Guilty by Definition was simply a marvel. It is a fiendishly clever mystery, packed with twists and turns and delightfully interesting wordplay. Do not miss this brilliant book.
As you would expect from the queen of Dictionary Corner herself Susie Dent, there is a delight in the wordplay of this book—from inspired vocabulary choices to a breakdown of the history and deeper meaning of linguistic choices. The choice to set within the team of the Dictionary allows this linguistic talent to take centre stage as these mysteries are unpicked that tangle with history, literature, cultural understandings and of course, the words themselves as well. It adds this cerebral element to the mystery plot line that is just intoxicating and feels like you are being introduced to a whole new lexicon and the world around it. The mystery itself is bound up in language and meaning, exposing a more ruthless side to this world. It is also entranced by fame, fortune and glamour with a bit of celebrity attached to starry research and television shows. That comes into play in interesting ways within the narrative, particularly around manipulation and abuse of power. The wordplay also compliments that manipulation—when every word is delicately chosen, the meaning and ramifications are keenly felt. People who are as immersed in language as our central group have a deft mastery of the art and can occasionally wield it as a weapon.
This is a cracking mystery with excellent pacing and tension. The setting of Oxford adds a sense of grandeur and long-buried history, compounded by its characters and their entanglement with the city. The team of the Clarendon English Dictionary is a fascinating bunch, all with their own flourishes and flaws. They jump off the page and straight into your heart. However, you still feel that tinge of uncertainty as everyone and everything comes into question. Dent keeps the stakes up throughout even as you’re caught up in the sheer thrill of unpicking every detail of these mysterious letters. You get snippets of the past looming in to, which keeps you guessing within the narrative.
At the same time, this is very much a book centred around grief and the way its effects ripple through the years. It is a nuanced and heartfelt portrayal that captures the way it tears you apart and allows you moments to breathe, only to drag you right back down. There is a keen sense of guilt and regret for Martha that weighs heavily upon her. She has to live up to the expectations of what her sister could have been and that gnawing guilt for still being here, mixed with a few secrets. Within the exploration of grief and its ripple effects, Dent includes an interesting look at how Charlie’s disappearance has almost sanctified and removed her messiness, her flaws and part of her humanity. Instead she is held up as a shining beacon of perfection, an impossible standard holds herself to and is constantly running away from.
Dent grapples wonderfully with that need to confront your own grief and trauma, acknowledge your mistakes as human fallibility and ultimately learn to start to piece together your life to live with grief. There is no easy road here. Instead, it is a difficult and heart-breaking path to stumble down. I liked the message of remembering and honouring your loved ones, but in a way that captures their essence and humanity. I knew from Dent’s sensitivity in terms of language used and the realism within it that she absolutely got it. There is a raw and real depiction of grief and Dent delivers it with sensitivity and nuance. It forms the emotional core of the book and gives you a better insight into Martha, but also the other characters around her as they grapple with the secrets buried years ago and their own relationships with Charlie.
Guilty by Definition is astounding—balancing a tightly plotted and thrilling mystery with a poignant investment in its characters. It is a phenomenal fiction debut from Dent and revels in its intricate wordplay as much as it does in its impeccable storyline.
Guilty by Definition is available from Amazon, Waterstones, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of August 15th 2024.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
The debut murder mystery from the resident genius of Countdown’s Dictionary Corner, Susie Dent.
An anonymous letter arrives at the offices of the Clarendon English Dictionary containing a challenge for the team of lexicographers working there. It’s clear that’s it’s not the usual run-of-the-mill, eccentric enquiry. The letter hints at secrets, lies and a year. 2010. For Martha Thornhill, the new senior editor, that year can mean only one the summer her brilliant, beautiful older sister Charlie went missing.
After a decade living abroad, Martha has returned to her father, her family home and the city whose institutions have defined her family, but the ghosts she thought at rest were only waiting for her to return.
More letters arrive, pointing towards a secret in the heart of the dictionary itself. As Martha and her colleagues start pulling apart the clues, the questions become more insistent and troubling. Charlie’s disappearance is one of a series of secret absences going back centuries, and someone wants to keep those secrets buried.
