The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers

Burr debuts with the cheerful tale of a young man’s found family and the joy of puzzles. Clayton Stumper, 25, was left at the doorstep of the Fellowship of Puzzlemakers in Bedfordshire, England, as an infant and grew up surrounded by the eccentric, elderly residents of the commune, including his primary caregiver, Pippa Allsbrook, founder of the Fellowship and the most prolific crossword compiler in Britain. Feeling unmoored by Pippa’s recent death, Clayton determines to discover the identity of his birth parents. Pippa, one step ahead as usual, has left him with a series of puzzles for him to complete, which set him on his course. His first stop is London, where he visits Nancy Stone, an ex-member of the Fellowship who left Bedfordshire just before Clayton showed up there. As he pieces together Pippa’s clues, he tentatively explores life away from his routines and feels the beginnings of his first romance with Nancy’s home health aid, Neil. The PG-rated scenes with Clayton and Neil feel a bit too restrained—Burr is better at intricate plotting than he is at portraying Clayton’s burgeoning sexuality—though there’s a genuine sweetness to both story lines. This has plenty of heart. Agent: Hellie Ogden, WME. (Apr.)