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2025 British Book Award Crime and Thriller Book of the Year (nominee)
2025 McKitterick Prize (nominee)
THE BESTSELLING RICHARD AND JUDY BOOK CLUB PICK
A TAKE A BREAK BOOK CLUB SELECTION
A GOODHOUSEKEEPING GOOD BOOKS READER FAVOURITE
'ONE OF THE FINEST MYSTERIES I HAVE EVER READ'
Rob Rinder, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Trial
'A TANTALISING MYSTERY FOR WORD SLEUTHS AND CRIME FANS ALIKE'
Janice Hallett, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Appeal
A coded letter. A missing woman. A truth waiting to be found.
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.
Guilty by Definition is a love letter not only to language but to the city of Oxford, wrapped within an intriguing mystery of a missing woman and considering the emotional aftershocks of her disappearance on those left behind.
SHORTLISTED FOR THE BRITISH BOOK AWARD 2025: BOOK OF THE YEAR - CRIME & THRILLER
Guilty by Definition was a Sunday Times bestseller August 2024
Genre: Mystery
A TAKE A BREAK BOOK CLUB SELECTION
A GOODHOUSEKEEPING GOOD BOOKS READER FAVOURITE
'ONE OF THE FINEST MYSTERIES I HAVE EVER READ'
Rob Rinder, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Trial
'A TANTALISING MYSTERY FOR WORD SLEUTHS AND CRIME FANS ALIKE'
Janice Hallett, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Appeal
A coded letter. A missing woman. A truth waiting to be found.
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.
Guilty by Definition is a love letter not only to language but to the city of Oxford, wrapped within an intriguing mystery of a missing woman and considering the emotional aftershocks of her disappearance on those left behind.
SHORTLISTED FOR THE BRITISH BOOK AWARD 2025: BOOK OF THE YEAR - CRIME & THRILLER
Guilty by Definition was a Sunday Times bestseller August 2024
Genre: Mystery
Praise for this book
"The brilliant lexicographer turns out to be a brilliant storyteller too. This is huge fun and, as you'd expect, also beautifully written." - Gyles Brandreth
"Guilty by Definition is a love letter to the English language wrapped about an intriguing puzzle of a story. The characters are believable and compelling, with secrets and stories of their own that unfold alongside the central mystery. I must have formed and discarded a dozen theories, not only about whodunnit, but also why-, what-, when- and where-dunnit - all entirely wrong. I'd love to read a sequel - or a whole series!" - Anne Corlett
"If you're like me and love both language and crime, then Guilty by Definition has it all. Susie Dent's impressive debut novel is virtuosic. So meticulously and fascinatingly steeped in the archaic glory of words, it will surely be the ultimate treat for every logophile out there. But this is so much more than a celebration of the dictionary - it's a tantalising mystery of a missing sister, a cold case that will not lie down, and a family frozen in their unresolved grief... all while their circle of friends and colleagues nurse secrets and lies beyond explication. Guilty by Definition is positively aglitter with etymological and detecting treasures for word-sleuths and crime-fans alike." - Janice Hallett
"The main characters are people I'd like to meet in real life; the Oxford types are convincing; the puzzle is well worked-out. And it kept me reading eagerly." - Philip Pullman
"Guilty by Definition is a love letter to the English language wrapped about an intriguing puzzle of a story. The characters are believable and compelling, with secrets and stories of their own that unfold alongside the central mystery. I must have formed and discarded a dozen theories, not only about whodunnit, but also why-, what-, when- and where-dunnit - all entirely wrong. I'd love to read a sequel - or a whole series!" - Anne Corlett
"If you're like me and love both language and crime, then Guilty by Definition has it all. Susie Dent's impressive debut novel is virtuosic. So meticulously and fascinatingly steeped in the archaic glory of words, it will surely be the ultimate treat for every logophile out there. But this is so much more than a celebration of the dictionary - it's a tantalising mystery of a missing sister, a cold case that will not lie down, and a family frozen in their unresolved grief... all while their circle of friends and colleagues nurse secrets and lies beyond explication. Guilty by Definition is positively aglitter with etymological and detecting treasures for word-sleuths and crime-fans alike." - Janice Hallett
"The main characters are people I'd like to meet in real life; the Oxford types are convincing; the puzzle is well worked-out. And it kept me reading eagerly." - Philip Pullman
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