Puzzled to Death
Authors: Parnell Hall
Raves for Parnell Hall’s
LAST PUZZLE & TESTAMENT
“[An] homage to the very entertaining, breezy mind-game mysteries of the 1930s and ‘40s. Enjoy the show!”
—Los Angeles Times
“A witty, airy, and busy detective story … filled with love triangles, false leads, and danger.”
—The Dallas Morning News
“Cora is emerging as a lovable and unique sleuth. [She’s] no sweet-natured Jessica Fletcher or wise-as-an-owl Miss Marple.… This series is a joy for lovers of both crosswords and frothy crime detection.”
—Chicago Sun-Times
“[
Last Puzzle & Testament
] has its merry way with the cozy concept of the small-town spinster-sleuth.”
—Los Angeles Times
“Fun from the first page … This cozy mystery has a slightly different point of view and pair of detectives.”
—The Dallas Morning News
“Takes a sweet-faced grandmother on the gumshoe spree of a lifetime.”
—The Washington Post Book World
“Cora’s heart of gold personality gives
Last Puzzle & Testament
a special feel that turns this novel into a keeper that will be read many times over in the years to come.”
—The Midwest Book Review
“The author proves himself very adept at constructing the puzzles that are at the core of his mystery. The reader gets a chance to solve the puzzles before the protagonists do, which adds to the fun.”
—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
“A decidedly different pair of detectives.”
—Creative Logic
“Crossword puzzle fans, this one is for you.”
—The Oklahoman
“This novel’s puzzles within puzzles will charm and so will its attractive cast.”
—Booklist
“Just the ticket for the puzzle addict(s) on your list.”
—Booknews
from The Poisoned Pen
“Laced with witty dialogue and enough twists to satisfy the most demanding of mystery fans.”
—Greenburg
(PA)
Tribune-Review
“Parnell Hall pulls off a clever and entertaining crossword-based mystery.”
—
Mystery Lovers Bookshop News
__________________
Raves for Cora Felton’s debut in
A CLUE FOR THE PUZZLE LADY
“Some puzzles are real killers … devious and delightful.”
—Chicago Sun-Times
“Deft … clever … fun.”
—Booklist
“The real lure here is the mystery, whose ingenuity takes quite unexpected forms en route to the final unmasking. Heaven for crossword fans, who’ll rejoice over the solve-as-you-go puzzle!”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Cora Felton is a delightfully different sort of sleuth—hardly the decorous, tea-sipping village spinster. In truth, she’s a hoot. I hope her niece can keep her out of too much trouble so that we can all savor future adventures of the Puzzle Lady.”
—Joan Hess, author of the Claire Malloy and Maggody mystery series
“In addition to his trademark zippy, witty dialogue, Hall provides a dandy puzzle, congenial secondary characters, plenty of laughs, and a true original in Cora Felton, the Puzzle Lady.”
—Publishers Weekly
“A
Clue for the Puzzle Lady
is fresh, funny, and ingeniously devised. It kept me guessing right down to the end—just like a good crossword!”
—Will Shortz, Crossword Editor,
The New York Times
“Parnell Hall’s superb new series dazzles like the Fourth of July, crackling with fun, wordplay, more twists than a maze, and a clever, vulnerable, wild woman sleuth—Cora Felton, the Puzzle Lady. Sheer delight!”
—Carolyn Hart, author of
Death on Demand
and the Henrie O mystery series
“A twisting plot, an intriguing puzzle, and a surprisingly satisfying romance. This one is hard to beat.”
—Janet Evanovich
“A fresh series with an engaging sleuthing duo … a lighthearted romp.”
—
Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine
“A fun and entertaining story to challenge all mystery readers … A great premise … lively characters, an intriguing plot and a well-written story.”
—Rendezvous
“
A Clue for the Puzzle Lady
is going to please puzzle fans and mystery lovers alike.”
—Romantic Times
A
LSO BY
P
ARNELL
H
ALL
A Clue for the Puzzle Lady
Last Puzzle and Testament
This edition contains the complete text of the original hardcover edition.
NOT ONE WORD HAS BEEN OMITTED.
PUZZLED TO DEATH
A Bantam Book
PUBLISHING HISTORY
Bantam hardcover edition published November 2001
Bantam mass market edition / September 2002
A FOOL SUCH AS I
Words and Music by Bill Trader
© Copyright 1968 Universal—MCA Music Publishing, a division of Universal
Studios, Inc. (ASCAP)
International Copyright Secured All Rights Reserved
I’M SORRY
Words and Music by Ronnie Self, Dub Allbritten
© Copyright 1968 Universal—Champion Music Corporation (BMI)
International Copyright Secured All Rights Reserved
SORRY (I RAN ALL THE WAY HOME), by Aristedes Giosasi and Artie Zwirn
© 1959 (Renewed) EMI Longitude Music
All Rights Reserved Used by Permission
WARNER BROS. PUBLICATIONS U.S. INC., Miami, FL. 33014
All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2001 by Parnell Hall.
Puzzles edited by Ellen Ripstein
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2001025751
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information address: Bantam Books, New York, New York.
eISBN: 978-0-307-77956-4
Bantam Books are published by Bantam Books, a division of Random House, Inc. Its trademark, consisting of the words “Bantam Books” and the portrayal of a rooster, is Registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries. Marca Registrada. Bantam Books, 1540 Broadway, New York, New York 10036.
v3.1
For Kate,
who helped me
ditch the body
PUZZLE CLUE?
T
he Puzzle Lady will encounter the following cryptic clue in the course of this story. If you could help her decipher it, she’d be eternally grateful
.
C
ORA
F
ELTON PULLED THE HEAVY KNIT SWEATER AROUND
her shoulders, crinkled her nose, squinted her eyes against the sun, and declared: “I. Hate. Fall.”
Her niece, Sherry Carter, smiled indulgently. “You don’t hate fall, Cora. You’re just not used to it.”
“I’ll say.” Cora Felton kicked her foot absently at the dead oak and maple leaves that adorned the front lawn. “We don’t have seasons in the city. It’s warmer or colder, and that’s it. Unless you go to the park, and why would I do that? There are no stores in the park.”
“That’s very true,” Sherry agreed. She hiked up the sleeves on her green fleece pullover, stuck her hands in the pockets of her jeans, and tilted her chin up. “Just
breathe
that morning air.”
“I can breathe it inside,” Cora muttered. “That’s why we have windows. What are we doing out here?”
In point of fact, Sherry Carter had lured Cora Felton out to the lawn of their tidy little Connecticut house in
the hope that the brisk November air would take the edge off Cora’s hangover. Sherry’s aunt had been cranky at breakfast and seemed on the verge of mixing her second Bloody Mary, always a bad sign. Sherry loved her aunt dearly and looked out for Cora’s welfare, usually against Cora’s will.
Sherry smiled. “Cora, we’re out here for just the reason you said. To notice the seasons. Something we don’t do in Manhattan. I mean, isn’t this a gorgeous day? And here we are, on a beautiful woodsy lot, on a deserted country road, no neighbors to speak of, the only sign of civilization the power line up the driveway. What’s not to like?”