Out on 13 August 2026
Synopsis
A brand-new linguistic mystery from Countdown's resident lexicographer, Susie Dent, set in the city of Oxford
**AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER NOW**
A mysterious letter. A silenced scholar. A city paved with injustice.
When mysterious symbols appear as graffiti around Oxford, lexicographer Martha Thornhill recognises them from an alphabet created by a deceased writer whose papers she once worked on. But this is no publicity stunt, and tensions intensify when further graffiti is found near the body of a university lecturer.
Martha is not the only one to have doubts when the suspicious death is assumed by police to be a suicide. Called upon to lend their linguistic expertise to the case, she and her colleagues begin to unearth a tragedy that extends beyond the ancient walls of the university. As new messages portend more death, it's clear that a spirit of vengeance is stalking the city's streets, and may be reaching out towards them too.
PRAISE FOR GUILTY BY DEFINITION:
'Astonishingly clever'
THE GUARDIAN
'Will delight anyone who appreciates fine crime writing'
THE TIMES
'One of the finest mysteries I have ever read'
ROB RINDER
'Huge fun and beautifully written'
GYLES BRANDRETH
'A tantalising mystery'
JANICE HALLETT
'Genuinely page-turning'
LALINE PAULL
Guilty by Definition (book 1) was a Sunday Times bestseller August 2024
**AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER NOW**
A mysterious letter. A silenced scholar. A city paved with injustice.
When mysterious symbols appear as graffiti around Oxford, lexicographer Martha Thornhill recognises them from an alphabet created by a deceased writer whose papers she once worked on. But this is no publicity stunt, and tensions intensify when further graffiti is found near the body of a university lecturer.
Martha is not the only one to have doubts when the suspicious death is assumed by police to be a suicide. Called upon to lend their linguistic expertise to the case, she and her colleagues begin to unearth a tragedy that extends beyond the ancient walls of the university. As new messages portend more death, it's clear that a spirit of vengeance is stalking the city's streets, and may be reaching out towards them too.
PRAISE FOR GUILTY BY DEFINITION:
'Astonishingly clever'
THE GUARDIAN
'Will delight anyone who appreciates fine crime writing'
THE TIMES
'One of the finest mysteries I have ever read'
ROB RINDER
'Huge fun and beautifully written'
GYLES BRANDRETH
'A tantalising mystery'
JANICE HALLETT
'Genuinely page-turning'
LALINE PAULL
Guilty by Definition (book 1) was a Sunday Times bestseller August 2024
Details
13 August 2026
416 pages
9781804187241
Imprint: Zaffre
Reviews
“A compelling murder mystery punctuated by delicious etymological puzzles”Tom Read-Wilson, Tom Read-Wilson
“Guilty by Definition will delight anyone who appreciates fine crime writing as well as logophiles and lovers of Inspector Morse”Mark Sanderson, The Times on Guilty by Definition, Mark Sanderson, The Times on Guilty by Definition
“One of the finest mysteries I have ever read”Rob Rinder, author of The Trial on Guilty by Definition, Rob Rinder, author of The Trial on Guilty by Definition
“Brilliant, gripping, unputdownable, Death Writ Large is another triumph from Dent. You're immediately swept up into the drama of this fabulous mystery, a shocking death, and a race against time to solve it. Martha is fantastic, Oxford is beautiful and atmospheric - don't miss”Kate Williams, Kate Williams
