Clayton Stumper is an enigma.

He might be twenty-five years old, but he dresses like your granddad 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.

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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…

My Review

This story is so character-driven, that you have to get to know everyone before you can really get into the book. First of all, we have Clayton Stumper, our reluctant hero, who as it says in the synopsis ‘dresses like your granddad and drinks sherry like your aunt’. Except he’s only 25 and was abandoned at birth on the steps of the Fellowship of Puzzlemakers. He has no idea who he is in more ways than one.

Then we have Pippa Allsbrook – the Pipster – who is the matriarch of the Fellowship. She set it up and she looks after it and everyone in it. She is a crossword compiler for The Times newspaper, using the soubriquet ‘Squire’ as it makes her sound like a man and men are the usual setters.

Earl is probably my favourite of everyone (how I love Earl with his golden locks and his sheepskin jacket!). He is a mazemaker and Pippa is rather in love with him, except he is married (and devoted to) his wife Rosa. We never actually see her.

Nancy, younger than the others, was a cab driver in London and the second only woman (missed being first by a whisker) to learn the Knowledge by the time she was nineteen. She lives with her mother, who is very controlling, and smokes like a chimney – Nancy that is. She sets the questions for a pub quiz.

Angel is my second favourite character. In her thirties, and into all things ‘spiritual’, she was the housekeeper at the hotel that eventually became a sort of commune for this eccentric group of puzzle makers. When they moved in, she came with the property, like a pet donkey, or a maiden aunt, that is part of the contract. She is even more eccentric than the rest of them put together.

Hector paints pictures that are used as jigsaws. He is very good at it and his jigsaws are massively popular. Very mainstream. When Pippa first discovers him, he is living in his camper van.

But enough of the people (there are loads more). When Pippa dies, Clayton must solve the biggest puzzle of all. Where did he come from and who are his biological parents? Pippa has left him one final puzzle, the clues all hidden for him to find and the result could change his life forever. It’s a wonderful story, and the characters will become your friends and stay with you for many years to come.

Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours

About the Author

Samuel Burr is a TV producer who has worked on popular factual shows including the BAFTA-nominated Secret Life of 4-Year-Olds. Samuel’s writing was selected for Penguin’s WriteNow scheme and in 2021 he graduated from the Faber Academy. He previously studied at Westminster Film School.