Puzzled Indemnity (Puzzle Lady Series #16)

by Parnell Hall

Overview

It's been a cold, lonely winter for Cora Felton. Long distance has cooled the Puzzle Lady's on-again-off-again affair with Sergeant Crowley, and the only case Chief Harper has for her to investigate is a routine liquor store robbery. So when attorney friend Becky Baldwin asks her to check out whether Brittney Wells' philandering husband is planning to kill her to collect on a million dollar, double indemnity insurance policy, Cora jumps at the chance.

Cora has no problem tracking hubby to his love nest, but when Brittany refuses to believe he's cheating on her, Cora has to blackmail him to prove the affair. Before she can, a car bomb rocks the quiet streets of Bakerhaven, and the stakes escalate to murder.

To save Becky's clueless client from the clutches of the law, Cora will manipulate a TV reporter, cast suspicion on an innocent man, crack crossword and Sudoku clues, solve the liquor store robbery, and enlist the aid of both Sergeant Crowley and his girlfriend in Parnell Hall's Puzzled Indemnity, this outrageous new entry in the Puzzle Lady Mystery series featuring Sudoku by Will Shortz.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250027184
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	01/20/2015
Series:	Puzzle Lady Series , #16
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	654,051
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

PARNELL HALL has been an actor, screenwriter, and singer/songwriter. He is a former President of the Private Eye Writers of America and a member of Sisters in Crime. He has been a finalist for an Edgar, 2 Lefty, and 3 Shamus Awards. He lives in New York City.

Parnell Hall is the co-author of the New York Times bestselling Teddy Fay thrillers. He is the author of the Puzzle Lady mysteries, the Stanley Hastings private eye novels, and the Steve Winslow courtroom thrillers. He is a Shamus Award winner, and has been nominated for the Edgar and the Lefty. He lives in New York City.

Editorial Reviews

11/24/2014
In Hall’s whimsical 16th Puzzle Lady mystery (after 2014’s NYPD Puzzle), amateur sleuth Cora agrees to help a local attorney in Bakerhaven, Conn., by tailing an insurance salesman and finding out if he’s cheating on his wife. Happily for married Cora, the assignment takes her to New York City, home of the NYPD’s Sergeant Crowley, her occasional lover. The investigation leads to the apartment of a mysterious woman. As events spiral out of control, questions arise about the shelf life of such a quirky character as Cora. Known for worrying about her weight, dodging people’s questions about puzzles (her niece Kelly is the real puzzle expert), and complaining about everything in her life, Cora starts using blackmail. What’s more, her careless conversation later costs a man his life. Some readers may lose patience with her before reaching the convoluted conclusion. Others will enjoy the parallels to James M. Cain’s Double Indemnity. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

In this delightful comic mystery, the merging of the puzzle of the crime with the allusions to the movie Double Indemnity and Cora's convoluted conversations engages to the end.” —Booklist

“Once again, Hall manages to perfectly integrate fun puzzles with an entertaining mystery in the latest entry of his Puzzle Lady series....Cora Felton...is as lovable as ever, with the attitude of an incredibly sassy grandmother.” —RT Book Reviews (4 stars)

From the Publisher

12/01/2014
Puzzle Lady Cora Felton investigates a liquor store robbery and a cheating husband who may be plotting to murder his wife for the insurance money in the 16th series installment (after NYPD Puzzle). Includes six crosswords and a sudoku puzzle by Will Shortz that help you solve the mystery.

Library Journal