The KenKen Killings (Puzzle Lady #12) by Parnell Hall

The KenKen Killings (Puzzle Lady #12) Reviews

• 
  Julia Ray

  Terrific, fast moving book. Funny. Interesting. Lovable characters. So glad I came across this at the library. Will be reading the rest.
• 
  Kate

  "The Puzzle Lady, Cora Felton, is surprised to learn she's inherited $10,000. Of course she doesn't even remember the man who was supposedly one of her former husbands. Turns out it's an elaborate scam cooked up by Melvin Crabtree, Cora's fifth husband, to get out of paying her alimony. But it's more than a numbers game when a banker connected to the case is shot to death, and a KenKen math puzzle is found next to the body.
  
  "With the puzzles coming fast and furious, Cora sifts through clues -- up, down, and across -- while battling shyster lawyers, jaded judges and her scheming snake of an ex. Then another murder interrupts her day in court. And no matter how many different ways she adds, subtracts, divides or multiplies, the total tallies up to one scorned killer banking on revenge."
  ~~back cover
  
  There certainly is no shortage of suspects in this zany mystery. And our Cora is still her crafty, thumb-her-nose at rules and throw-caution-to-the-wind force to be reckoned with. There are a couple of unexpected developments in people's lives in this book, so if you've been following the "cast," you'll be intrigued to find out how those little subplots go.
  
  These are all fast, funny, easy reads and quite enjoyable.
• 
  Pauline

  A quick, lighthearted (despite being a murder mystery) read - finished it in a few hours, as a nice break from books that take more thought. I had never heard of the series before, but I do like crossword puzzles. I didn't bother doing the KenKen puzzles (I much prefer word puzzles to number puzzles), but I did the three crosswords (writing the answers in grid format on a blank sheet of paper). Cora may not be the most sympathetic character, but she is interesting and the banter between her and just about everyone else is kind of fun to read. Nothing deep, no references to literature or philosophy (as my favorite mystery series has), and probably not very realistic in a lot of ways, but it's was what I wanted today.
• 
  Harry Addington

  Hilarious and entertaining.
• 
  Sara Scraps

  This series is just fun! Not deep, not thoughtful...it’s like literary junk food and perfectly divine once in a while.
• 
  Anthony Yvonnica

  Yet another fun, funny, romp. It was a very quick read. It would be a great TV series. Loved it.
• 
  Rachel Yeckley

  Cute story. A little unrealistic and the main character drove me a bit nuts, and the quick back and forth conversations were sometimes hard to follow. But overall a good read.
• 
  Tristan MacAvery

  According to the dust jacket, RT Book Reviews described one of the Puzzle Lady books as "Grouch Marx meets Jessica Fletcher." Frankly, there's no better description that I could find were I to hunt for years! The books in this series are quick, happy, hilarious reads with good mysteries, good puzzles, and dialog snappier than a fresh thick-cut potato chip. (My friends will understand readily why I make a food comparison. The rest of you, just deal with it.)
  
  I must make a plug for Hall's delightful means of saying something without saying it. To wit: "Cora inquired if Chief Harper was an amorous individual of limited intelligence." Sometimes, you just have to put a book aside and ROTFL for a moment. ^_^
• 
  Kimberly Ann

  One of the Puzzle Lady's (Cora Felton) ex-husbands is in town trying to discredit her in order to sever her alimony payments. Along with him is his current girlfriend Bambi and following him is his current wife.
  
  The banker testifying against Cora is found dead as is the bank teller who also testified.... Meanwhile Kenken & related crossword puzzles are turning up...all pointing to various suspects.
  
  With her quick wit & smart mouth Cora manages to save her alimony payments and unmask the murderer.
  
  This is Not great literature or even great writing...just a fast, easy & enjoyable read.
  
• 
  Deborah

  If you are looking for a quick fun read, the Puzzle lady series always is a good choice. A crossword puzzler compiler hides from her ex-husband by using her aunt's photo above her puzzles. Her aunt couldn't solve a crossword to save her life, and is constantly getting into trouble. Over the series the aunt becomes recognized for solving another kind of puzzle - murders. The characters are great and it's always a fun read. There are crosswords or other puzzles throughout the book to help the characters and you solve the mystery.
• 
  Shasta Matova

  I've read several of the Puzzle Lady mysteries. The stories are quick to read since the sentences are all fairly short and somewhat lighthearted, even while they are talking about murders. There is always a puzzle that is connected with them that provides clues about the killer. From this series, I learned about different types of sudoku puzzles. In this one, they include a new-to-me puzzle, the kenken. It is going to take me some practice to learn how to solve them, but you don't need to learn in order to read and enjoy the books.
  
• 
  Mark Baker

  As always this book was filled with word play/bickering and puzzles. It even manages to mock itself for the conventions of the series (puzzles showing up on dead bodies). But what really got me was a major plot point that is dropped once the real story gets rolling.
  
  Read my full review at
  Carstairs Considers.
• 
  Grey853

  This barely rates a two out of five stars. My biggest problem is Cora. She's incredibly annoying and shallow and so it's hard to feel bad that she gets herself in quite the legal pickle.
  
  I did find out what a KenKen puzzle was and since I hate math and numbers, I'll be avoiding those in the future. I likely won't be reading this series in the future, either.
• 
  Cristina

  Loved it! It really kepts me guessing until the end. I also loved the puzzles that are scattered throughout the book. I wish I had photocopied the puzzles before I went on vacation with this book so that I could have tried them myself. This book is great for anyone who liked mystery and/or puzzles.
• 
  Catherine Woodman

  This is the last book in this series that I will read--the Puzzle Lady is very irritating, and in this one it was just the straw that broke the camel's back. She is silly and difficult, and this time it was just too much
• 
  Brian Carney

  This may be the worst book I have ever read. Inconsistent, unpleasant characters; weak writing; gimmicky puzzles that are not well linked to the action or characters. How this series got to #12 is beyond me!
• 
  Camille

  I picked this up because I adore puzzles! The puzzles in the book get 5 stars. However, the content and word choice of the author won't have me reading again. I had truly hoped this would be a great new find, but I cannot in good conscience recommend this series.
• 
  Gina Beirne

  I figured out "whodunnit" about halfway through. :(
• 
  Diane S ☔

  Really 3 1/2 stars but better than a 3 especially since I disliked his last puzzle daly mystery and he seems to be back on track with this onbe.
• 
  Chris

  The bickering between the aunt and niece drives me crazy. The language in offensive, but I do enjoy the puzzles and of course the mystery.
• 
  Coreycw

  I always enjoy a "puzzle lady" book. They are so easy and simple to read. I love the characters, as well.
• 
  Dave Jones

  Loved the puzzles....tolerated the mystery.
• 
  Jennifer

  another entertaining mystery by Parnell Hall - I ♥ Cora Felton AKA the Puzzle Lady and I ♥ Parnell Hall. He has a talent for writing believable, entertaining dialog.
• 
  Linda Allen

  These Puzzle Lady books are always entertaining.