The KenKen Killings: A Puzzle Lady Mystery

At the start of Hall's tantalizing 12th mystery featuring puzzle lady Cora Felton (after 2010's The Puzzle Lady vs. the Suduko Lady), Cora can't resist cashing a check for $10,000, a supposed legacy from the late Chester T. Markowitz, who may have been someone she was briefly married to years before. "Since I quit drinking, there are parts of my life I can't remember. The eighties, for instance," she tells Sherry Carter, her cruciverbalist niece, who smells something fishy. Cora later helps Bakerhaven, Conn., police chief Dale Harper investigate the home robbery of banker Roger Randolph. While nothing was stolen, a KenKen puzzle was left behind. Meanwhile, one of Cora's many bona fide ex-husbands, Melvin Crabtree, sues her so he can stop paying her alimony. Melvin's greedy young girlfriend, Bambi, and Evelyn, his current wife, cause more problems. Hall's crisp wit makes this another far-fetched funfest for puzzle mystery fans. (Jan.)