<p><b>THE BESTSELLING RICHARD AND JUDY BOOK CLUB PICK</b><br><b>A TAKE A BREAK BOOK CLUB SELECTION </b><br><b>A GOOD HOUSEKEEPING GOOD BOOKS READER FAVOURITE<br></b><br><b><i>'One of the finest mysteries I have ever read.'</i></b><br>Rob Rinder, <i>Sunday Times </i>bestselling author of <i>The Trial</i><br><br><b><i>'A tantalising mystery for word sleuths and crime fans alike.'</i></b><br>Janice Hallett, <i>Sunday Times </i>bestselling author of <i>The Appeal</i><br><br><b>A coded letter. A missing woman. A truth waiting to be found. <br></b><br>When an anonymous letter is delivered to the Clarendon English Dictionary office, it becomes rapidly clear that this is not the usual word-related enquiry. Instead, the letter hints at sinister events linked to a particular year.<br><br>For editor Martha Thornhill, the date can mean only one thing: the summer her brilliant older sister Charlie went missing. Ten years on, Martha and her family are no closer to unravelling the mystery of Charlie's disappearance - until now.<br><br>As more letters arrive, Martha and her team follow the linguistic clues to a troubling truth. It seems Charlie was keeping a powerful secret, and that someone is desperate to keep it well and truly buried.<br><br><b><i>Guilty by Definition </i>is a love letter not only to language but to the city of Oxford, wrapped within an intriguing mystery of a missing woman and considering the emotional aftershocks of her disappearance on those left behind.<br></b><br><b>SHORTLISTED FOR THE BRITISH BOOK AWARD 2025: BOOK OF THE YEAR - CRIME &amp; THRILLER<br></b><br><i>[Guilty by Definition was a Sunday Times bestseller in August 2024]</i></p>