The premise promised an enchanting tale: Clayton Stumper, a character with the old soul of a grandparent and the fussiness of an overconcerned aunt, embarks on a quest to unravel the secrets of his origin following the death of Pippa Allsbrook, his mentor and maternal figure within the unique commune of enigmatologists that raised him. This narrative setup, rich with the potential for profound explorations of family, identity, and belonging, seemed tailored to my literary tastes.

However, despite the book's apparent quality and the evident skill of its author, I found myself disengaged and ultimately unable to continue past the 20% mark. This decision was not made lightly, as I do believe "The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers" is a good book, marked by its well-crafted prose and imaginative premise. The issue did not lie in the writing itself, which I found to be excellent, but rather in a personal disconnect from the characters and the story they inhabit.

I struggled to become invested in Clayton's journey or the fate of the Fellowship. The characters, while distinct and potentially intriguing, failed to capture my interest in a manner compelling enough to urge continued reading. This lack of connection made it difficult for me to immerse myself in the world the author so carefully constructed.

It's important to note that this experience is highly subjective and reflects my personal response to the story at the time of reading. What failed to resonate with me may well captivate another reader with its charm and depth. Literature's beauty lies in its ability to evoke varied responses, and "The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers" will undoubtedly find its audience—an audience that will appreciate the nuances I missed and cherish the journey of Clayton Stumper and his unconventional family.

The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers is a cozy story about a group of people who share an interest in all sorts of puzzles. This community of puzzlemakers comes together to form a society of sorts even living together on an estate where they are supported by their puzzle endeavors. We enter the story as the matriarch of the puzzle kingdom is passing and the young man who was left on their doorstep years ago wonders if the puzzle of his life will ever be solved. As we follow this dual timeline of the establishment of the puzzlemakers and the journey of Clayton to find his beginnings, we see the intertwining lives and their effects on each other. This story is great for those who love low stakes and a cozy read.

The Fellowship of Puzzlemaker is for smart readers who like to solve puzzles and mysteries. It is the story of twenty-five-year old Clayton Stumper who, as a new born, was left in a hatbox on the doorstep of Pippa Allsbrook, a puzzle creator. The novel is constructed of then and now chapters: the then is the story of how Pippa created the Fellowship of Puzzlemakers; the now is how Clayton works to find his birth mother following clues Pippa left in the hatbox after she died. The story is full of eccentric puzzle makers who have surrounded and raised Clayton. It is a fun read.

The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers


If you have a love any type of puzzle from Wordle to a crossword, or a cryptogram then this book will be fun adventure. There’s mystery yes, but also really loveable characters and actual puzzles for you to solve among these pages. Definitely get the physical copy of this one. I had such a good time solving every puzzle that was presented, including trying to figure out the big mystery before it was revealed!

I really enjoyed all of the characters, the flashbacks that gave backstory into the creation of the fellowship, and the beautiful friendships that were a key component to the story.

Thank you Vintage Anchor for the arc via Netgalley!

Puzzling. Intriguing. Fast paced. When Pip gathers some fellow puzzle makers together, they form a collaborative and share bonds not easily broken.

Pip discovers a baby in a hat box on the doorstep of the commune. She has always wanted her own baby, her own family. This is her chance at both. She raises the baby boy, who she has named Clayton, and at the end of her life, he still doesn't know where he came from. The book details his search (guided by Pip from the beyond) by solving puzzles. Clayton finally begins to live life in his search.

This was a clever and charming book. I was rooting for Clayton to figure it out. The author added chapters with snippets from the past supporting Clayton's current search. This was a well told story and I recommend it for anyone searching for an intricate tale of life and love and mystery.

I was given this book by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC digital copy. I was not compensated for this review and all opinions are my own.

Told in multiple POV, this was a coming of age story (Clayton) intertwined with creating your own family (Pippa). I enjoyed the different characters and their puzzle-making abilities. A unique manner of expressing acceptance.

The ending wasn’t as satisfying as I had hoped, but it is still a book I’d recommend.

4 out of 5 stars and my respect to the author.

Clayton Stumper was raised by a group of puzzle makers after he was found on their doorstep 25 years ago. When Pippa, the founder of the Fellowship, dies she leaves Clayton a series of puzzles that should lead to his birth parents.

I loved this book, although I have to admit I had difficulty solving any of the puzzles. The story is revealed in a series of flashbacks -- chapters alternate between the present and Clayton's quest and the past that traces the origins of the Fellowship. The characters are wonderfully drawn and the writing is beautiful. I was completely drawn into the story of Pippa and the rest. A sweet, endearing story filled with heart and suspense and (of course) puzzles.

