala Hercule Poirot but in a crude way, in a town meeting.
March 2, 2013
Rating a four-star just because it made me laugh. A lot. The writing is witty and punny and sometimes laugh out loud hilarious as I am picturing the scenes in my head. This author is really good at descriptions. I've read a few of these books in the past and I'll read more in the future.
March 29, 2013
I haven't finished, but really don't want to. It sucked me in at first but after the first 30ish pages I'm not interested. I don't really have a desire to finish it. If it was the only book I had, I would finish it, but I since I do have others I'm putting it down and saying enough.
June 3, 2013
It was an okay story. I just felt that a woman posing as a person who makes puzzles and likes to solve then was a bit stilted. She seemed to constantly be getting into trouble by jumping to conclusions.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews