Title: Puzzling Ink
Author: Becky Clark
Series: Crossword Puzzle Mysteries #1
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Release Date: November 3, 2020
Pages: 227
Book Source: Netgalley
“1 DOWN: DEATH BY HOMICIDE
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Quinn Carr wishes her life could be more like a crossword puzzle: neat, orderly, and perfectly arranged. At least her passion for puzzles, flair for words—and mild case of OCD—have landed her a gig creating crosswords for the local paper. But if she ever hopes to move out of her parents’ house, she can’t give up her day job as a waitress. She needs the tips. But when a customer ends up dead at her table—face down in biscuits and gravy—Quinn needs to get a clue to find whodunit …
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6 LETTERS, STARTS WITH “M”
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It turns out that solving a murder is a lot harder than a creating a crossword. Quinn has plenty of suspects—up, down, and across. One of them is her boss, the owner of the diner who shares a culinary past with the victim. Two of them are ex-wives, her boss’s and the victim’s. A third complication is the Chief of Police who refuses to allow much investigation, preferring the pretense their town has no crime. To solve this mystery, Quinn has to think outside the boxes—before the killer gets the last word …” – Amazon
Kim’s Review
Puzzling Ink by Becky Clark is the first in the new cozy series, Crossword Puzzle Mysteries, and the series is off to a great start. Clark does a fantastic job giving us a look into the life of someone with OCD, since the protagonist, Quinn has it. It was fascinating to me to see how some people try to cope with it, and I think it’s necessary to talk about mental health.
Clark also did a wonderful job with the character development. One of the main reasons I keep returning to read a cozy mystery series is because of the characters. If I can connect with them or if I enjoy spending time in their company, I will be back.
Quinn’s parents are such a loving and supportive couple, and her mom’s recipes were very interesting to read about, even if some of them were cringe worthy.
Loma, Quinn’s boss’s ex-wife, is someone I would want to hang out with, and I hope we see her a lot more in future books. And the old timers that come to the cafe daily are a fun bunch, you just know their antics will be entertaining in future books.
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