The unmissable new linguistic mystery in the Sunday Times bestselling series from Britain's wordsmith, Susie Dent
A brand-new linguistic mystery from Countdown's resident lexicographer, Susie Dent, set in the city of Oxford
'A MUST-READ' Woman's Own
'A CLEVER, TWISTY MYSTERY' Good Housekeeping
'BRILLIANT, GRIPPING, UNPUTDOWNABLE' Kate Williams
'A COMPELLING MURDER MYSTERY PUNCTUATED BY DELICIOUS ETYMOLOGICAL PUZZLES' Tom Read-Wilson
'EVERY BIT AS GRIPPING AS HER DEBUT' Daily Mail
A mysterious letter. A silenced scholar. A city paved with injustice.
When mysterious symbols appear as graffiti around Oxford, lexicographer Martha Thornhill recognises them from an alphabet created by a deceased writer whose papers she once worked on. But this is no publicity stunt, and tensions intensify when further graffiti is found near the body of a university lecturer.
Martha is not the only one to have doubts when the suspicious death is assumed by police to be a suicide. Called upon to lend their linguistic expertise to the case, she and her colleagues begin to unearth a tragedy that extends beyond the ancient walls of the university. As new messages portend more death, it's clear that a spirit of vengeance is stalking the city's streets, and may be reaching out towards them too.
PRAISE FOR GUILTY BY DEFINITION:
'Astonishingly clever'
THE GUARDIAN
'Will delight anyone who appreciates fine crime writing'
THE TIMES
'One of the finest mysteries I have ever read'
ROB RINDER
'Huge fun and beautifully written'
GYLES BRANDRETH
'A tantalising mystery'
JANICE HALLETT
'Genuinely page-turning'
LALINE PAULL
Guilty by Definition (book 1) was a Sunday Times bestseller August 2024
"A clever, twisty mystery" - Good Housekeeping
"A must-read . . . This beautifully written second instalment in The Clarendon Lexicographers series brings together clever wordplay with an engaging, vengeful mystery. It's a captivating, expertly plotted puzzle and a true love letter to etymology" - Woman's Own
"Every bit as gripping as her debut ... Packed with intriguing details, while never failing to entertain. Richard Osman had better watch out." - Daily Mail
"A compelling murder mystery punctuated by delicious etymological puzzles" - Tom Read-Wilson
"Brilliant, gripping, unputdownable, Death Writ Large is another triumph from Dent. You're immediately swept up into the drama of this fabulous mystery, a shocking death, and a race against time to solve it. Martha is fantastic, Oxford is beautiful and atmospheric - don't miss" - Kate Williams
"Marvellous and completely absorbing. A top-notch crime novel" - Cathy Rentzenbrink
