Guilty by Definition

THE BESTSELLING RICHARD AND JUDY BOOK CLUB PICKA TAKE A BREAK BOOK CLUB SELECTIONA GOOD HOUSEKEEPING 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 AppealA 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 in August 2024]

Autorentext

Susie Dent is a writer and broadcaster on language. She recently celebrated thirty years as a co-presenter and resident word expert on Channel 4's Countdown, and also appears on the show's comedy sister 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown. Susie comments regularly on TV and radio on words in the news, and is the author of several non-fiction books on words and language. Her debut novel, Guilty by Definition, was an instant Sunday Times bestseller and was shortlisted for Book of the Year - Crime/Thriller at the British Book Awards 2025.

Klappentext

THE BESTSELLING RICHARD AND JUDY BOOK CLUB PICK
A TAKE A BREAK BOOK CLUB SELECTION
**A GOOD HOUSEKEEPING 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.
**
Guilty by Definition was a Sunday Times bestseller in August 2024