Publisher: Orion
Release date: 9 May 2024
Back cover blurb: 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..
Creighton House is home to some of the most brilliant minds in the UK, The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers.
The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers was founded by Pippa Allsbrook years previously when she was looking for a creative outlet for her talent that wasn't work related, and also looking to spend time with like minded people to help with her loneliness.
Years later, Clayton Stumper is left abandoned on the doorstep of the fellowship, much to Pippa Allsbrook's delight. She had always wanted a child, but life unfortunately hadn't worked out in the way that she had planned.
She had thought about fostering, or adoption, until she was betrayed by the very house that she lived in. The Fellowship had been inhabiting Pippa's crumbling ancestral home for years, not realising it's true financial state.
A summer fayre and the worlds biggest puzzle helped to generate the funds needed for the fellowship to be able to stay. And stay they did, welcoming Clayton into their world and giving him the best possible upbringing, even if it was a little unconventional.
When Pippa passes away, Twenty-Five year old Clayton is bereft, but is prompted in to action to try and discover the story of how he came to be left on the doorstep of the Fellowship. He knows that Pippa knows more than she ever told him whilst alive, but he never wanted to push.
Now that she has gone, he feels like he has her permission to finally discover the truth This is confirmed when he discovers that she has left him a set of clues.
One final puzzle for him to solve...
None of them are prepared for what he is about to discover, it will change everything.
I can't say too much more, as I really want you to discover this delightful novel for yourself! I loved this novel SO much. It is a brilliant debut, and I really can't wait to read whatever this author has to offer next.
The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers is available to buy now via Amazon online and all good book shops.
Thank you to the publishers who approved my request via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
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