Prompt 48 – Related to word puzzle

What it’s about?

Clayton Stumper is an enigma.

He might be twenty-five years old, but he dresses like your grandad and drinks sherry like your aunt.

Abandoned at birth on the steps of the Fellowship of Puzzlemakers, he was raised by the sharpest minds in the British Isles and finds himself amongst the last survivors of a fading institution.

When the esteemed crossword compiler, Pippa Allsbrook, passes away, she bestows her final puzzle to him: a promise to reveal the mystery of his parentage and prepare him for his future.

Yet as Clay begins to unpick the clues, he uncovers something even the Fellowship have never been able to solve – and it’s a secret that will change everything…

What I think:

I loved this book!

The story of Clayton Stumper’s birth is a mystery. The woman who has raised him, Pippa Allsbrook was a master puzzler. Over the years, she brought together an eclectic mix of fellow puzzlers and codebreakers. What starts as a meet up in pub becomes an extended family living together in a commune.

The story has a dual timeline telling the story of the forming of the Fellowship and the challenges it faced over the years, and Clayton’s attempt to follow Pippa’s clues and uncover the truth about his parentage.

Pippa wants Clayton to have an adventure of his own and discover who he is outside of the protective world of the Fellowship

There are some lovely scenes as he meets a selection of characters along the way. I loved his chapters with Nancy.

The story is uplifting and warm-hearted. While some of the solutions  weren’t a huge surprise, the journey to uncover them was delightful. I enjoyed the puzzles and overall throughly enjoyed the book.

Thank you to NetGalley for my gifted digital copy of The Fellowship of Puzzle Makers; it’s one of favourite reads of the year so far.