November 21, 2016
In Hall’s diverting 18th Puzzle Lady mystery (after 2016’s Presumed Puzzled), Cora Felton, who secretly writes a puzzle column for her niece, is thrilled to learn that the New York Yankees’ newest pitching sensation, Matt Greystone, has chosen her hometown of Bakerhaven, Conn., as the place to recuperate from an auto accident. At a party Matt hosts shortly after he and his wife, Jackie, move to a house in Bakerhaven, Jackie discovers a gossip columnist’s corpse in the sauna. Cora, who’s a guest, soon takes over much of the subsequent investigation from police chief Dale Harper, and she redoubles her efforts after the murder of the town’s resident medium. Cora shrewdly questions everyone involved and, as usual, finds crime clues in crossword puzzles. Hall performs a sort of magic, conjuring a reasonable resolution out of the constant wash of seemingly inconsequential chatter. Series fans will enjoy solving four puzzles—one Sudoku and three crosswords—right along with Cora.