Guilty by Definition
The instant Sunday Times bestselling Richard and Judy book club pick
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- 3,99 €
Descripción editorial
THE BESTSELLING RICHARD AND JUDY BOOK CLUB PICK
A TAKE A BREAK BOOK CLUB SELECTION
A GOODHOUSEKEEPING GOOD BOOKS READER FAVOURITE
'ONE OF THE FINEST MYSTERIES I HAVE EVER READ'
Rob Rinder, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Trial
'A TANTALISING MYSTERY FOR WORD SLEUTHS AND CRIME FANS ALIKE'
Janice Hallett, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Appeal
A coded letter. A missing woman. A truth waiting to be found.
When an anonymous letter is delivered to the Clarendon English Dictionary office, it becomes rapidly clear that this is not the usual word-related enquiry. Instead, the letter hints at sinister events linked to a particular year.
For editor Martha Thornhill, the date can mean only one thing: the summer her brilliant older sister Charlie went missing. Ten years on, Martha and her family are no closer to unravelling the mystery of Charlie's disappearance - until now.
As more letters arrive, Martha and her team follow the linguistic clues to a troubling truth. It seems Charlie was keeping a powerful secret, and that someone is desperate to keep it well and truly buried.
Guilty by Definition is a love letter not only to language but to the city of Oxford, wrapped within an intriguing mystery of a missing woman and considering the emotional aftershocks of her disappearance on those left behind.
SHORTLISTED FOR THE BRITISH BOOK AWARD 2025: BOOK OF THE YEAR - CRIME & THRILLER
Guilty by Definition was a Sunday Times bestseller August 2024
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Etymologist Dent (Interesting Stories About Curious Words) makes an impressive fiction debut with a clever whodunit that pivots on her linguistic expertise. Ten years after Martha Thornhill's sister, Charlie, disappeared, Martha returns to Oxford from Berlin to work as a senior editor for the Clarendon English Dictionary—the same publication where Charlie worked before she vanished. Shortly after Martha starts at CED, the office receives an anonymous note that alludes to an incident the same year Charlie disappeared and concludes with a quote from The Merchant of Venice: "Truth will come to life. Murder cannot be hid long." That missive is followed by another, which references Chaucer, and then individual staff members start receiving postcards with ominous messages such as "I do despise a liar." Worried that the messages could be connected to Charlie's fate, Martha investigates, and quickly learns that her sister was sitting on a major discovery with dangerous implications. Dent wrings genuine emotion from Martha's grief, and crafts a tantalizing puzzle for Anglophiles and Golden Age mystery lovers alike. This is a treat.
