A Puzzle in a Pear Tree
Table of Contents
For Don,
who suggested
the live Nativity.
Raves for Parnell Hall’s A PUZZLE IN A PEAR TREE
“Ideal for the puzzle fan as well as the mystery fan, this frothy,
funny and ingenious fourth Puzzle Lady novel has enough plot
twists for the most avid mystery reader.”
—The Dallas Morning News
“Parnell Hall has written another excellent amateur sleuth
novel . . . with so many twists and turns, dead ends, and viable
suspects that readers will want to finish the book in one sitting
so they can puzzle out who did what to whom.”
—The Midwest Book Review
“The best yet . . . I can’t think of one negative thing to say
about
A
Puzzle
in
a Pear Tree.
Parnell Hall has outdone
himself on this one.”
—Mystery News
“A whodunit of the first order.”
—The Chronicle-Herald
(Halifax, Nova Scotia)
“Wonderfully funny. Parnell Hall has such a flair for making a
mystery funny that reading his books is always a pleasure.”
—RT Bookclub,
Top Pick
“Delightful.”
—MLB News,
Holiday Homicides selection
“The brash and lovable Cora Felton is back with another
mystery. . . . If you haven’t read one of the author’s whodunits,
this might be a good time to start.”
—Abilene Reporter-News
“This year there are several treats, one of the best being this
outing with Parnell Hall’s redoubtable Puzzle Lady,
Cora Felton.”
—The Globe and Mail
(Toronto)
“All will enjoy Hall’s nimble wordplay.”
—Booked & Printed
“Crossworders will relish.”
—The Denver Post
“The fun for fans of this series consists of the nexus between
the plot and the puzzle. . . . Hall’s books involve the reader in
the action the way few others do.”
—Richmond-Times Dispatch
“An ingenious series of lighthearted, humorous mysteries.”
—Winston-Salem Journal
“Cora’s indifference to proper holiday spirit and everyday civility
saves the day as she untangles tinsel and public charades.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Smooth prose and a tantalizing plot.”
—Library Journal
“Hall is a pure entertainer. . . . As one of the few active
practitioners of the elaborate Golden Age–style detective novel,
Hall should be cherished.”
—The Weekly Standard
“
A
Puzzle
in
a Pear
Tree
is a delight.”
“Parnell’s wit runs hand in hand with his ability to create
intriguing puzzles. . . . A thoroughly enjoyable
evening’s entertainment.”
Raves for Parnell Hall’s PUZZLED TO DEATH
“The third in a series that we suspect will just keep getting
bigger. Not only is the device a natural . . . but Cora Felton is an
appealing character . . . quick as a cobra with her wit. . . . Almost
as much fun as doing the Sunday
Times
puzzle.”
—American Way
“Funny, obnoxious, and deadly.”
—Rendezvous
“A thoroughly entertaining tale.”
—Chicago Sun-Times
“Crossword fans will enjoy Parnell Hall’s
Puzzled
to
Death.
”
—The Denver Post
“A fun meringue of a novel . . . the kind of mystery not often
seen these days.”
—San Jose Mercury News
“Amusing . . . challenging . . . unique.”
—Southbridge, MA News
“Quirky . . . Cora is funny [and] irreverent . . .
light reading with a twist.”
—Mystery News
“Intriguing puzzlers.”
—The Drood Review of Mystery
“Fun.”
—Chicago Tribune
“Another amusing chapter in the life of that fraudulent puzzle
producer Cora Felton and her talented niece.”
—MLB News
Raves for Parnell Hall’s LAST PUZZLE & TESTAMENT
“[An] homage to the very entertaining, breezy mind-game
mysteries of the 1930s and ’40s. Enjoy the show!”
—Los Angeles Times
“A witty, airy, and busy detective story . . . filled with love
triangles, false leads, and danger.”
—The Dallas Morning News
“Cora is emerging as a lovable and unique sleuth. [She’s]
no sweet-natured Jessica Fletcher or wise-as-an-owl
Miss Marple. . . . This series is a joy for lovers of both
crosswords and frothy crime detection.”
