Cora Felton is the grandmotherly, nationally syndicated 'Puzzle Lady' whose crossword puzzle greets newspaper readers every morning. She has a dread secret, though. Far from her wholesome image, Cora is a drunk and a bit of a floozy. Worse, the crosswords she's known for are in fact created by her niece Shelly, who is living with Cora in a small town in hopes of evading her abusive former husband. These secrets are threatened when Cora is drawn into a local murder investigation based on her supposed expertise on crosswords. A fairly lighthearted cozy, this is the first of a series. ( )

As a big fan of the Stanley Hastings mysteries, this book was a disappointment. It seemed more a spoof of cozies and less an entertaining book in its own right. ( )

I enjoy puzzles because what is a mystery if not a puzzle to be solved so when I ran across this series I decided it definitely was for me and that I'd start at the beginning. In this first of the series, the Puzzle Lady for the public world is Cora Felton, an elderly, grandmotherly type who is just what the syndicates want when they promote the "Puzzle Lady". But in fact, all the work is done by her niece, Sherry, who is trying to hide out from an abusive husband/ex-husband? and move on with her life. They settle in a small town in Connecticut and this is where our story begins.
I chuckled when the mystery started with the discovery of a dead body in the cemetery - how ironic! Not exactly the spot you think of for a murder. When the police chief starts the investigation (there are only 3 on the police force in this small town) by examining the pockets of the victim, he finds a scrap of paper that looks like a crossword puzzle clue. Not being particularly prepared for this type crime, Chief Harper turns to the Puzzle Lady to try to understand what the killer was trying to say with the clue.
Ms Felton has some vices which if known, could possibly end the Puzzle lady's syndications. Somehow Aunt Cora can smoke and drink and still manages to help the Chief Harper through the clues/nonclues and leads him to the solution with an amusing edge.
This cozy mystery is fun and entertaining and I'm definitely looking forward to more of the series. ( )

Fun for when you want something to think about but don't want to have to think too hard. I enjoy mysteries with humor that don't get ridiculously silly and this fit. ( )

The Puzzle Lady is Cora Felton, a syndicated crossword puzzle writer. She lives in a small town, Bakerhaven, Connecticut, with her niece Sherry Carter. Sherry is hiding from a violent husband. The cast includes Police Chief Dale Harper, who lives with his wife and teenage daughter; his political nemesis Prosecutor Henry Firth and reporter Aaron Grant.

I didn't find the Puzzle Lady herself terribly likeable, but I really liked her niece, and some of the other characters, and I enjoyed the story. ( )