Puzzling Ink by Becky Clark is the first in the new cozy series, Crossword Puzzle Mysteries, and the series is off to a great start. Clark does a fantastic job giving us a look into the life of someone with OCD, since the protagonist, Quinn has it. It was fascinating to me to see how some people try to cope with it, and I think it’s necessary to talk about mental health.

Clark also did a wonderful job with the character development. One of the main reasons I keep returning to read a cozy mystery series is because of the characters. If I can connect with them or if I enjoy spending time in their company, I will be back.
Quinn’s parents are such a loving and supportive couple, and her mom’s recipes were very interesting to read about, even if some of them were cringe worthy.
Loma, Quinn’s boss’s ex-wife, is someone I would want to hang out with, and I hope we see her a lot more in future books. And the old timers that come to the cafe daily are a fun bunch, you just know their antics will be entertaining in future books.

My two favorite loves are crosswords and mysteries which are combined in this book. Quinn’s OCD gives her a slight disadvantage but I enjoyed her persistence in solving this mystery. The story was well paced and kept my interest til the very end. I thought the characters were well developed and interesting. I want to read more titles with Quinn and see what other adventures she can face. I would definitely recommend this book!

Puzzling Ink by Becky Clark was a little different from other cozy mysteries that I have read. The heroine and amateur sleuth, Quinn Carr, has been diagnosed with OCD and depression. I confess that I had a hard time connecting with Quinn throughout the story because of her internal dialogue.

The plot is smoothly paced with a few twists and turns for Quinn, several quirky secondary characters that added to the plot and the community of Chestnut Station and a limited suspect pool made the murder mystery entertaining.

This initial entry into the cozy genre is very much character driven= and Quinn's got some nice potential. After a t0ugh time on her own, she's moved back home with her parents and is waitressing in a diner while her mom creates some odd dishes (seriously). She's dealing with her OCD and she's crafting crosswords for the local paper. When a man ends up dead at one of her tables and her boss Jeff is arrested, she decides to coopt her childhood friend Rico, now a law enforcement officer, into the hunt for the real villain- and put the names of her suspects into her puzzle. BTW, the puzzle is included but it doesn't really work well in an ebook. I liked Quinn but think the plot could have benefited from another read through. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Curious to see where this goes.

Summary of Puzzling Ink
Quinn Carr works part-time creating crossword puzzles for the Chestnut Station Chronicle. She also works part-time as a waitress at the Chestnut Diner, owned by Jake Szabo. She returned home to the small village of Chestnut, Colorado, after a diagnosis of OCD. It is a diagnosis she’s kept from most people. Her parents, Georgianne and Dan, and her best friend Officer Rico Lopez know of Quinn’s OCD struggles. Quinn is slowly getting back to a more normal life, until Emmett Dubois dies while she is working her shift at the diner.
The police arrest Jake for Emmett’s murder. Jake and Emmett were once business partners, but the partnership broke up and bitter feelings remain. Quinn doesn’t believe Jake is a murderer. Quinn, along with Loma, Jake’s former wife, are determined to prove his innocence.
But there are suspects aplenty. Emmett’s ex-wife for one. Or any one of Jake’s former employees at the diner. He had trouble keeping his hired help. There is also Jake’s ex-wife Loma. Quinn, with Loma’s help, must puzzle through the suspects before another murder is committed. Quinn is determined to clear Jake’s name, much to Rico’s dismay.

My Thoughts on Puzzling Ink
I really wanted to like this book. Using crossword puzzles to solve mysteries is an intriguing concept. Unfortunately, the crossword puzzle angle doesn’t make much of an appearance in the book and I think it’s an angle worth developing more in the second book.
Quinn’s OCD struggles overpower the mystery component of the book. There needs to be a balance between the OCD and Quinn’s part-time puzzle writing job. The ending caught me a bit off guard; I don’t feel like there were enough hints to come to the resolution that ended the story.
I did find myself reading to the end. The book did have spots that drew me in, but then I’d find myself tossed out of the storyworld. It’s an uneven book to read. Parts flow well; other parts slowed down the pace, and I lost my interest.
I also felt the book tries too hard to be relevant. At one point the main character refers to herself as being “woke” and it threw me. It was an expression that came out of nowhere. The term didn’t address any plot or sub-plot issues Quinn had dealt with to that point in the novel.
But, it is the first book in a new series. I hope the second book better integrates the crossword puzzle aspect. A balance needs to be struck between Quinn’s sleuthing skills and her struggles with OCD. The mystery focus needs to be stronger.
The first chapter is available to read at Kensington Books.

Thank you NetGalley, Becky Clark and Kensington Books for the ARC of Puzzling Ink. This is my personal review in exchange.
I was so excited to get this book to read—a new cozy series and crossword puzzles. How can a series have a better combination? Well this book was not one I could get into. Nothing about the main character Quinn did anything to grab my attention and keep me interested in wanting to get the next in this series. It was a book that just left me feeling nothing.
There was too much going on in her life to make for a good combination in a cozy mystery.

