The Sudoku Puzzle Murders

Puzzle Lady #9

by Parnell Hall

Cora Felton, the Puzzle Lady (who actually couldn?t solve a crossword puzzle to save her life), is surprisingly good at sudoku, so it?s no problem when a Japanese publisher asks her to write a sudoku book. But when two Japanese publishers show up in Bakerhaven to vie for her services, Cora is a little confused. Which one did she actually sign with? Which one has the stunning geisha wife? And which one is about to be arrested for murder? The two men are archenemies and will go to great lengths to ace out each other. But would they stoop to murder? Someone is littering the town with sudoku, crossword puzzles, and dead private eyes. It?s up to Cora, with the help of her niece, Sherry, to solve the puzzle, the sudoku, and the murder, before the killer strikes again.Parnell Hall delivers another entertaining, puzzle-packed adventure with his delightfully untraditional sleuth, featuring for the first time sudoku puzzles by New York Times crossword editor Will Shortz.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Mystery Thriller

399 pages, Hardcover

First published April 15, 2008

Reviews

[Michaela Shea · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's not the worst book I've read. The fast-paced "witty" dialogue is really disrespectful to the murder victims and feels like something out of "Diagnosis Murder". If only the murderer had thought to shove his samurai sword into Cora in the first chapter.

It's my own fault. Mum goes to the library and brings back a swathe of books and I'm prepared to read all of them.

[lynne fireheart · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a random pick-up from the library, and my oh my did I regret it! I plodded through it only to find out whodunnit, but once I got there I realised it really hadn't been worth it.

Perhaps it was the entire premise of the tale: that elderly Cora Felton (think Miss Marple meets, um, Broom Hilda?) is living a lie as the tiny community of Bakerhaven's "crossword lady" -- it's her daughter who's the crossword puzzle expert and creator, Cora just pretends she creates and solvres them... so a big part of this book was all about trying to avoid the discovery of this lie. My internal moral compass totally disagrees with this set-up.

Then there's Cora herself -- I'm not sure if I've ever met another literary character as annoying as she is. While some might say her dialogue is realistic and snappy, all I found it to be was cringeworthy.

Really, don't waste your time on this.

[Brooke Freund · Rating 2 out of 5]

The main character has a sardonic, washed-up charm--which in my opinion carries the book. The plot was twisted in a predictable and non-original fashion in that the murder can be solved by the reader's logic easily. The puzzles in the book are a fun touch, however, because I checked the book out from my public library, I couldn't do them.

[Barb · Rating 3 out of 5]

An okay book, too confusing with the twists of who was following whom and who had hired whom and who was married to whom. Let alone that the famous Puzzle Lady was not able to do the crosswords that made her famous!

[IAmTheHolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cora, the Puzzle Lady, isn't actually good at solving word puzzles - but is a whiz at number puzzles.  A Japanese publisher wants her to write a book...but then her "business manager" accidentally signs a contract with a different Japanese publisher.  Add in some deaths, a jealous ex husband, and you get quite a puzzling mystery.

I was so excited to read this one.  I enjoy puzzles and was really interested to see how the author managed to work that theme in.  Unfortunately, the theme was really only present during the first few chapters of the book, and was a minor part of the main mystery.  Add to that, I don't really love the main character, who had a strange personality and was allowed to suggest way too many things to the cops and they just go with it. And the whole story was just the mystery...no more with her TV show or the theme after the beginning.  It was okay, but I just wasn't a fan.

It wasn't a bad read, but I won't be seeking out more of this series.  6 of 10 for enjoyment and 4.5 of 5 for readability.  Definitely a quick read.

For more reviews, check out bedroopedbookworms.wordpress.com!

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

"One, two, three, four, another murder to even the score. Despite the crosswords she's so famous for, Cora 'The Puzzle Lady' Felton prefers to deal with numbers -- like the ones in sudoku puzzles. Numbers are nice and simple -- unlike the mysterious dead bodies that are appearing in her small Connecticut town ...

"And nothing seems to be adding up. Not the sudden arrival of strangers from Japan who are curiously fascinated by the Puzzle Lady, or the return of her jiece's jealous and boozed-up ex. Not the bodies that are tagged with a sudoko and a crossword. Now Cora is once again smack in the middle of a deadly puzzle she has to figure out, and fast. Because this killer is filling in the blanks ... one body at a time."
~~back cover

This one is just hilarious! I was reading it in the waiting room while my nephew was at respiratory therapy, and laughing so hard all the other people in the waiting room got to laughing with me. A complicated plot, but well worth it for the word play. Example: "He couldn't find his nose with both hands and a map."

Enjoy!

[Leslie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Waste of time. This book was in my mom's discard pile, and now I see why. Convoluted plot, annoying characters. I know it's a fantasy, but as a retired journalist from a small-town daily, I wish the author had done some research. I could not believe that the story's newspaper reporter was unable to do his own reporting, but instead got all the information for his story from Cora. The chief of police left the case file on his desk for Cora to read, for goodness' sake! If I were that reporter, I'd stroll in and read it myself. And I could not believe the newspaper got put to bed as early as 5:30 or 6 p.m. the previous day — and that the journalist claimed he preferred to wait (many hours) for home delivery instead of getting his paper hot off the press. What actually could happen is that a special section is run early and includes the staples such as puzzles. But regular press run has a regular press time.