"The Fellowship of Puzzle Makers" is a fun, brain teasing book that I couldn't stop reading. Each turn of the page brought new intrigue. I loved the puzzles the author included. The plot twists were fun. Overall this was a joy to read.

Received and ARC from Netgalley for an honest opinion.

This was a really fun book, I enjoyed it a lot! I loved the now and then setup, you really get the whole story when it's structured like this.
Reading the ARC, I wasn't able to do any of the puzzles in the book, but I'll get a print copy from the library when it comes out so I can do that part of the story.

I was so intrigued by the title of The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers that, even though I wasn't familiar with debut novelist and British TV producer Samuel Burr, I took a leap of faith and am profoundly thankful that I did. I discovered an indelible story of found family, unforgettable characters, and the wondrous concept of puzzles as a way to bring people together. Pippa Allsbrook is a brilliant cruciverbalist, or crossword puzzle designer, who works under a male pseudonym since puzzlemaking has been a predominantly male-dominated occupation. She proposes to surround herself with the brightest minds in the puzzle business--cryptologists, logicians, trivialists, lexicographers, mazemakers, chess masters, mathematicians, even a jigsaw artist--who would join together to build a thriving commune . . . and she succeeds.

At the age of 67, Pippa's life changes forever when she finds a baby left in a hatbox on the commune's doorstep, fulfilling her lifelong dream of becoming a mother. Young Clayton is raised mainly by Pippa and one of the male Fellowship members until she passes away at 89. It is only then that Clayton feels he can search for his biological parents and find out why they had abandoned him, with the help of a series of puzzles from Pippa that he finds after her death. With assistance from some of his lifelong supporters and a brand new friend, this young "old soul" in his twenties sets out to discover where he fits into life in general and what he needs to move forward. The story shifts back and forth between Pippa's journey and Clayton's, in alternating chapters and timelines which are easy to follow.

There is so much to love about this quiet story that packs a depth of emotion that I wasn't expecting. All of the characters are distinctly portrayed and have their own interesting stories and resolutions. And the diverse puzzles and related "events" that are described are irresistible, although not necessarily solvable by the reader. I relished every minute of it, and it left me feeling warmly uplifted and thoroughly entertained. To quote one of the Fellowship's favorite sayings, "To Go Further, Go Together."

My sincere thanks to Doubleday and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

I didn't really like this book until I got farther into it.
All the puzzles and cyphers will be great for those who love that kind of thing.
It's not my bag, but I know that lots of people are going to eat this book right up!

Clayton Stumper has a puzzle to solve. Actually, he has to solve many different types of puzzles to find the answer which he wants most: Who are his parents? Left as an infant on the doorstep of a commune of puzzlemakers, Clayton has certainly had an unusual upbringing. Pippa Allsbrook and the Earl have treated him like their own son, but now that Pippa has passed and the Earl is getting quite forgetful and frail, it is time for Clayton to solve his own puzzle.

Solving clues leads to new experiences and adventures for homebody Clayton. Meeting each of the members of the puzzling society and some strangers as well helps Clayton develop his own sense of what makes a family. I thoroughly enjoyed each of the characters and the setting. Told in alternating chapters between Clayton's "now" and Pippa's "then", readers get a sense of the background of the formation of the society and how each of its members fit perfectly into place. Just like a completed puzzle, Clayton's life is now a thing of wonder which he shares with everyone he meets. All that is missing is a sequel as I'm not ready to give up reading about this odd bunch of geniuses and the boy/man they raised.

United States Publication: April 9, 2024

Thank you to NetGalley and Anchor for this advanced reader's copy. In exchange, I am providing an honest review.

Clayton Stumper is the youngest resident, by far, at Creighton Hall - home of The Fellowship of the Puzzle Makers. Clayton came to the Fellowship via a hatbox on the front doorstep 25 years ago. The fellowship's founder, Pippa, found Clayton at the front door and raised him as her own. Now, Pippa has passed on and left Clayton a final puzzle, from her, to solve. Who his birth parents are. Championed by the remaining residents of Creighton Hall, Clayton takes on Pippa's challenge and goes searching for the answers he's wanted for a very long time - who are his birth parents and why did they leave him at the Fellowship, of all places? Going back and forth between the start of The Fellowship of the Puzzle Makers and Clayton's present day, the reader is treated to the start of a wonderful community and how that community raised a boy who needed a family.