This nicely executed drama quickly became a page-turner, as I had to know how this was going to end. The author did a great job in creating a multi-plot tale with a quirky cast of characters, engaging dialogue and a well-crafted mystery that had me completely immersed in all aspects from beginning to end. The suspect pool was small, yet it set the stage for Quinn to search for clues that fit this puzzling case. I enjoyed some of the witty repartee that Quinn had with those she encountered as well as the relationship she has with her BFF and her parents, who are a hoot. The pacing in this whodunit was on par with how well this story was being told. A gratifying mystery with all the boxes filled aided the conclusion and I look forward to the next book in this enjoyable new series.

This is the first in a new crossword puzzle mystery. Quinn Carr is back home in hometown living with her parents and working at the local Chestnut Diner. Quinn creates crossword puzzles for the local newspaper and suffers from OCD and is struggling to get handle it with medication and then on the night of the town fireworks for July 4th a death occurs in the diner with her being the only way there. The death is deemed suspicious and although her boss Jake was not at the diner he is charged with the murder. Jake was serving as chef at a dinner for the Governor and the deceased was there and was Jake’s ex-business partner. Quinn is convinced Jake is not the culprit as there are other suspects including an ex-wife and a silent business partner. Quinn wants to her Rico her best friend and a police officer but that is tricky as the police chief seems to not like her. The police chief likes crossword puzzles and no one knows that Quinn is doing one for the paper so she decides to plant clues and suspects names. Quinn is juggling keeping the diner open, managing her OCD and trying to clear her boss of murder. Rico is not always taking her ramblings seriously but she is connecting the dots. As Quinn is the only employee of the diner at the moment she calls on her parents to help out one weekend. Quinn’s parents are unique in a good way and her Mother likes to add all sorts of spices and creates different recipes (pretzel pancakes) and is in her glory as she cooks at the diner while her Dad waits on people. This series has promise. I will admit it was hard to adjust to Quinn’s quirks and the story flipping from various points of view. The first in a series has to set up for future installments. I am looking forward to the next in the series.

Quinn Carr creates crossword puzzles for The Chestnut Station Chronicle and works as a waitress at The Chestnut Diner. When Jake Szabo, owner of the diner, takes some time off, Quinn steps in for her boss, taking orders and preparing the food. The next day police arrest Jake for the murder of his former boss, and Quinn finds herself running the diner full time, with no help.

Quinn sets out to find the real killer while juggling hours at the diner. As she chases leads ad suspects, she enlists the help of her parents, Georgeanne and Dan, to keep the restaurant open and operating.

Becky Clark fills Chestnut Station with an abundance of eccentric characters, including Quinn Carr, who has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. The mystery is okay, but the pace and writing are somewhat weak. The author includes a crossword puzzle for readers to solve.

Never a dull moment in Quinn's life, little did she know how what would turn out to be a routine day at the diner would turn out to be anything but that! Using her knowledge for creating crossword puzzles, she attempts to get law enforcement officials to pay attention to her clues as she tries to get to the bottom of what she thinks really happened. Add to that, Quinn's OCD, her BFF police officer, her unusual but loving and helpful parents, and a couple of strange exes of others and you have what makes for an intriguing mystery that flows well and gives the reader a satisfactory ending. The only detractor is the book is a bit wordy and drawn out in parts, but you can easily skim without any of the actual murder mystery being compromised. Easy to read, a good storyline and fun characters make this a cozy mystery worth taking the time for. I would like to thank the publisher and author for allowing me to read and provide my honest feedback as an advance copy reader. I will be following this author in the future.

Here we find a murder mystery solved by an amateur sleuth and crossword puzzle creator/waitress. The book makes a strong effort to show how protagonist Quinn's recent OCD diagnosis is affecting her. There is discussion around why people shouldn't use the term colloquially and depiction of her everyday experiences that were valuable.

Sadly, here ends my praises for the book. I will now be directing my attention towards criticisms from most to least important. That way, you can drift off as soon as you are convinced to avoid the whole thing. Be advised that there are triggers for racism and xenophobia described in this review.

