Guilty by Definition -- Book Comment

 

Book Comment

Guilty by Definition

by Susie Dent

In her debut mystery novel Guilty by Definition, English lexicographer and etymologist Susie Dent shares her logophile inclinations.  She was a dictionary editor at the Oxford University Press, publishers of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). 

Among her credits, Dent is the author of Word Perfect and multiple other books and was the co-podcaster on Something Rhymes with Purple (2019-2024).   She continues to be the “dictionary corner” authority on British television’s Countdown and 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown.  In 2024 Dent was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by King Charles for her services to literature and to language.

Martha Thornhill, the protagonist, in Guilty by Definition is also a dictionary lexicographer at the fictional Clarendon English Dictionary which shares characteristics of the OED.  As the senior editor there, Martha works with three other editors, and all of them are adept at word play and knowledge of literature and language. 

Over the course of the novel set in Oxford, England, the editors receive several anonymous letters, signed Chorus.  The letters as well as postcards include hints and clues and not so subtle accusations (some requiring decoding of Shakespearean references). Martha and her linguistic cohorts become sleuths in the disappearance 13 years previously of Martha’s sister, Charlie. The editors, while staying in touch with local police, investigate others who have a relationship to the CED or Charlie.

The puzzles in Guilty by Definition are revealed slowly and not entirely until the very end of the novel.  Having reached the last page, the reader is left with another question.  Who else in this story is also guilty by definition?

Note:  Dent’s second mystery novel, Death Writ Large, will be available in 2026.

How to book on Social Security Disability & SSI Disability now free

 

 

My book how to get social security disability & SSI disability is now available for free at the Google store.  You can find it by clicking this link or by copying the link into your browser’s search box.

 

https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Patricia_A_Petow_How_To_Get_Social_Security_Disabi?id=-9eYEQAAQBAJ

 

 

 

Alternatively,

 

(1) you can click on this link https://play.google.com/store/books

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(2) select ebooks

 

Then search for:

 

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No Kings, No Czars: We have a Constitution

 

My paternal great grandfather and maternal grandfather, from Belarus in the Russian empire, and from County Kerry in Ireland, respectively, immigrated to the United States and became citizens.

One renounced and abjured “all allegiance and fidelity to every foreign Prince, Potentate, State or Sovereignty whatsoever – and particularly to Nicholas II Czar of Russia whose subject he has heretofore been . . . .”

The other renounced “forever all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state or sovereignty, and particularly to Edward VII King Of The United Kingdom of Great Britain & Ireland, of which I am now a subject . . . .”

They both declared themselves to be “attached to the principles of the Constitution of the United States.”

I, too, am attached to the principles of the Constitution of the United States. I believe that candidates for public office, at all levels, must support the US Constitution, the rule of law, and the results of elections. Failure to be attached to the principles of the Constitution of the United States is a disqualification for office.

Incumbents who cannot support the US Constitution, the rule of law, and the results of elections should resign from office. Where proven by evidence, incumbents who have committed acts that interfere with the US Constitution, the rule of law, and the results of elections should be removed from office, by impeachment or recall where allowed or by the next election.

With my forefathers, I renounce fidelity to any and all individuals, who are not attached to the principles of the Constitution of the United States. 

 

Originally published April 28, 2022, and edited today. 

Right to Vote

 

The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) was established in 2002 by the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA).  The EAC is considering adopting a requirement that voters show a passport or other proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote.

 

I oppose the proposed federal regulation requiring that people show to a registration or election official a passport or birth certificate or other identification before registering to vote or re-registering after a move.

 

“The Elections Clause of the Constitution, Article I, Section 4, Clause 1, gives the states control over the times, places, and manner of holding elections, subject only to congressional, not presidential, action.”

“A Thing You Can Do Right Now To Help Protect The Right To Vote.”  [Oct. 7, 2025] Joyce Vance, Substack.

 

The proposed federal regulation would interfere with present practices in some states which allow registration by mail or online or automatically at attaining the age of 18 because the proposal requires the identification document to be shown to a registration or election official.

 

The proposed federal regulation would create problems for women and men who change their names after marriage or divorce.

 

By October 20^th, Go to the EAC website:

https://www.regulations.gov/document/EAC-2025-0236-0001/comment?postedDateFrom=2025-09-23&postedDateTo=2025-09-29&sortBy=postedDate&sortDirection=desc&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

·        Go to the petition and click “comment.”

·        Share why you oppose this proof of citizenship requirement.

·        Choose whether to share your name and information or submit your comment anonymously.

 

 

For more information, see “A Thing You Can Do Right Now To Help Protect The Right To Vote.”  [Oct. 7, 2025] Joyce Vance, Substack.