Puzzling Ink by Becky Clark is the first book in the NEW “Crossword Puzzle” cozy mystery series, coming November 3, 2020.

1 DOWN: DEATH BY HOMICIDE
Quinn Carr wishes her life could be more like a crossword puzzle: neat, orderly, and perfectly arranged. At least her passion for puzzles, flair for words—and mild case of OCD—have landed her a gig creating crosswords for the local paper. But if she ever hopes to move out of her parents’ house, she can’t give up her day job as a waitress. She needs the tips. But when a customer ends up dead at her table—face down in biscuits and gravy—Quinn needs to get a clue to find whodunit . . .

6 LETTERS, STARTS WITH “M”
It turns out that solving a murder is a lot harder than a creating a crossword. Quinn has plenty of suspects—up, down, and across. One of them is her boss, the owner of the diner who shares a culinary past with the victim. Two of them are ex-wives, her boss’s and the victim’s. A third complication is the Chief of Police who refuses to allow much investigation, preferring the pretense their town has no crime. To solve this mystery, Quinn has to think outside the boxes—before the killer gets the last word . . .

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Dru’s Musing:
I like it. This nicely executed drama quickly became a page-turner, as I had to know how this was going to end. The author did a great job in creating a multi-plot tale with a quirky cast of characters, engaging dialogue and a well-crafted mystery that had me completely immersed in all aspects from beginning to end. The suspect pool was small, yet it set the stage for Quinn to search for clues that fit this puzzling case. I enjoyed some of the witty repartee that Quinn had with those she encountered as well as the relationship she has with her BFF and her parents, who are a hoot. The pacing in this whodunit was on par with how well this story was being told. A gratifying mystery with all the boxes filled aided the conclusion and I look forward to the next book in this enjoyable new series. A crossword puzzle and recipes are included.

FTC Full Disclosure – I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.