One Puzzling Afternoon

LoveReading Says

It’s 2018 and poor Edie is haunted by the disappearance of her best friend, Lucy. She vanished over sixty years ago and Edie knows that deep down she holds a secret that could help solve her puzzling disappearance. As an increasingly forgetful 84-year-old, there are many memories Edie struggles to keep hold of – but the mystery surrounding Lucy isn’t one she’s prepared to give up on easily.

Utterly compelling, darkly unnerving and a joyful masterclass in storytelling, Emily Critchley’s debut adult novel hits the mark on so many levels. The wonderfully fragmented narrative echoes Edie’s growing state of confusion, and the menacing build-up of tension towards the novel’s dramatic climax is almost unbearable at times.

But what shines most is the portrait of Edie herself; you can’t fault her loyalty, wisdom and kindness as a young girl, and you continue to admire her resilience and determination over sixty years later. She’s an absolute diamond – and one of the most sensitively drawn characters I’ve had the pleasure to meet on paper in a long time.

Critchley’s portrayal of her as a young girl is painstakingly authentic, capturing the emotional ups and downs of teenage life to a tee. And as an adult in the throes of dementia, her character is just as multi-layered … and endearing. Memory loss is an emotive subject for any writer to tackle.

It could be easy to create a story that drifts towards the negative, but by wrapping it up in such a gripping mystery, with heart-warming characters, One Puzzling Afternoon manages to keep the full range of emotions in play – you’ll cry, you’ll chuckle and there are times you won’t dare turn the page.

Reviewed by Lindsay Quayle
Lindsay Quayle was always that child pleading for an extra half an hour of reading time before lights out.
More reviews by Lindsay Quayle

About One Puzzling Afternoon

A MOVING, CAPTIVATING MYSTERY BELOVED BY READERS AND PERFECT FOR FANS OF THE LIST OF SUSPICIOUS THINGS AND ELIZABETH IS MISSINGOn a suburban street filled with secrets, 82 year old Edie Green must look back into the past to discover what happened to her friend Lucy, who went missing years before . . .*Selected as an Indie Book of the Month*It is 1951, and at number six Sycamore Street fifteen-year-old Edie Green is lonely. Living alone with her eccentric mother - who conducts seances for the local Ludthorpe community - she is desperate for something to shake her from her dull, isolated life.When the popular, pretty Lucy Theddle befriends Edie, she thinks all her troubles are over. But Lucy has a secret, one Edie is not certain she should keep . . .Then Lucy goes missing.2018. Edie is eighty-two and still living in Ludthorpe. When one day she glimpses Lucy Theddle, still looking the same as she did at fifteen, her family write it off as one of her many mix ups. There's a lot Edie gets confused about these days. A lot she finds difficult to remember. But what she does know is this: she must find out what happened to Lucy, all those years ago . . .'A captivating and poignant book, I was completely hooked. You can't help but fall for Edie' Marianne Cronin, author of 100 Years of Lenni and Margot'This is such a delicate web of a book, a mystery deftly woven with tension and compassion. Edie is a heartbreaking figure, struggling to catch her last memories before they're blown away forever - her quest/plight is absorbing and extremely poignant' Beth Morrey, author of Saving Missy'Completely captivating. A real page-turner' Louise Hare'Marvellous . . . a special gem of a book, a perfectly executed double timeline mystery with a twist you don't see coming' Inga Vesper, author of The Long, Long Afternoon'Beautifully written . . . the perfect book for lovers of Elizabeth Is Missing, but has its own distinct voice and charm' Jo Leevers, author of Tell Me How This Ends'An uplifting, bittersweet story with a page-turning mystery at its heart . . . I was drawn in to Edie's world from the very first page. Beautifully atmospheric and endearing'' Freya Sampson'An intriguing, unsettling mystery told over a dual timeframe by one of the most endearing lead characters you'll come across this year. Utterly compelling, darkly unnerving and a joyful masterclass in storytelling, Emily Critchley's debut adult novel hits the mark on so many levels' LoveReading Debut of the Month'This truly unique story blends past and present in a way that feels real. Great atmosphere and even better characters' Lucy Gilmore, author of The Lonely Hearts Book ClubReaders LOVE One Puzzling Afternoon:'I loved it. I loved it. I loved it''Wow . . . one of my books of the year''A beautiful and touching novel that will completely grab you''Edie Green is one special character & I think I'll remember her for a long time yet''What a beautiful, emotional, intriguing, touching novel''I loved this and finished it in one sitting. It truly is glorious'

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