February 5, 2024
Burr debuts with the cheerful tale of a young man’s found family and the joy of puzzles. Clayton Stumper, 25, was left at the doorstep of the Fellowship of Puzzlemakers in Bedfordshire, England, as an infant and grew up surrounded by the eccentric, elderly residents of the commune, including his primary caregiver, Pippa Allsbrook, founder of the Fellowship and the most prolific crossword compiler in Britain. Feeling unmoored by Pippa’s recent death, Clayton determines to discover the identity of his birth parents. Pippa, one step ahead as usual, has left him with a series of puzzles for him to complete, which set him on his course. His first stop is London, where he visits Nancy Stone, an ex-member of the Fellowship who left Bedfordshire just before Clayton showed up there. As he pieces together Pippa’s clues, he tentatively explores life away from his routines and feels the beginnings of his first romance with Nancy’s home health aid, Neil. The PG-rated scenes with Clayton and Neil feel a bit too restrained—Burr is better at intricate plotting than he is at portraying Clayton’s burgeoning sexuality—though there’s a genuine sweetness to both story lines. This has plenty of heart. Agent: Hellie Ogden, WME.
May 31, 2024
Pippa Allsbrook, a consummate British crossword compiler, loves puzzles and the people who create them. Hoping to foster a community, she starts a club for puzzlemakers at a local pub. The club quickly grows into something more when Pippa purchases a country estate and invites club members to live and work there. When an abandoned baby shows up on their doorstep, members of the puzzlers' commune take him in, name him Clayton, and raise him into adulthood. In turn, Clayton, who is better at caregiving than puzzlemaking, feeds and nurtures the members of his aging family. When Pippa dies, she leaves Clayton with one last mystery to solve--a puzzle that will lead him to his birth parents and perhaps to his own self as well. Burr's heartwarming debut captures the human yearning for family, community, and a sense of belonging. Penelope Keith and Russell Tovey narrate the story in alternating chapters, warmly voicing Burr's quirky and creative characters. Their expert character voices and accents are enchanting. VERDICT Recommended for mystery fans and puzzlers everywhere. Puzzles are included, so listeners might want to have paper and pencil at the ready.--Joanna M. Burkhardt
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