by Samuel Burr
SYNOPSIS
Clayton Stumper is an enigma. He might be twenty-five years old, but he dresses like your grandad and drinks sherry like your aunt.
Abandoned at birth on the steps of the Fellowship of Puzzlemakers, he was raised by the sharpest minds in the British Isles and finds himself amongst the last survivors of a fading institution. When the esteemed crossword compiler, Pippa Allsbrook, passes away, she bestows her final puzzle to him: a promise to reveal the mystery of his parentage and prepare him for his future.
Yet as Clay begins to unpick the clues, he uncovers something even the Fellowship have never been able to solve - and it's a secret that will change everything...
REVIEW
This story is definitely not as dark as I usually lean towards. It’s not a desperate hunt for a violent serial killer or a determined protagonist attempting to escape a terrifying ordeal. This is a story about a young man who is trying to solve the mystery of his past, his heritage and the reason he was abandoned as a small baby. He has had a wonderful upbringing but simply wants answers and to find out who he really is. That idea in itself isn’t a unique one, but what propels it to another level is fact that Clayton has the help of some of the most intelligent men and women in the country - the fellowship. This older group of puzzle makers, code breakers and quiz masters included his recently deceased adoptive mother, and she is making him work for the answers he is seeking. Before she died, she set him an elaborate series of challenging clues and riddles that he must solve if he wants to unlock the mystery.
The mystery of Clayton’s life story is already intriguing but to add another layer of fun, there are also puzzles and clues for the reader to solve as you work your way through the book. It’s not necessary for you to succeed with the puzzles in order to carry on reading the story, but it does provide a different type of reading experience., What I found was that the puzzles actually put you in Clayton’s shoes – the clues and questions are tricky and my frustration when trying to solve them mirrored Clayton’s feelings as he tried to navigate the fiendishly challenging trail Pippa had left for him.
Above all, this is a story about family, about love and about connections. I was surprised at how much I loved this book given my usual preferences. However, I do enjoy Codewords and tackling jigsaw puzzles with my daughters, and obviously I love Crime Fiction which is based around mysteries and solving problems, so this element of the story allowed me to fully embrace the other parts. I adored the other members of the fellowship and honestly think this story will stay with me for a long time to come - the hourglass, IYKYK! If there isn’t a second book on the cards yet then I am going to start a campaign to bring everyone back to solve another mystery!
Thanks to Anne Cater - @RandomTTours, Samuel Burr - @samuelburr and Orion Books -@orionbooks for the opportunity to read and review.
Publisher: Orion Books Genre: Cosy Crime / Mystery / Puzzles
ISBN: 978-1398712300
Pages: 368pp
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