[John Bradford · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title sucked me in. I had to read a murder mystery that involved sudoku puzzles at its heart. The protagonist, Cora Felton, is a whiz at these puzzles and applies her skills to unravel the murder of two PIs in a small Connecticut town. The repartee is excellent. Author Parnell Hall has written a witty, clever mystery with engaging characters and amusing dialogue. He has written others that I look forward to reading. This book is an excellent escape for lovers of cozy mysteries with quirky characters.

[Chrystine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one had a Perry Mason/ Clue vibe. Gather all the suspects in the courtroom and throw out your suspicions and hope someone incriminates themselves!

Due to the comedic over the top actions of everyone involved I cannot in good conscience liken this to Agatha Christie. I have to admit that I enjoy the sober, saner, Cora over the earlier comedic version.

These continue to be my “go to” reads when I am in need of some cheering up! Can’t wait to see what’s next for Cora!

[Anthony Yvonnica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another fun light read. Very entertaining. But as with many of this type of book, the pace is guided by the actions of the characters and not necessarily by common sense. The puzzle in that the detectives ask the wrong questions and give the wrong answers. That's what makes this book light and fun, but slows the pace of the book all the way down.

[Fred Svoboda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This begins very entertainingly as the puzzle lady is put on the spot to solve a sudoku in public. She stays fun throughout except that the mystery becomes so entangled and arbitrary that it's hard to care about it.

[Cynthia Repsher · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ending was a little confusing. I enjoyed the book and the hilarious reasoning of Cora Felton.

[Debby Mcconahy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't finish.

[Stevelarson1685 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Enjoyed the wise-cracking dialogue and the solution to the murder was fairly clever, but overall a pretty lightweight read.

[Family · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny but interesting read🙂

[Andrea Johnston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as captivating as the others I've read but still enjoyable.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Talk about twist and turn? I usually get this type of who done it, but not this one!

[LynnB · Rating 1 out of 5]

Choppy dialogue and angry people ... a convoluted story.

[Christine Ingles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worth it

[Jersey Joe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just too damn chatty this time.

[Jacqueline Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy, escapist read. Average plot with a few twists but definitely not one to make you “scratch your head.” Decent character development but a little heavy on conversation to move the plot ahead.

[Althea · Rating 1 out of 5]

Blah with many annoying characters.

[Michael Rutkowski · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a fan. Characters and plot left me cold. Finished it just to finish it. Just not my kind of book, whatever that means.

[Martha Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

awfully complicated

[Kristine Tymusz · Rating 1 out of 5]

The puzzle lady books are not my thing. I got them from a book club I was in I had no choice of books.

[Kat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dawnie got me this book from the library (no surprises there - not sure what I would read without my dealer). Perfect "put me to bed" book for my killer work week. I leave the house at 7am, get home at 10pm to an empty house and fall into bed. I'm half way through the book and only have a vague memory of the plot, however, it is absolutely satisfyingly serving it's purpose.

***

Finished, if it tells you anything, I forgot to read the last chapter of this book. It was convoluted and pretty boring. The main character, the puzzle lady, is the only redeeming quality. If I had bought the book at an airport, I would have been able to do the puzzles - a good gimmick.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although Cora Felton, the famous Puzzle Lady, secretly relies upon her niece Sherry for all matters crossword-related, she is actually a sudoku wizard. Thus, when a Japanese publisher asks her to write a sudoku book, she happily agrees. However, it turns out there are a surprising number of Japanese publishers around, not to mention dead P.I.s with crossword and sudoku puzzles at the Tastee Freez. Cora tackles the murders with her usual brassy flair, violating protocol, churning out preposterous theories, and generally misbehaving. This fluffy bit of absurdity includes three crosswords and four sudokus, and weirdly enough the latter actually advance the plot.

[Debbie Heaton · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Hall’s mystery novel, Cora Felton, otherwise known as “The Puzzle Lady”, prefers numbers to just about everything else. But when bodies begin to pile up in her Connecticut hometown, things just don’t add up. There are the strangers from Japan who appear fascinated with her ability, and then her niece’s jealous and very intoxicated ex puts in an appearance as well. Topping off the list is the Sudoku and crossword that tags each dead body found. With no choice in the matter, Cora puts her gift for figuring out puzzles to work as she sets out to put an end to this nightmare.

As always, a unique and enjoyable mystery.

[CoffeeTimeRomance andMore · Rating 4 out of 5]

This quirky mystery was previously published and has been rereleased by Harlequin. The story is fast paced with some mighty outrageous twists and turns that will keep the reader engaged. I highly suggest picking up the other books in the series to get a fuller picture of some of the subplots going on.
Kaitlin
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More

Official Review @ Coffee Time Romance & More

[Mark Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now the murder victims in Bakerhaven are appearing with Sudoku and Crossword puzzles on them. Can Cora solve the latest case? The book was still fun, but I am getting very tired of the stories involving the main character's personal lives. It's been the same for several books now. Really time to move on.

Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.