PERHAPS A GIFT VOUCHER FOR MUM?: MOTHER'S DAY
ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK ----- Clayton Stumper was abandoned as a baby on the doorstop of a crumbling but grand mansion inhabited by a hodgepodge of eccentric people, who collectively raise him. He loves his family and is indispensable as they age and need a younger person to take on the practicalities of running everyday life for them. They have other things to do, being amongst the finest puzzle makers in Britain – renowned crossword compilers, jigsaw makers, maze creators, gadget creators – although the originator of the Fellowship, Pippa Allsbrook, is his adoptive mother, and the person he loves the most. Having grown up amongst such eccentrics, Clayton is himself a bit of an oddity, so when Pippa dies and leaves clues as to his real identity, he has to leave behind everything he is comfortable with and venture into the wider world… A charming book with split timelines, and if it's one of those comfortable reads that isn't as challenging as the puzzlers themselves, then it's also the perfect anecdote for a dull weekend! Lindy
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.
ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK ----- Clayton Stumper was abandoned as a baby on the doorstop of a crumbling but grand mansion inhabited by a hodgepodge of eccentric people, who collectively raise him. He loves his family and is indispensable as they age and need a younger person to take on the practicalities of running everyday life for them. They have other things to do, being amongst the finest puzzle makers in Britain – renowned crossword compilers, jigsaw makers, maze creators, gadget creators – although the originator of the Fellowship, Pippa Allsbrook, is his adoptive mother, and the person he loves the most. Having grown up amongst such eccentrics, Clayton is himself a bit of an oddity, so when Pippa dies and leaves clues as to his real identity, he has to leave behind everything he is comfortable with and venture into the wider world… A charming book with split timelines, and if it's one of those comfortable reads that isn't as challenging as the puzzlers themselves, then it's also the perfect anecdote for a dull weekend! Lindy
