Guilty by Definition
ISBN: 9781804183977
Description
When an anonymous letter is delivered to the Clarendon English Dictionary office, it becomes rapidly clear that this is not the usual word-related enquiry. Instead, the letter hints at sinister events linked to a particular year. For editor Martha Thornhill, the date can mean only one thing: the summer her brilliant older sister Charlie went missing. Ten years on, Martha and her family are no closer to unravelling the mystery of Charlie's disappearance - until now. As more letters arrive, Martha and her team follow the linguistic clues to a troubling truth. It seems Charlie was keeping a powerful secret, and that someone is desperate to keep it well and truly buried.
Reviewed on 24th May 2025
Susie Dent’s novel didn’t capture me immediately, but once I’d got a few chapters in I did want to find out all the answers and about her characters.
It’s the story of a group of lexicographers writing updates for the dictionary, and some puzzling letters they start to receive, hinting at things from their past. There’s a lot going on, and it does get quite sad in places.
One thing that really bugged me was the use of the word “screenshot” to mean “took a photo of something”, which felt very weird the three times it was used, and something that I didn’t expect Dent to get wrong - I was anticipating some sort of plot point to emerge, but it never did.
Otherwise a perfectly good mystery, but I’m not sure quite inspiring enough for me to add the sequel to my wish list.