Published 9th May 2024 by Orion.
From the cover of the book:
Sometimes finding your place in the world is the greatest puzzle of all...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...
***********
Twenty-five-year-old Clayton Stumper has had a very unusual upbringing. Abandoned on the steps of the once grand manor house that calls itself home to the Fellowship of Puzzlemakers, he has been raised by an assortment of the sharpest problem solvers in the land, under the guidance of eminent crossword compiler, Pippa Allsbrook. Given the peculiar circumstances of his life thus far, Clayton is not your average twenty-something: he dresses like an old man, has a penchant for a drop of sherry, and knows very little about the world outside of the Fellowship, but he does sometimes wonder about the mystery surrounding his origins - the mystery that Pippa promised she would eventually reveal to him.
However, when Pippa dies without sharing what she knew, leaving Clayton with just the dwindling number of increasingly frail Fellowship members for company, he despairs of ever finding out where he came from. But all hope is not lost, for Pippa has left Clayton a trail of clues to follow to find the answers he seeks...
The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers is a lovely story about devilishly clever puzzles, and the people who make them, but that is not all, for as Clayton follows the trail to the truth about where he comes from, Burr takes him on a journey of self-discovery too.
The story unfurls in two timelines: one detailing the origins of the Fellowship at the hands of Pippa, which introduces you to all the vivid characters who come together to make it such a success; and the other, following Clayton's emotional treasure hunt. Burr conjures fascinating scenes that show the history of the puzzles Clayton has to subsequently solve, and he tugs mercilessly on your heartstrings by echoing themes of belonging, family, friendship, and different facets of love in both timelines.
It is such fun solving the different puzzles alongside Clayton - I especially loved all the life lessons he accrues on the way to completing the special crossword Pippa leaves him. Burr does an excellent job of leading you all round the houses (and a variety of other intriguing locations), and there are plenty of entertaining red herrings to wade through on the way to the uplifting ending full of warmth and hope.
This is a gentle read, containing a well written character led story and lots of brain-teasing puzzles to solve. It is a charming combination, and an impressive debut!
The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.
Thank you to Orion for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.
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