When a strange murder takes place in the sleepy market town of Bakerbury, the local police are baffled by a crossword puzzle clue left on the body. Fortunately, the famous cruciverbalist Cora Felton, known as The Puzzle Lady, has just moved to town with her long-suffering niece, Sherry Carter. Behind the cosy façade of a demure older lady – an image that markets her best-selling crossword column and a popular brand of biscuits – is a chain-smoking, wisecracking, borderline alcoholic. Not only is the persona of eccentric old Cora a lie, she isn’t the puzzle expert, she’s actually a fraudulent frontwoman for Sherry, the real puzzle expert, whose brilliant crossword puzzles have become a national sensation. Despite her lack of expertise, Cora cannot help but turn enthusiastically to amateur sleuthing, much to the chagrin of Detective Chief Inspector Hooper who wishes he’d never involved her in the first place !
Hooper holds the most senior rank in a woefully understaffed local police station. He’s a perfectly competent DCI, but has had very little experience with serious crime, particularly murder – until now. He moans when Cora sticks her nose in his cases, but forgives her because she always saves the day in the end. Not only does Cora crack this murder case, she discovers a knack for solving murders, and as it turns out, Bakerbury isn’t as sleepy as it looks.