I feel like there is so much to say about this title, but I also feel like what I want to say lends itself to potentially spoiling the joy of this book. This title is charming and delicious and I loved it. I devoured it. I loved the way Burr used puzzles, of ALL kinds, to create this story and how he used the idea of solving not the solution to tell this story. I loved every character Burr created and developed. I just loved it. The only slight complaint I have is that the solution to Clayton's parentage was not as mysterious or surprising as I thought it could have been. But that's really a very minor complaint. Perhaps my other complaint is that this is a stand-alone book. I could easily read a lot more about The Fellowship of the Puzzle Makers. Fantastic read, you will not regret this one!

I was excited to read this one: I love a wholesome, found family story. I thought the first half of Pippa’s story was delightful: she’s putting herself out there and starting a puzzlers society. In parallel, we see Clayton who was raised by Pippa and the fellowship after he mysteriously appeared on their doorstep as a baby, unmoored by Pippa’s passing. We watch Clayton try to solve the mystery of his birth while we watch Pippa establish the fellowship.

But I think for a book to really pass the uplifting test—and this one is certainly advertising itself that way—the book needs to resolve in a really satisfying way. And this one…doesn’t. I was left pretty angry with some of the characters in the end, and while that’s totally fine with most books, that’s not what I’m looking for from a “gloriously uplifting novel”.

Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday!

Cozy, character-driven novel set in the U.K. that oscillates between two timelines - Pippa's story of how the Fellowship came to be and progressed to the point of Clayton's arrival, and Clayton's quest in the present to find out where he came from. Fun, heartwarming, with flawed but loveable characters, a quick read recommended for those who like to end on a positive note.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I think of "The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers" as a cozy puzzle mystery--though not a crime mystery, but a mystery focused on the central character's unknown parentage and the circumstances surrounding his arrival on the doorstep of the Fellowship decades prior. Overall, I found the book enjoyable, and it would be the perfect fit for anyone looking for lighter literary fare. The story is told via the alternating perspectives of Pippa (the past), the founder of the Fellowship, and Clayton (the present), Pippa's adopted son who was raised by the vast cast of the puzzlemaking commune. While enjoyable, my main gripe is that I wish we spent more time in the present storyline and only dipped into the past from time to time to learn relevant details. The contstant back and forth kept the narrative from moving along such that by halfway through the book Clayton has only solved the first clue left by Pippa. This is a fun read, but not necessarily a page-turner.

This book reminded me of The Last List of Mabel Beaumont and The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper. It is one of those follow the clues quest books. Clayton Stumper was left on the doorstep of the Fellowship of Puzzlemakers about 25 years ago. Their founder, Phipps Allsbrook took him in and the Fellowship raised him. He has been content with his unusual family and childhood until recently. When Pippa died she left clues in the form of a series of puzzles for Clayton to follow. This quest should lead him to both the story of his origins and the path for his future.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing an eGalley of this title.

The Fellowship of Puzzlemasters is a quiet story told in 2 timelines. The past timeline focuses on Pippa, a woman who is a genius at crossword puzzles, both solving and creating but something of a loner, and how she ended up establishing the fellowship, a group of expert puzzlemasters of all kinds, all fellow loners searching for connection as well. The current story line involves Clayton Stumper, a young man who was left on the doorstep of the fellowship as a baby and who, now that Pippa his adoptive mother has died, is sent on a quest to discover his past. The quest is full of puzzles that he needs to figure out with the help of others along the way.

I enjoyed this story although I did not find it a propulsive page turning mystery but more of a gentle story, with a focus on found family, finding your own identity, and love, both romantic and familial. I enjoyed the puzzle component as well as our main protagonists and quirky supportive cast.

Thank you to net galley and the publisher for an e galley in return for an honest review.

This is a quiet book about a group of puzzlemakers solving a mystery. It was well written and the characters were interesting, but there wasn't a lot there to get me interested and found myself pushing through to finish it.

Thank you NetGalley and Doubleday for the digital ARC! The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers is an emotionally moving story about a young man's search for his story and the interconnected stories of a fellowship of friends (a fun collection of different puzzlemakers). Clayton Stumper was left on the doorstep of the Fellowship of Puzzlemakers and raised by the group's founder, Pippa. At the start of the novel, Pippa has passed away, and Clay sets off on a journey to find his birth parents, but finds much more as he meets people from Pippa's past, and brand new friends along the way. Pippa also narrates half of the story, from the founding of the fellowship to the day she found Clayton. Readers will enjoy puzzling out Clay's past through the parallel narratives of Clayton and Pippa and the heart-moving relationships that develop throughout. This book is a delight!