—Chicago Sun-Times
“(
Last
Puzzle
&
Testament
) has its merry way with the cozy
concept of the small-town spinster-sleuth.”
—Los Angeles Times
“Fun from the first page . . . This cozy mystery has a slightly
different point of view and pair of detectives.”
—The Dallas Morning News
“Takes a sweet-faced grandmother on the gumshoe
spree of a lifetime.”
—The Washington Post Book World
“Cora’s heart-of-gold personality gives
Last
Puzzle
&
Testament
a special feel that turns this novel into a keeper that will be read
many times over in the years to come.”
—The Midwest Book Review
“The author proves himself very adept at constructing the
puzzles that are at the core of his mystery. The reader gets a
chance to solve the puzzles before the protagonists do,
which adds to the fun.”
—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
“A decidedly different pair of detectives.”
—Creative Logic
“Crossword puzzle fans, this one is for you.”
—The Oklahoman
“This novel’s puzzles within puzzles will charm and so will
its attractive cast.”
—Booklist
“Just the ticket for the puzzle addict(s) on your list.”
—Booknews
from The Poisoned Pen
“Laced with witty dialogue and enough twists to satisfy the
most demanding of mystery fans.”
—Greenburg
(PA)
Tribune-Review
“Parnell Hall pulls off a clever and entertaining
crossword-based mystery.”
—MLB News
Raves for Cora Felton’s debut in A CLUE FOR THE PUZZLE LADY
“Some puzzles are real killers . . . devious and delightful.”
—Chicago Sun-Times
“Deft . . . clever . . . fun.”
—Booklist
“The real lure here is the mystery, whose ingenuity takes
quite unexpected forms en route to the final unmasking.
Heaven for crossword fans, who’ll rejoice over the
solve-as-you-go puzzle!”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Cora Felton is a delightfully different sort of sleuth—hardly
the decorous, tea-sipping village spinster. In truth, she’s a hoot.
I hope her niece can keep her out of too much trouble
so that we can all savor future adventures
of the Puzzle Lady.”
—Joan Hess,
author of the Claire Malloy and Maggody mystery series
“In addition to his trademark zippy, witty dialogue,
Hall provides a dandy puzzle, congenial secondary
characters, plenty of laughs, and a true original
in Cora Felton, the Puzzle Lady.”
—Publishers Weekly
“
A
Clue for
the
Puzzle
Lady
is fresh, funny, and ingeniously
devised. It kept me guessing right down to the end—
just like a good crossword!”
—
Will Shortz,
Crossword Editor,
The New York Times
“Parnell Hall’s superb new series dazzles like the Fourth of July,
crackling with fun, wordplay, more twists than a maze, and a
clever, vulnerable, wild woman sleuth—Cora Felton,
the Puzzle Lady. Sheer delight!”
—
Carolyn Hart,
author of
Death on Demand
and the Henrie O mystery series
“A twisting plot, an intriguing puzzle, and suprisingly satisfying
romance. This one is hard to beat.”
—Janet Evanovich
“A fresh series with an engaging sleuthing duo . . .
a lighthearted romp.”
—Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine
“A fun and entertaining story to challenge all mystery readers . . . .
A great premise . . . lively characters, an intriguing plot
and a well-written story.”
—Rendezvous
“
A
Clue for
the
Puzzle
Lady
is going to please puzzle fans
and mystery lovers alike.”
—Romantic Times
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to thank managing editor Kathleen Baldonado and design chief Glen Edelstein for action above and beyond the call of duty in reproducing the acrostics that appear in this book. Keeping track of my puzzles as they jump around in the text is probably a harder task than solving them. The dedication Kathleen and Glen show in getting this right is all too rare these days and I am deeply grateful for it.
ANOTHER KIND OF PUZZLE
An acrostic is a puzzle in which the answers to the clues are written over numbered dashes, and then the letters are transferred to correspondingly numbered squares in a grid. The filled grid forms a quotation. The first letters of the answered words spell out the name of the author and the title of the work.
Needless to say, the Puzzle Lady has never solved an acrostic, and can use all the help she can get.