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312th out of 659 books
—
633 voters
Last Puzzle and Testament (Puzzle Lady #2)
by
Parnell Hall (Goodreads Author)
It’s no mystery why readers love the Puzzle Lady, Miss Cora Felton, the eccentric amateur detective who keeps everyone guessing as she keeps herself in the thick of trouble. Find out why critics agree that “Cora is emerging as a lovable and unique sleuth” (Chicago Sun-Times) in “a fun series for mystery fans and cruciverbalists” (USA Today).
Wealthy widow Emma Hurley died w...more
Wealthy widow Emma Hurley died w...more
Paperback, 383 pages
Published
August 28th 2001
by Bantam
(first published 2000)
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This is the 2nd book in the Puzzle Lady series. Once again, I was happily engrossed...so much so that I rarely put this down.
Wealthy widow Emma Hurley died with only her servants at her side, but after she passes away, her greedy heirs crawl out of the woodwork to stake a claim in Emma's fortune. To their surprise, Emma was not content to leave behind a simple will. Instead, her final testament includes a clever puzzle ... one to be given only to her living heirs.
The first one to solve the puzzl...more
Wealthy widow Emma Hurley died with only her servants at her side, but after she passes away, her greedy heirs crawl out of the woodwork to stake a claim in Emma's fortune. To their surprise, Emma was not content to leave behind a simple will. Instead, her final testament includes a clever puzzle ... one to be given only to her living heirs.
The first one to solve the puzzl...more
Hall tries for The Westing Game flavor, but the characters are still unpleasant verging on offensive, the ending is a cheat (again, CHOOSE! Either you try for realism or assume your readers are suspending disbelief. If someone seems to have set up a will that requires people to compete and complete crossword puzzles, I have already suspended disbelief. You do not need to change it up at the end so I'll believe it possible in the real world.) The regular drunkenness of the Puzzle Lady is hard to...more
When an rich elderly spinster dies, leaving a vast fortune behind, Cora Felton is asked to be at the reading of the will. She didn't know Emma Hurley, but she and her niece Sherry go. The eccentric old lady left a puzzle. The potential heir who solves it first, gets the bulk of the estate. Cora, as the titular Puzzle Lady, is tapped to referee and judge the contest. Of course Sherry, the real puzzle expert, will have to do the work. Cora really gets to use her skills when the killing starts.
Hall...more
Hall...more
Puzzles, murders, a family at odds, greed and two amateur sleuths...
What more can you ask for?
When Emma Hurley dies, it sets in motion a chain of interesting events as family members race to solve a puzzle to win the multimillion dollar legacy.
Cora Felton and Sherry Carter have to stay one step ahead to solve the crime and bring the perpatrator to justice.
What more can you ask for?
When Emma Hurley dies, it sets in motion a chain of interesting events as family members race to solve a puzzle to win the multimillion dollar legacy.
Cora Felton and Sherry Carter have to stay one step ahead to solve the crime and bring the perpatrator to justice.
This is such an entertaining series -- especially for a crossword addict like me. Integrated into the plot (this time, contending heirs to a huge inheritance have to compete to solve a puzzle first), readers can work on the book's crossword to try to solve it themselves before the characters do. Funny, exciting and unpredictable -- great qualities in a mystery series. I'm on to the next.
Fun and easy reading, with some word play.
Crossword puzzle creator and her aunt who everyone thinks is the "Puzzle Lady".
Typical light mystery, with some twists & red herrings.
I have some others in this series and will read them, also.
Read in 2011
Crossword puzzle creator and her aunt who everyone thinks is the "Puzzle Lady".
Typical light mystery, with some twists & red herrings.
I have some others in this series and will read them, also.
Read in 2011
Ok - I'm not reading any more of these books!! This one really got rediculous with all the fake clues and puzzle switching going on. I could hardly follow the solution, but like the previous book in this series, it all wrapped up pretty quickly.
I liked this book for the most part. It was a quick read, and definately had enough suspect/twists to hold my attention. But the constantly drunk Puzzle Lady Cora was a downer, and I just felt bad for Sherry by the end of it.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Fun book; simple, humorous; could easily be a plot for a "Murder She Wrote" episode if they were still creating them. Enjoyable summer fare.
a puzzle hunt from the grave- Shery and Cora are invited to judge a puzzle comtest to determine which heir gets the money
This second Puzzle Lady book was a lot of fun. The plot got very involved and there was really no way to figure out the murderer until the very end. (At least I didn't see any clues.)
The Puzzle Lady is a real character. She is a little over the top actually, but quite sharp (when she's sober) and a real hoot. The other characters were somewhat one-dimensional, meaning that they were of one type and were consistently of that type. There's no real evolution so among the continuing ones.
The actual...more
The Puzzle Lady is a real character. She is a little over the top actually, but quite sharp (when she's sober) and a real hoot. The other characters were somewhat one-dimensional, meaning that they were of one type and were consistently of that type. There's no real evolution so among the continuing ones.
The actual...more
The Puzzle Lady was kind of irritating in this one but I think I'll keep reading them anyway.
Puzzle Lady must solve riddle in a will
Love the puzzle lady
Apr 09, 2010
Cass
marked it as not-finished
I really love the premise of this series, but I couldn't deal with the use of full names (ie "Cora Felton") every time someone spoke. Too bad.
Very good book...had trouble putting it down at night to sleep. I was up until after midnight finishing it...I had to know who did it and why. Cora is such a great character and she keeps you in stitches at times and then you just have to figure out how she comes to her conclusions. Have got to find the next book in this series.
not as good after reading this the second time.
Jan 17, 2009
Sari Lynn
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
cruciverbalists & lovers of cozy mysteries
Shelves:
mystery
Another fun cozy from Parnell Hall.
May 18, 2013
Michelle
marked it as to-read
May 10, 2013
Jennifer
marked it as to-read
May 09, 2013
Kimberly Hon
marked it as to-read
May 06, 2013
Jennifer
marked it as to-read
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