1. There are racist comments throughout, although Quinn describes herself as "woke" (feel free to gag). A side character, Loma, reads as a stereotypical black woman. It is suggested her marriage fell apart because she and her white husband were born "on opposite sides of the tracks." For people who cannot read between the lines here (I implore you to read up on redlining, if so), the characters explicitly pinpoint "different races, different upbringings" as evidence of incompatibility. Other people are described as "ethnic," "exotic," and "foreign." Edward Said is rolling over in his grave. It is suggested that the small town central to this story does not welcome people perceived as falling into any of these categories.
2. Still with me? I had hoped number one would be sufficient, but let's move on to the police apologist messaging towards the end of the book. If I had seen a Blue Lives Matter sign in this book's front yard, I would not have read it. It is argued that the police make split-second mistakes that deserve our sympathy, even as they pull the trigger or otherwise end someone else's life. There is no acknowledgement of how these individuals uphold institutional racism and willfully commit murders under its auspices. The priorities here are woefully misguided and completely unacceptable.
3. Hello, stragglers, and welcome to number three. Yeah, so the murder isn't very engaging, and the story is more Diner Dash than Agatha Christie. Zero suspense and rapid, unfulfilling resolution

*mic drop*

Puzzling Ink by Becky Clark is the first book in a new cozy mystery.

I was really excited to read this book because I love cozy mysteries and crossword puzzles.

Quinn the protagonist is a crossword puzzle creator that has obsessive compulsive disorder and depression. She works as a waitress and hides the fact that she creates crossword puzzles. She is 30 and lives at home with her parents.

A customer in the diner that Quinn works up is murdered and Quinn investigates the murder through clues in her crossword puzzle.

I wanted to like this cozy mystery much more than I did. There was so much focus on Quinn's OCD that the mystery was not well developed .

I do applaud the author for bringing attention to mental illness and specifically OCD.

This one just didn't work for me.

Quinn, the main character, is a young spirited woman who, due to a set of circumstances, lives at home with her parents. After a murder takes place at the diner she waitresses at, her duties suddenly compound. As she has OCD her orderliness is severely tested as she tries to balance her chaotic job with sleuthing. Her passion for creating crosswords provides the escapism and structure she needs as she navigates life with OCD.

Along the way Quinn is helped by assorted friends and her caring and quirky parents. Her investigations are discouraged by police but she cannot help herself.

The crossword puzzle twist is fun and highlighting OCD is great. However, for me the murder and plot fell short and left me unfulfilled. The characters could be developed more but perhaps this will come in subsequent novels in this new series.

Light cozy mysteries lovers should give this book a go. Though it is a bit weak for me I will definitely give the next book a chance.

My sincere thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in return for an honest review. Much appreciated.

A different sort of mystery with the heroine being the creator of crossword puzzles, starting a new job as a waitress, and has OCD. The mystery in this book seemed to be all over the place, with much of the focus being on her having OCD. It took me awhile to get into the pace of the book, but I'd probably recommend this book to readers of cozies and those looking for something a little different.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an egalley of this book. All opinions are my own. This review can also be found on my Goodreads page.

Very interesting book with very important info about a condition mostly joked about, but truly serious. I love Quinn, a little ditzy, i love her parents as well as the other characters, except the bad guys, of course. But Quinn wins the day, makes a new friend, and rules out a lover. All in a days work! Right? Happy reading!

Wonderful Debut series by Becky Clark, author of another series - Fiction Can Be Murder.

The protagonist has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. She creates crossword puzzles for the newspaper. No one, except her family, knows that she creates crossword puzzles. While she is working at Jake's Diner as a waitress, she is living at home with her parents Georgeanne and Dan. Her best friend is Rico, a policeman who CAN NOT lie. They have known each other since childhood.

There is a murder and the wrong person is arrested for murder. She sets out to find the real killer..

Thanks to Net Galley, I received a free Advanced Copy in exchange for a honest review. I enjoyed reading about how she creates crossword puzzles. I get a glimpse of what it is like to have OCD.

What a fun read! Quinn has OCD, is a crossword puzzle creator and works in a diner. Chaos and mayhew abound when the owner of the diner is accused of murder. Quinn with her hilarious parents, best friend Rico, and an assorted cast of quirky characters is determined to clear him.

Quinn OCD Could try to hold her back, but she manovers lofe as best she can....until left alone working at rhe diner, she finds a murder victim. Using her love for crosswords ro lead rhe cranky police chief in a direction OTHER than the diner owner (and herself) she along with the diner owners ex-wife manover through the clues to find the killer.

Kindle Copy for Review from NetGalley and Kensington Books.

I received a free, advance copy of this book and this is my unbiased and voluntary review.

This is a new cozy series which features a waitress who lives at home who has OCD symptoms and loves crossword puzzles. She wishes her life was simple as a crossword puzzle as she gains a side job to create crossword puzzles for the local newspaper.

When a customer dies at her table, she finds herself investigating the murder despite the sheriff not thinking it worth his time. There are plenty of suspects including her boss. Will she be able to s\solve the murder?

Crossword fans will enjoy this new cozy read which includes puzzles to solve. A new fun different cozy read.

First in a new series. Good introduction of main characters. The protagonist has OCD Incitful explanation into how this disease effects daily living was given . The mystery could have been a bit stronger.but is still a very worthwhile read. Looking forward to see how this series develops
I recieved an ARC of this book from NetGalley