Patti S. (Pattakins) reviewed on 7/28/2012 + 365 more book reviews

Last Puzzle and Testament is an intriguing approach to the "whodunit" genre. Set in a small town and revolving around the rich old maid who dies and her money-grubbing relatives, the story has the potential to be just another one of hundreds of similar stories. The gimmick that makes this novel different is the crossword writing amateur sleuth and a treasure hunt for the heirs that is based on, you guessed it, a crossword puzzle. Cora Felton is a celebrity in the small town of Bakershaven. She is cruciverbalist, a crossword puzzle constructor, with a national syndication as The Puzzle Lady. The only problem is that she knows more about multiple marriages and martinis than vocabulary. Cora's niece and companion, the divorced Sherry Carter, is really the crossword expert, but started using her aunt as a front for her image and to overcome the problem of being too young for credibility. Now they are stuck with the subterfuge. When elderly spinster Emma Hurley dies her attorney, following her instructions, assembles the potential heirs and informs them that the bulk of the estate is to be awarded to the first one to solve a puzzle she has devised. She also names the local celebrity, The Puzzle Lady, as the sole judge and referee. Then, as the puzzle solving begins, people start to die. The twists and turns of the puzzle, and of the detecting, involve Sherry and Cora in a variety of situations, all leading up to a very unexpected resolution. Part of the charm of this mystery is the character of Cora herself. A good-heated soul, she just drinks a little more than she should, and a lot more often. She and Sherry go through some interesting gyrations in order to cover up that Cora just doesn't have what it takes to solve, much less create, a crossword puzzle. The romantic interest is provided by Aaron Grant, reporter for the Bakershaven Gazette. He has already figured out that Sherry really writes the crosswords, but wants her to tell him as a sign of their developing relationship. Sherry, on the other hand, doesn't feel right about letting a relationship develop until she tells him the truth. Every time one of them is about to bring the matter to a head, something happens to distract them. Last Puzzle and Testament, by Parnell Hall is an amusing little mystery, well worth the read.

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