I love crossword puzzles and I love books, so when I saw this book I knew it was for me. What a disappointment! The characters were weak and their conversations went on and on without much being said. Cora, who is know as the puzzle lady, is a drunk and knows nothing about puzzles. I only finished the book because I truly wanted it to get better - it didn't. The concept of tying a crossword puzzle to a mystery is good, but it didn't work here.

This book was a very fast read. You can't help but feel a part of Bakerhaven, the small Connecticut town while trying to figure out 'who done it.' It would be an unfair tease to give you tidbits of why the plot twists, general prose and sequencing work so well, so I won't. It's too bad that the second book in the series won't be available for almost another year. I can't wait to see what happens to Cora and Sherry in Parnell Hall's next book. If his follow up novel is as enthralling as "A Clue for the Puzzle Lady", there should be many more books in the series to look forward to.

As the author of "The Crossword Murder" I had to snap up this book the moment I heard of it. I've always been a big Parnell Hall fan, and he doesn't let the reader down for one second with "A Clue for the Puzzle Lady". A super mystery and fabulous characters; and as a crossword puzzle creator, this book was right up my alley. Bravo, Parnell!

This is one in a series starring Stanley Hastings as a reluctant PI who is a writer ! I have read better ones from Hall, however, I will continue reading his series. I enjoy the character of Hastings

I wasn't expecting much from the book and it turned out to be a fun mystery novel. It is a traditional whodunnit, and is fun to read. The story is a bit predictable but Mr. Hall still makes the tale interesting, and the main character Stanely Hastings, is well-developed. Hall also throws in a fair share of witty, humourous lines that gives the reader plenty of opportunity to smile and laugh while reading the story.