$10,000 In Small, Unmarked Puzzles (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
In Hall’s mystery novel, Cora Felton is an amateur sleuth who loves to help her local police department solve crimes involving crossword puzzles. While “The Puzzle Lady” waits for her new baby grand-niece, her lawyer, Becky, asks her to drop off a blackmail payment unaware that the request would lead Cora straight to a corpse—plus two puzzles that lead directly to her ex-husband. Cora doubts Melvin is capable of murder but with each clue, the finger is pointed in his direction. Forced to choose, Cora must find the truth before someone else falls victim to a clever killer.A clever and creative addition to the A Puzzle Lady Mystery series. (8) That cantankerous puzzle lady, Cora!, May 24, 2012 By Ellen Rappaport (Florida) This review is from: $10,000 in Small, Unmarked Puzzles: A Puzzle Lady Mystery (Puzzle Lady Mysteries) (Hardcover) I was waiting for my chance to get this latest installment of the Puzzle Lady series. I've read all of them and will continue to because of the fun and the zinger endings. This was no exception.Cora is off to a riotous start as she drives pell mell to the hospital and why? ...Sherry, Cora's niece, is having the baby before the delivery date. Aaron, Sherry's husband, is along for the ride and all are a bit worried about the baby being delivered in good health. So what else could go wrong? With Cora almost anything and everything.Becky Baldwin, the towns' most beautiful and only attorney, hired Cora to make a drop of $10,000 to a deserted gas station. It appears this is to pay off a blackmailer. Cora wants to know why and who is being black mailed. Just when she attempts to drop the money in a dumpster she finds a body in it. Cora also finds something else. could it be a puzzle &/or a soduko? These puzzles are the beginning of a chase to find the guilty party. Cora attempts to place the bag of money in an old gas pump...And so the adventure begins. Puzzles and soduko's leading the way. Who pops up in the thick of it but Cora's philandering ex-husband, Melvin. Is Melvin the one being black mailed? One thing is for sure...Melvin hasn't changed his ways where women are concerned.Now Cora finds that someone has it in for Melvin. Melvin is being framed for this murder by a faceless psychopath. But why? Cora intends to find out.While Becky and Cora continue on their search to prove Melvin is innocent of the charges against him, Cora banters back and forth with Cheif Harper. The Chief's frustration with Cora grows as Cora's frustration with getting to the bottom of the blackmailing scheme grows.It almost appears to be a lose lose situation until the light goes on in Cora's thinking and she rushes to outsmart the real murderer/blackmailer before another murder is committed.I enjoy this fun series and the characters in it. But be prepared, if that's possible, for the zinger. You'll know it when you get to it.A great series for any lover of cozies.
What do You think about $10,000 In Small, Unmarked Puzzles (2012)?
Never expect the unexpected, or something like that! Maybe just don't trust bodyguards
—Lyndsey
Another cute and quick read in the series
—prachipradhan
