When Clayton Stumper’s guardian, Pippa Allsbrook, passes
away he decides that it is the right time to try and find out about the parents
who abandoned him as a baby on the steps of Creighton Hall, the home of The
Fellowship of Puzzlemakers.
The Fellowship Of Puzzlemakers by Samuel Burr
is a wonderfully uplifting read, although there are times when it will tug at
your heartstrings. The story is filled with engaging characters, a puzzle or
two, and a mystery along the way.
The story opens with Pippa discovering a hatbox on the steps
of The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers, the home she shares with other like-minded
people. The box contains a baby boy, only a few days old. Pippa has no children
of her own, has never married and at sixty-seven is a little old to be thinking
about raising a child but, she knows she will have the help and support of the
other residents of The Fellowship Of Puzzlemakers.
We then jump back to 1979 and learn about how Pippa founded
The Fellowship. Pippa is a well-known compiler of cryptic crosswords, although
she hides behind a masculine pseudonym. Knowing that there must be like-minded
people out there she decides to form a club in the upstairs room of a pub. She
is surprised by the variety of people that turn up, many of whom feature
throughout the remainder of the story. The meeting becomes a regular event and
after a few years Pippa comes up with the idea of buying what was once her ancestral home,
Creighton Hall, to form a type of commune for some of the members of The
Fellowship.
It is not a surprise that Pippa decides to form a commune,
she sees like-minded people who accept her for who she is and her
accomplishments. Despite being "presentable", her intelligence has always
frightened ordinary men and she doesn’t suffer fools gladly. As a result of
this, she’s a little lonely. You get the impression that the men who make up
the majority of The Fellowship are loners too. What Pippa offers them is a
sense of community, a family.
As we learn about the establishment of The Fellowship of
Puzzlemakers we also follow Clayton on his quest for information. At
twenty-five he’s had a fairly sheltered upbringing, surrounded by the elderly
residents of The Fellowship. Clayton doesn’t resent them for this, he’s always
been happy, it is only recently that he’s begun to wonder about his parentage.
Pippa always knew this day would come so prepared a series of puzzles for
Clayton to follow.
For Clayton, this is a voyage of self-discovery as he leaves
the warmth and protection of The Fellowship. You can feel his trepidation, he
has no idea of where the journey will lead him or who he will meet. As Clayton
follows the clues laid out for him, he meets new people along the way, some of
whom will have quite an impact on his life. He also learns a little bit more
about Pippa.
There is heartbreak along the way, I became so invested in
these characters that I felt the pain. You also feel immense sympathy towards
Pippa when she feels as if she has let the rest of The Fellowship down because she
struggles to relinquish control or ask for help.
As Clayton finally gets the answers he was looking for and
Pippa learns that asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness we realise that
family isn’t necessarily the one you are born into. Family can take many guises,
it’s the people who love and nurture you, accepting you no matter what.
The Fellowship Of Puzzlemakers by Samuel Burr
will be published on 9th May 2024 in hardback, ebook and audio
format. My thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for a review copy.
Author Details
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.
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