A Puzzling Novel

Welcome back dear readers! I can't believe it's February already! Can you believe how January flew? Neither can I, because January was two fast weeks, and then two incredibly slow weeks. It's like the buzz of New Year's lasts for a bit, and them BAM! Mid-January hits, and you've already broken your resolutions (but hopefully not, you can do it!), it's way colder than December, and everything goes back to normal...but it's too normal after so much cultural excitement. Even if you don't celebrate, it's everywhere (Woo commercialism!) so it's hard to escape the energy. Then along comes February with it's short month, and here we are!

So long resolutions, it's been fun.

If you remember last blog post, I didn't know what I was going to be reading for this post beforehand. This left me searching for a book, so I decided to choose a category that the books on my pile don't fit into. I figured since I didn't know what to tackle, I might as well check something off that I would have to search for later anyways! Dear Readers, I present to you your first twofer category! The book I read crossed off not one, but TWO! challenges!!! Since there doesn't seem to be any rules about doubling up, I'm allowing myself this: Show some love for a book revolving around a puzzle or game, AND a book featuring an amateur detective.

And what novel fits into these two challenges you may be asking? Well let me tell you! It was A Clue for the Puzzle Lady by Parnell Hall!

So I'm going to be super honest, I liked the book enough, but there's a reason it took some time to get this post out there...and it's that every time I put the book down, it took me some time to pick it up again. Don't get me wrong, it reads fast: It's got quick pacing, short chapters, and there is some action in each little bit. I just didn't feel that burning desire to finish it asap. That being said, I think I would probably watch the crap out of it, if it was a Sunday afternoon TV show.

The novel stars two women: Cora Felton, and her niece Sherry Carter. Cora is a little old lady with an alcohol problem that loves mysteries. She is known as the puzzle lady, as she has a crossword puzzle that is printed in various newspapers across the (American) nation. The catch though, is she is terrible at crossword puzzles and it's actually her niece who creates them. Why? Because of marketability. Sherry is young (I got the impression she's early 20s) and wasn't taken seriously when she tried to sell her crosswords, but Cora is photogenic and appears a kindly old woman. I guess it's not hard to believe she would sit at home pouring over puzzles. Funnily enough, she is the one who is regularly out late at the bar. I liked this aspect of the novel as it subtly demonstrated glass ceilings people face. Sherry is perceived as "can't be smart because she's an attractive young woman", so she doesn't get any jobs. However, her same work is instantly picked up locally, and then nationally, when it is branded differently from a different source.

You tell them Tina!

Sherry and Cora have recently moved into a new, small, town from New York, so Sherry could escape her abusive ex-husband. I was worried when this part came up in the book, but it was handled decently. Sherry suffers genuine PTSD throughout the novel, while struggling to be "rational and logical" about her feelings. She is terrified of her ex discovering where she moved to, and this actually plays a large role in the novel. Not that she has this anxiety, that's just accepted, but rather why the murder needs to be solved without placing attention on her aunt, and by extension her. It creates an obstacle, without diminishing the character as just a one note "battered woman", like many crime procedurals do.

Wait, did I say solve and murder? I sure did, because this novel is a murder mystery! The reason Cora is brought in, is to help solve it with her crossword expertise. The cops find a clue in the victim's pocket, and it looks like the description of a crossword clue. They realize they have the "Puzzle Lady" living amongst them, so why not use her expertise. Cora dismisses the clue as nothing, partly because she believes it's nothing and partly because she hates crosswords! She is excited to solve a murder though, as she loves mysteries. So she gets herself involved, and  does figure it all out (Spoilers!).

I am shocked!

What do I want to talk about with this book? The obsession with women's murders. There is some sick perversion with dwelling over the death of (young) women. Particularly if they are attractive, and mostly when they are also "white". This struck out in this book, because yes, the two victims are pretty women, and also because me reading this coincided with Netflix's "Ted Bundy" documentary release. Which seriously, f@#$ Ted Bundy. There are some great articles on how there is this flocking to stories about brutalized victims (like this one here). The sicker, the more coverage. This book is aware of this as one character actually remarks, "If it was a rape it would have been different, but a runaway who got hit on the head..." This is in response to the first murder victim, after being identified, has people lose interest in her story because she was an outsider who was only bludgeoned to death! This is not sensational enough to tell stories! How sick is that?

Me reading too much truth

I mean seriously, lets think about this: A murder in a small town where nothing happens, becomes less interesting in a few days because it wasn't sexual and more sadistic in nature. I'm just going to leave this post with the question "Why?"

Join me next blog post for a special edition: I will be interviewing an author about their new book!
Until next time!